Use Questions to Take the Anxiety Out of Employee Performance Reviews

UPDATE: This article has been updated from its original publishing date of August 31, 2020.

When most of us think about employee performance reviews, we think about judgement. We think about scales from 1 to 5. We think about shortcomings. It's a lot of pressure on everyone involved.

Using questions to structure your employee performance reviews gives you a better ROI, involves the employee more and removes some of the pressure performance reviews can create. It doesn’t eliminate a manager’s need for preparation or the importance of addressing shortcomings and mistakes as they happen. But it does lead to the discussion that’s so vital in making this process effective.

 

Nobody likes employee performance reviews

Mention performance reviews in any office and you’ll get a litany of horror stories: irritated workers blind-sided with surprise criticism; unfair appraisals tied to raises; bosses giving everyone the same results to keep the peace.

What the employee feels: Anger. Frustration. Anxiety. 

What the boss feels: Anxiety (causing them to delay).

And yet, the calls from the HR department to those same bosses keep coming, prompting them to "stick to the review schedule."

We’re all sensitive to judging and being judged. Yet, this system of rating employees’ work continues to be pressed upon bosses. BECAUSE HR departments rely on fair assessments to make any pay changes and to demonstrate equal treatment of all employees. Also, in the rare case of a legal claim for unfair or discriminatory work practices, reviews could be used as proof of no discrimination—by pulling records of employees in the same or similar positions. (Of course, that practice assumes that the reviews themselves are unbiased and fair.)

 

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Revisit the real purpose of employee reviews

HR needs aside, we spend a lot of time on a process that makes EVERYONE involved uncomfortable. And we’re missing a distinctly positive reason for employee evaluations: Open dialog to chart an employee’s career growth.

In a sea of negative reactions when I posed the question with a group of friends, one positive experience emphasizes the point. This individual referred to a particular review that started with this simple question: “What would you like to accomplish in the next year and how can I help?” Brilliant. This question starts a conversation. Rather than a one-sided lecture, it turns the appraisal on its head and makes the discussion about growth and development, rather than judgement and rating scales. And aside from HR’s needs, isn’t employee growth what we’re really looking for?

If your employee performance appraisals seem a little one-sided (aren’t leading to discussion) and aren’t helping employees develop and grow, consider a different approach.

 

Here are some questions to encourage discussion in an employee performance review:

1. What accomplishments are you most proud of? 
2. What can I do to help you do your job better? 
3. Congratulations on achieving Y. That’s exceptional work — how did you accomplish this result? 
4. Is there anything you think you could have done better or differently this past year to optimize results? 
5. Where do you see your greatest potential for growth and improvement? 
6. Are there tools or resources that would help you do your job better?
7. What’s your biggest challenge right now?

 

 

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