Performance reviews should be positive and motivational for both you and your employees, but sometimes they can seem like a real chore. With a little effort, you can make sure they are meaningful and productive for everyone involved. Here are five tips to help you improve the performance review process.

1. Start with Goal Setting

When giving a performance review, the first topic should always be goal setting. During this time, you also need to let the employee know how you’ll evaluate their performance.  How do you expect them to meet those goals? Do they have the tools and resources they need to do well given their challenges? Work through these issues together to make sure everyone is on the same page on the outset.

2. Highlight Success

While reviews are often relied on to decide appropriate bonuses for employees, it should also be done with the goal of recognizing and improving overall performance. One key strategy to a meaningful review cycle is to focus on the positives. By starting with the successes and achievements you have noted in your employees, you will be better able to evaluate their strengths and work with them to brainstorm ideas on how to build on those successes. You hired them for a reason. By highlighting their successes, you will be able to encourage them to do more of what you find most value in. This strategy will help to motivate and inspire your workers to use their strengths to continue succeeding and bringing their best to the job every day.

3. Measure Progress

Annual reviews from the end of the previous year make for the best benchmark of progress in an employee’s performance. If progress is not readily visible, speak openly with your team members about why that may be and what resources you can provide to help them succeed. If they are clearly motivated toward achieving their goals, now is a great time to recognize their efforts and do what you can to encourage further development.

4. Consider Your Incentives

More and more employees are saying they appreciate nonfinancial rewards as much as and sometimes more than, a year-end bonus or raise in salary. If you are unable to invest financially in your team, you should seriously consider what other options you have available to you, such as better benefits, more vacation time, moral events, small personal gifts, or something else to show how much your company values your employees.

5. Make Proactive Decisions

For those employees who are having clear difficulty delivering on their goals, it may be time to start considering a replacement. Be prepared for this possibility and develop a plan to take action when the time comes. If needed, take this as an opportunity to be strategic about what your team really needs, and consider working with a staffing agency to help backfill if needed.

Verum Technical can help you prepare for review season and all the challenges it entails. Contact us to speak with one of our staffing specialists today and learn how we can help your team achieve their year end goals, together.