Learn the pitfalls to avoid in order to create a performance form that is impactful and provides clarity, evidence, balance, and has a future focus.
Here are some of the ways forms measure the wrong things and here are some tips to improve the performance review process.
What Not to Do #1
Measure behavior not results. Typically attendance, compliance, and soft competencies are scored. Responses are vague and do not provide guidance on what to continue to do and what to work on to improve.
What to Do Instead #1
Connect measures to business outcomes. Do not rate just easily observable behaviors. Include rating for strategic impact, customer value deliverance, growth in role.
What Not to Do #2
Use vague ratings.
Ratings of Does Not Meet Expectations, Meets Expectations and Exceeds Expectations are vague and subjective at best. Two managers could rate an employee completely different using this rating scale.
What to Do Instead #2
Create a scoring system that is well defined with examples for each score. Also provide calibration rules. Tie ratings to business impact and not on personal opinion.
What Not to Do #3
One Size Fits All Form
An organization with sales, marketing, research, and manufacturing cannot rate the varied roles using the same form. Each drives values in a different way. Customize role-specific scorecards based on the work that produces value.
What to Do Instead #3
Use a shared framework that stresses company-wide values, and standards. Have one form style but use different measures per job family.
What Not to Do #4
Make form too long and have too many steps
Some forms ask too many questions and have crazy workflows. This causes employees and managers to feel pressure to complete the forms under tight deadlines which leads to rushed and low quality responses.
What to Do Instead #4
Ask fewer and better questions. Use evidence-based assessment using metrics and outcomes, anything to remove ambiguity. If a question adds no decision making value, it doesn’t belong on the form.
What Not to Do #5
Use of Generic Competency Frameworks
While competencies such as “embraces change”, or “drives innovation” are aspirational, they are hard to rate objectively.
What to Do Instead #5
Competencies should be observable, job-relevant, linked to business outcomes and have defined behaviors for each level.
What Not to Do #6
Have Forms Built for HR
Forms that allow box checking, reporting, and legal defense are great for HR but are not tailored to the manager and employee.
What to Do Instead #6
Optimize form with clear feedback, meaningful coaching conversation and have to have better performance in the next go round with no surprises.
What Not to Do #7
Have Unusable Output
Weak performance forms don’t tie into development plans, pay decisions, drive staffing decisions or shape promotion paths. Don’t heavily lean towards rating subjective skills.
What to Do Instead #7
A well-designed form is operational, in that leaders use the output to allocate talent, managers use it to coach and employees use it to grow.
Overall Tips for a Better From
Make the form operational:
- Provide clear, concise feedback
- Have a balanced discussion: talk about strengths, but don’t neglect areas that are opportunities for growth
- Create a path forward which identifies clear expectations, of view of what success looks like and how it is measured
- Be fair and consistent in the assessment; avoid bias, assumptions, and judgments
- Have a two way dialog with opportunity to ask questions, discuss challenges, invite reflection
You should now be on your way to crafting a well created performance form. Just remember that it should be comprehensive in that it assess an employee’s performance, encourages their growth, and support the organization’s mission.
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