The performance review process is an integral part of a business that ensures that all staff (old and new) know their roles and responsibilities and perform them satisfactorily.

It allows employers to directly give feedback to their employees in a formal setting that employees can then direct back into and shape how they perform their role.

Performance reviews may include praise about performance, suggestions for improvement or raise professional concerns, or assist in their career development and growth by planning for a future with clear strategic goals.

To be sure that the performance reviews conducted benefit you and your employees, It is essential to make sure that you are fully prepared and able to articulate your feedback. It’s important to have a plan, and a well-organised agenda of how you want the meeting to go can be a valuable tool to employ.

Make a note of any critical issues or points that you wish to discuss with your employee, as having the physical prompt should assist you in keeping the meeting on track and examine all of the relevant points that you want to pursue with the employee.

Essentially, you should cover in the performance review:

• Each employee’s goals or KPIs, and how well those goals are being met/achieved
• Areas where they have excelled
• Places where they may need more improvement

You can also ask your employees to assess their performance and see what they may identify differently from what you have highlighted. You can do this by simply having them conduct a self-analysis on how their performance has been in reaching (or not reaching) their goals.

If you are after a more formal approach to a self-analysis, you can ask employees to complete a more formal SWOT analysis, which identifies their strengths and weaknesses, opportunities they’ve taken advantage of to enhance their performance and any threats that may have impacted or may impact their performance.

Performance reviews can also identify and highlight areas for improvement in the business that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Typical Things To Address In A Performance Review

• The employee’s quality of work and ability to meet particular metrics
• Dependability and punctuality
• Leadership, communication and team skills
• Progress made towards personal career goals
• Innovation and problem-solving skills

Performance reviews should be conducted periodically and methodically to ensure that you get the most benefit from them, and limit your losses in profitability. It will also keep you informed about progress and any issues within the business.

It is recommended that you conduct performance reviews every three or four months, but half-yearly reviews are also perfectly suitable.