The Meeting

If you've been doing a good job supporting and monitoring performance and goal achievement, the Performance Review meeting should come as no surprise to the employee.  It's simply a more structured opportunity to provide performance feedback and to set goals for the future. 

Before the Meeting

You and the employee will feel more comfortable in the performance discussion if you are prepared.  You can do a number of things ahead of time to enhance the effectiveness of the meeting. 
  • Notify your employee a week or so in advance of the performance review meeting.  Set a time and date that will be mutually convenient.
  • Let them know that the purpose of the meeting is to provide performance feedback and set goals for the future.  Ask them to be prepared to work with you to set performance goals for the future.  Some supervisors may find it effective to allow employees to rate themselves and discuss these ratings in the meeting.
  • Set aside an hour of your time to devote to your employee without interruptions such as ringing telephones or drop-in visitors.  The appraisal should be conducted in your office or some other room where the two of you can talk in private without being disturbed.

Four Steps to a Successful Meeting

  • Tell the employee exactly what you hope to accomplish.
    You may want to mention that performance reviews provide valuable information which may be used in human resources decisions concerning job placement and salaries.
  • Present the results of the evaluation.
    It's a good idea to start off by going over the strong points in a person's performance.  After talking about strengths, you can discuss areas for improvement.  This is where it is helpful to give examples from the comments sections under each performance factor.
  • Ask for general comments about the evaluation.
    When you come to this step, be aware that your employee may have angry feelings that may surface.  It's especially important that you remain in control and act calmly and rationally.  If an employee seems to be overly angry about something, allow the person to vent their anger before you step in.  Though it may be difficult, you should never lose your temper.  Stay focused on the job and performance, and avoid shaming, blaming, defensiveness, comparisons, and discussions of personalities. 

    A good performance review discusses what can be done more than what was done.  Keep the focus on what is possible, and move on to a discussion of goals for the future.

  • Together, agree on performance goals, including what you can do to help the employee achieve these goals..
    You may want to set a follow-up date to discuss progress towards performance goals.  End the discussion on a positive note, and thank the employee for his or her participation.

Your Role in the Discussion

Your most effective role is performance counselor, not judge.  You can keep the discussion positive by focusing on: 
  • Performance rather than personality
  • Insight rather than indictment
  • Development rather than discipline
  • Discussion rather than presentation
By providing a balance of both positive and negative, you can make the discussion helpful and not overwhelming to your employee.  If you are specific and give examples, the review will be even more meaningful.  And finally, if you encourage employee feedback and allow the employee to express feelings, he or she will feel more positive about the performance review.