Today we are talking about whether performance reviews are good or bad, the difference between performance reviews and feedback, and what’s best for your organization when it comes to performance reviews.

Performance reviews in general are not bad, the main issue arises if you are only doing one review a year and you are not giving employees any other feedback at any other time. This type of interaction is not beneficial for anyone. Not only will it negatively impact morale, but It is not possible to give accurate feedback about something that happened 6 months ago or longer.

This doesn’t mean we need to get rid of the performance review all together. Instead, we should have ongoing, frequent check ins between employees and managers that occur monthly or even weekly. That way when it comes time for the end of year review the employee isn’t surprised or taken aback by anything that is said, it has all been brought up to them throughout the year in the ongoing dialogue.

So what should your organization do? It really depends. First and foremost you need to ask your people to get a feel for what works best for them. Do they want feedback on a weekly basis, a monthly basis, quarterly basis? Don’t just blindly make widespread sudden changes to the system. The important thing to remember is you can’t just check in one time a year. A standalone, one time per year review doesn’t cut it.

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