Out with the old, and in with the new. With 2022 wrapping up, businesses are shifting their focus on the 2023 business year. How can you and your team enter 2023 with a renewed sense of purpose and engagement? By making it a priority. Performance reviews, check ins, development plans, whatever your organization titles them, are a great way to ensure all employees are entering the new year with enthusiasm and strong intentions towards career development.
Development plans can be done many different ways. They can be done formally or informally, frequent or annually. We published an article specifically about one on ones that you can check out here. It does not matter what type of performance review you implement, only that you are implementing one that adds values. Performance appraisals and reviews should match the company culture / work. This is a good indicator of how often performance reviews should be done. After probationary periods, after the completion of a project / job, when obstacles present themselves, etc., are all important times to review performance, acknowledge the wins, and learn from the challenges.
Key concepts to keep in mind when implementing performance reviews:
Align the review with company values / goals
Provide frequent and meaningful feedback
Provide clear goals and consistent measurements
Ensure the opportunity for 2-way communication (manager feedback to employee, and employee feedback to the manager)
Some questions to consider (we can help guide you through these):
How often should performance reviews be done in your organization?
Should they be tied to compensation? If so, how?
How do these review sessions translate to goal setting?
Performance reviews should translate into performance development plans:
Performance development plans (PDP’s) are used to specify actions necessary to improve an employee’s performance. They highlight strengths and areas to improve upon. They encourage continuous learning, performance improvement and personal growth. All of these aspects will benefit the organization.
Three key outcomes of PDP’s
1. Improve current performance
2. Prepare employee for advancement
3. Enrich employee work experience
What is a PDP?
During the performance review process, key strengths and areas for development will be identified. By using this information, each individual can have objectives set for themselves. These objectives could be in any areas where the employee’s performance needs improvement. These plans are for the employee and are created / chosen collaboratively by the employee and the supervisor. PDP's:
Create performance objectives to support employees to develop the skills necessary for high performance in their position
Assess area of strengths and areas for growth opportunities
Create discussion regarding career goals and planning towards that
Create a plan on how to reach objectives (resources needed, strategies, etc.)
Create an action plan with SMART goals including timeline with benchmarks
Set standards to assess achievement
We can provide support in performance reviews and the development of effective professional development plans.
A key success factor for performance reviews is the skill to have a challenging conversation - if this is an area of growth for you check our Leadership Essentials Training happening in Feb/March 2023 or reach out for a custom course for your organization! https://www.lakelandhr.ca/training