Performance Reviews Lead to Conflict

Conflict between a manager and an employee will affect the bottom line. According to How to silence 7 common employees gripes, an article on HR Specialist:

A Gallup poll says organizations are 50% less productive—and 44% less profitable— when serious boss-employee conflicts exist.

Managers, here’s a book for you: 30 Reasons Employees Hate Their Managers. It outlines common employee complaints about management, and offers solutions.

Here’s a complaint and a solution we weren’t surprised by:

“My performance reviews are useless.”

• Provide continuous feedback. Nothing in the review should come as a surprise.
• Involve employees in setting goals, and adapt a development mind-set.
• Focus on specific employee behaviors (and cite documented examples). Don’t criticize the person’s character traits.
• Conduct reviews on time.

As a manager, what complaints do you face most often? What do you complain about most often?