Workplace expert Jodi Glickman joined Rypple this month as part of our Leadership Webinar Series to give insight into how employees can take control of the performance review process.  Following that conversation, Jodi agreed to answer some questions from the attendees. This is the first of two posts with Jodi about how employees and managers can get the most from their review process.

To watch Jodi’s webinar, click here.

Q: How does an employer guarantee that performance review is done the right way? 

GLICKMAN: Employers can’t guarantee managers will always give effective performance reviews, but the best approach is to train managers and give them the tools and skills they need to have productive conversations.  A few tips for managers:

1. Lead off with the positive—find some positive attributes or skills the employee has demonstrated and start the conversation off on a good note.
2. Focus on areas of performance that you can back up with evidence—don’t rely on hearsay or opinion.  If you’re giving constructive feedback, point to a deliverable that wasn’t up to par or a client relationship that is suffering because of a lack of care or attention.   Show how the deliverable could have been better or how the poor client relationship is impacting the team.
3. Always have recommendations/solutions in hand. When you are giving constructive feedback, you’ve got to have concrete ideas on how your employee can improve his performance.  It’s not fair to criticize something you yourself don’t know how to fix.  So if the report wasn’t well-written, talk about ways to improve it. If the client relationship is suffering, suggest ideas for improving the interactions going forward.

Q: To keep compensation conversations outside of the review is it a good idea to schedule compensation talks yearly?

A: Yes, absolutely.  People have a lot of anxiety around compensation (with good reason) so it’s best to have a separate conversation about how compensation is being calculated and how you’ve arrived at a particular number.  Keep this discussion separate and apart from the performance review conversation.

Q: A review is done to look at past performance, but how do you deal with communicating expectations?

A: Think of the review in two parts:  Part 1: how has your employee been doing?  Part 2: how can he improve going forward?  A great review focuses on the areas where someone has excelled, and their areas for growth and development.  That growth/development conversation should naturally evolve into goals and objectives for the following year and how they plan to meet and achieve those goals.  The whole point of the performance review is to give your employee actionable tools and strategies to make them better at their job going forward, so a discussion of how to put those strategies into play in the next six or 12 months is crucial.

Q: What if you’ve already made one of those errors of crying or losing your temper during a review? Do you have any advice for damage control?

A: If you’ve cried or lost your temper recently, consider approaching your manager to apologize for the outburst.  Keep the apology short and sweet and acknowledge that your behavior wasn’t professional.   Commit to handling the situation better next time around.  “Erin, I just wanted to drop by to apologize again for my reaction to our conversation last week.  I didn’t mean to lose my cool and I’m sorry.  I will make sure it doesn’t happen again—at the very least, I’ll excuse myself quickly if I need a break next time.”

If the outburst was a long time ago, however, it’s probably best to let it go.  If you have another review coming up and you still feel awkward, then approach your manager beforehand and acknowledge the point casually and in private.  Again, state that you’re sorry about what happened and communicate that you won’t let it happen again this year.  You might even go so far as to say that you’re looking forward to the upcoming conversation – or highlight that you’ve spent considerable time thinking about what you want to focus on for the coming year.

Q: What do you do if you work in an organization where your manager doesn’t give regular reviews because they don’t see the value in it?

A: Many of us don’t have the benefit of working for organizations that offer regular feedback.  If that’s the case, then you need to take the bull by the horns and reach out to your manager or colleagues on a semi-regular basis (quarterly is good) to ask for informal feedback.   Highlight the fact that you’re looking to improve your performance and offer that you would love someone’s thoughts.  Remember to plant the seed in advance (so as not to put anyone on the spot) and ask for feedback on specific areas of performance (e.g. “How am I doing managing client expectations?  Or, “How am I doing keeping the team in the loop?”) Versus the too general and ineffective “How am I doing?”

Q: The hardest part I find about reviews is when your manager asks you if you’ve had any conflicts with fellow staff and how you’ve resolved them.   How honest can you be when you answer? 

A: Sounds like you’ve had some real conflict …  The most important thing is to focus on the conflict from the perspective of what have you learned instead of who was right or wrong.  The last thing you want to do is throw your colleague under the bus by rehashing a he-said, she said—it will only make you look bad.  Instead, if you approach conflict from the perspective of:  here was the issue, here’s how we resolved it, and here’s what we learned, you’ll impress your boss with your integrity and self-awareness.  If the issue hasn’t been resolved, then it’s okay to reiterate your position, acknowledge the point of disagreement, and then highlight what you’re doing to move past the issue or come to agreement.  Your boss wants to see you solving your own problems, he doesn’t want to play referee.

To Come Next Week:

1. What if you love your job but hate your boss? Is the review the time to address your manager and tell them something they’re doing or not doing is the problem?

2. You talked about having a punch line. Can you explain that further?

3. My manager likes to compare employees against each other. I’m expecting he’ll do the same in the review. What can I say, if anything, if he does this again?

4. How exactly does an employee lead a conversation? What do you mean by that?

5. I put in extra hours at work and am getting worn out. I want to say something in my upcoming review but I’m worried it’ll be read as I’m not committed enough. I work in a competitive field so I worry they’ll find someone to replace me. What do you suggest?

6. Is the manager responsible for any prep before an annual review?

To watch Jodi’s webinar, click here.