Inclusive Leaders Turn Performance Reviews into Gold Mines

Attention managers and team leaders! Here’s great advice from Great Place to Work (Gulf) CEO, Ron Thomas:

“Our workforces have the ability to be a percolator of ideas and solutions if we would just turn the spigots on. Letting our employees know that we are dependent upon their ideas and thoughts has the potential for any organization to break out of the pack and shift power to the people who are closest to the issues. It’s simple: Turn them loose, unleash their powers, and watch things happen.”

Thomas shared this wisdom in a July blog post on TLNT.com, “Leaders Get More Out of People When They Don’t Wear the Crown.” He cautions leaders against buying into the notion that they’re “the ones with all the gold-plated ideas” simply by virtue of the titles and senior roles they hold. Instead, he says, leaders should remember that they’re in a position to provide useful support, guidance, mentoring and coaching—but only by treating others as their equals.

This is inclusive leadership at its finest. (See Karen Higginbottom’s interesting Forbes article on inclusive leadership here.) Indeed, the vast majority (85%) of business executives agree that inclusive leadership is an effective way to improve performance, as reported by Ernst & Young.

One way to be an inclusive leader and unleash the power of your people is to turn performance reviews into gold-mining operations. Ask individuals to bring their “gold-plated ideas” to the table at review time, and don’t end a review without asking what you can do personally to support and ensure the success of your employees’ ideas. Again, this style of leadership is about embracing the notion that you, despite your title and role, don’t have to have all the ideas and answers all the time. Remember, great leaders are great facilitators. Help your people put their knowledge, experience and ideas to good use and they’ll love you for it.

Inclusive leaders also often practice behavior modeling (showing by personal example the actions and behaviors you want from employees). This isn’t done merely to set an example. Behavior modeling delivers actual business results. As we noted in a prior post, research from Catalyst illustrates that employees who observe selfless behavior in their managers are more likely to report feeling included and engaged in their work and their teams. They also report feeling more innovative, suggesting new product ideas, and going beyond the call of duty, among other benefits.

One of the greatest advantages of inclusive leadership is that it unleashes the intelligence and creativity of your entire team. This means you no longer have to be the sole source of great ideas 24/7. And when you’re no longer trying to shoulder that heavy burden alone, you just might find yourself becoming a happier, more effective leader.

The Art of Effective Performance Reviews

Conducting a great performance review is a bit of an art.

Managers who are just learning this art often ask us what they should be talking about—other than specific performance targets—with their people during reviews. In addition to the fine details (specific performance goals, noteworthy achievements, critical skill gaps, “reach” projects, future potential roles, etc.), we advise managers to ask questions that will help them understand the “big picture” where each individual is concerned.

This is where the “art” of performance reviews enters.

Managers need to ask the right questions and use the right probing techniques to learn the truth about crucial performance-related issues—for example, how employees feel regarding their own performance, the appropriateness of their responsibilities, their interactions with coworkers, their contributions to the department, their commitment to the company itself, and their feelings about the future, among other things.

Interestingly, Forbes recently published an article, 9 Things You Should Tell Your Boss At Your Next Performance Review, which is obviously written as advice for workers. But managers should read the article as well, and consider using a number of its key points to guide their performance review conversations. For instance, the first four items on the list are: 1) what makes you happy; 2) how you want to grow; 3) what you’d really like to work on; and 4) how you envision the future.

These are actually perfect examples of the issues managers should be talking about during reviews (in addition to the more prosaic performance matters noted above). In other words, don’t wait for employees to bring up these topics. Bring them up first by asking your reports about them. Doing so will help you dial into their perspectives, needs and interests—all of which are crucial to effectively managing their performance and developing them. Plus, you’ll send a clear signal that you care about how employees are feeling, not just trying to squeeze the most work out of them. That’s the kind of manager people want to work for.

Address some of the issues covered in the Forbes article and you’ll not only create an artful performance review … but you’ll also go a long way toward creating a meaningful one.

Heed These 5 Performance Management Realities—Before It’s Too Late!

Previously, we wrote about the pressing need to solve the performance management puzzle that baffles so many of our organizations.

As we noted in that post, Deloitte’s 2013 Human Capital Trends report addresses the issue in a section called, “The Performance Management Puzzle,” which offers a number of insights into exactly what’s vexing most employers (changing performance pressures, stagnating measurement and evaluation processes, evolving but unproven technologies, and the quality of the training and tools given to managers, to name just a few).

To “solve” performance management, we not only need to address each piece of the puzzle but we also must come to terms with a new set of realities. Progressive employers have already begun to accept these truths but many more employers need to follow suit if they want to keep top talent from slipping away.

Here are five of the most critical new realities that, once embraced, will help us all solve the performance management puzzle:

1.     The traditional performance management model has always been broken for many employers. This is compellingly illustrated in the Deloitte report: “Many companies continue to rely on traditional performance management processes .... Year after year, managers follow a well-worn routine: Fill out goal forms, track progress, fill out more forms, conduct a formal annual assessment, and then fill out more forms.” Indeed, this is the approach some employers have taken from the start but it was never what the traditional model of performance management intended. Annual reviews were meant to be more substantive than the rote formula of “fill out forms, track, assess, then repeat.” This formula is no way to motivate and engage people. As the Deloitte report’s authors point out, “Creating tight alignment between the work of the individual and the organization’s objectives promotes greater context, commitment, and pride in accomplishment.” This tight alignment and the intended outcomes have always been part of the traditional performance management model. But they demand a high level of interaction, communication and collaboration between managers and their direct reports—higher than many are providing—no matter what “model” you use.

2.     Annual reviews aren’t enough. No matter what performance management model you use, our businesses and our people move too quickly these days for annual reviews to serve them well. Performance goals and targets (for both individuals and teams) are now linked to shorter-term projects and other strategic deadlines as opposed to the fiscal year. Therefore, our people need more immediate, frequent and ongoing feedback. As a result, a growing number of employers are supplementing their annual reviews with more frequent, informal meetings. Managers and direct reports get together more often to discuss goals, track progress and strategize on performance adjustments when necessary. Many still hold annual reviews but these meetings are used primarily to address development and career pathing issues—and to discuss compensation (annual pay raises, bonuses, etc.). Bottom line, meeting only once a year to discuss performance is a dying practice.

3.     Technology is compulsory. No matter what a company’s review process is, technology-based solutions are a necessary component of a successful performance management process—especially when you factor in the tight timeframes many managers are dealing with and the widespread push to base reviews on metrics and hard data. Dedicated performance management software and systems help to keep the review process, managers and employees on track and working as efficiently as possible.

4.    Companies need to work from the bottom up to keep employees engaged. Companies should have employees either help with or initiate the review processes and be an active participant in establishing some of their performance goals and targets. This goes a long way toward keeping people engaged in their work. If your organization uses a top-down approach—placing accountability only on your managers—employees have precious little incentive to take ownership of their goals or become involved in their own development.

5.     We can’t look at the box for a “completed picture” of the performance management puzzle. There are no blueprints or reference materials because performance management isn’t a cookie-cutter issue. Yes, we’re all shooting for the same result—to fairly evaluate, compensate and motivate employee performance. But the puzzle pieces that fit together and work effectively will be somewhat unique to our organizations. Some will be served well by social tools, some won’t (at least not yet). Some will find great value in “crowdsourced” reviews, others will encounter problems. And so on, and so on, with each component. If you’d like some guidance on your particular challenges and options, Reviewsnap is just one of several highly respected performance management companies that will be happy to discuss solutions that might suit your company’s needs.

At it’s core, performance management is about helping your people deliver their best day in and day out. It’s about employee development. Organizations that treat annual reviews as a mere formality are simply going to lose out—and lose talent—to those that focus on improving engagement through the review process.

We’d love to know what your experiences have been and the lessons your organization has learned in addressing its performance management challenges.

Share your stories here on our blog or email us at info@reviewsnap.com and we’ll compile them for a future post or report.

Focusing Performance Efforts on Midlevel Managers

Middle management has been stuck between a rock and a hard place for the last several years. The tough financial times after 2008 might have stripped many of the jobs in the middle for the sake of a leaner organization. As things perk up, there’s more pressure to attract and retain young millennial workers. A middle manager might one day say, “I’m tired of being stuck in the middle.”

Before that happens, make sure you’re targeting midlevel managers in your performance process. They’re the people who have to bridge the gap between strategic thinking and everyday logistics. They bring experience that millennials haven’t yet acquired. And they’ve learned how to do a lot more with less as organizations pushed lean to a new extreme.

First, set clear performance expectations. When a middle manager has strategic and tactical responsibilities, performance management for his level is likely to be vague. Utilize tools like cascading goals to identify which responsibilities have strategic components and what tactical activities will help accomplish those goals.

Next, communicate frequently. One Huffington Post article noted that digital communication tools are removing some of the good communication habits that make successful managers. These middle managers need to maintain those skills, but executives should be exhibiting the same direct communication behavior. Disseminate information in an effective manner so middle managers are informed. They can then make the right decisions for their teams because they have all the information. Sharing frequent updates will make sure their performance is aligned with executive expectations.  

Finally, be ready to make a shift when necessary. Goals for middle managers can sometimes remain stagnant, especially if they’re not clearly linked to overall strategic initiatives. Instead, when new priorities arise, revisit goals for middle management. Which ones need to be updated, which ones need to be dropped, and which ones need to be added?

Performance management is important for all levels of the organization, but middle management is still where strategic vision comes to life. Make sure you’re setting your organization up for success by creating a targeted performance management plan for this critical group.

Different Strokes for Different Folks - Customizing Performance Reviews for You

For performance reviews to be a valuable part of performance management, they have to mean something to the employee, manager and organization. Relevant measures help people understand expectations and plan accordingly.

But what happens when the expectations set are too vague?

People get frustrated. Vague competencies or goals are like telling an employee to “do better.” Do better than what? Do better how? Sure, there might be some general understanding of what “better” might mean, but without specifics, performance won’t follow.

For example, “do better” for a salesperson could mean win more deals. However, winning deals by, say, discounting the product or service not only reduces profitability, it makes it harder for the firm to maintain the value of the service. Other salespeople can’t sell at the set price if a salesperson is undercutting them. So yes, more deals were closed, but at what cost?

Customizing goals and competencies can make it much easier to encourage the behaviors that lead to improved performance. Using customizing features in your performance review systems makes the process more meaningful for everyone.

Here are three ways you can customize your performance reviews:

1.     Change the language: Your company might have its own lingo, so integrating that into your performance review system will help employees relate what they do each day with the appraisal’s measures. It can be as simple as swapping out “customer” with “patient” for hospital performance management, or you can translate all the competencies and goals into your company’s vocabulary. As you use an internal language to customize your company’s appraisal, make sure it’s still clear what’s being measured.

2.     Define the goals: Using specific goals helps employees stay on track with the company’s strategy. To make goals more meaningful, cascade goals down from the business’s strategy through employees at all levels. Help a line manager see just how his efforts will contribute to the business. Then take it a step further and ask that line manager how else he might contribute. He might have a new way to work with suppliers that you might never have known about. His own professional goals would then change a process or service, delivering even more value to the company.

3.     Ask for clarity: Competencies are often built into performance reviews to help measure employee effectiveness, but did anyone ask the employees if the competencies were clear? Competencies can sometimes become too general when leaders want only a few competencies that many employees can be measured against. “Effective communications” can mean something different to lots of people. In some cases, you’ll either need to add definitions to those competencies, or go ahead and make a few versions of the competency so it’s relevant.

Customizing competencies and goals can add work to the performance management process, but the work will be worthwhile. With specific and relevant measures, it’ll be easier to see how well employees are performing and link that to the performance of the business.

Giving High Performers a Runway

Companies have to make lots of tough decisions when it comes to developing their people. When money is tight, it’s easy to focus on developing high-potential employees. After all, they’ll make a huge difference for your company in the future.

But you don’t want to think too far ahead and forget about today. A pool of very important people keeps your company running so that it’s there in the future. These are your high performers.

In our most recent white paper, “Giving High Performers a Runway,” we take a look at how you can get the most from your high-performing talent. When you download the paper, you’ll learn:

·       Why high performers need a runway

·       How to develop high performers for team success

·       Ways the company benefits overall from strong high-performer development

We want to help you improve the performance of your organization and your people. Count on Reviewsnap for expertise on how you can start seeing benefits when you let your high performers fly.

Download your complimentary copy of “Giving High Performers a Runway” today.

Giving Feedback: When Your Gen Yer Isn’t No. 1

Gen Y stereotypes indicate that this group of young employees demands feedback but can’t take criticism. It’s always easy to tell your employee when he’s a rock star, but what do you do if he’s not? You don’t want your performance review meeting to result in shouting or crying because the news came as a surprise to your employee.

Avoid a messy performance review by following these tips:

·       Have your Gen Yer take an active role in preparing for the review: Don’t leave the discussion up to chance. Ask your employee to reflect on the last year’s successes and challenges. Then take it a step further and ask for areas where the employee fell short; have him articulate what he would or could have done to make things turn out better. This approach separates personal responsibility from situational circumstances.

·       Prepare for the review yourself: It’s really easy to remember the project that bombed or the client who yelled. But reviews are about both the good and the bad. Make sure you’ve got the good things prepared and can explain to your Gen Y employee why he handled things so well in those instances.

·       Be clear about development opportunities: There’s a saying, “Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution.” When employees have a bad performance review and walk out knowing they need to fix things but don’t have any idea where to start, managers aren’t being part of the solution. Find out what development programs and resources are available and help the employee make a concrete plan for improvement. Get your Gen Yer to be involved as part of the solution, too. There could be social training tools or local networking events that can help your employee get the skills he needs.

·       Check in frequently: Many Gen Yers have a hard time with feedback because it can easily feel like an ambush. If it’s the first time your employee hears about his weakness, he’s going to wonder about all those times he could have course-corrected. Set up progress checks at regular intervals (at least quarterly) so you both can mark whether there’s been improvement.

Employees aren’t always going to be on the rock star path. Make sure to check with HR around performance management protocols, but do what you can to help make sure the employee gets plenty of notice when there’s a problem. You might find that things are easier to correct simply by having open lines of communication.

Stay Current With Journal Entries For Employees

Recently we wrote about recent activity bias (recency effect). This occurs when the reviewer places too much emphasis on what the employee has done of late and fails to account for performance over the entire review period.

This is often the result of human nature, but it can be caused by a lack of information or the inability to remember specific actions or events. One aspect of performance management that is critical to helping to offset recent activity bias, but too often overlooked is ongoing documentation of employee performance. There is nothing magical about documenting performance and it is really a simple matter of memorializing specific things the employee has done or not done as they occur.

Challenges many managers have when it comes time to create a review include not remembering key performance events and not having appropriate documentation to support ratings. By creating journal entries specific to performance events as they occur, the manager has a wealth of notes to use when crafting the review.

Sound performance management systems include journaling tools that allow the creation of such notes and they provide reminders to managers so they are not forgetting to take the time to document performance. When journaling isn't done enough or at all the quality of the review can suffer.

Taking the time to document things as they happen will help reduce angst about creating a review because the documentation provides a sound basis for ratings and comments. Managers will feel better about the completed review and the review session will be more fulfilling for both the manager and the employee.

Employees Taking Advantage of The Recency Effect

Employees can be quite cunning when it comes to performance reviews. We've all seen the employee who slacks off during much of the year and then some weeks prior to their review being done, they really pick things up and work harder or become more effective.

Recent activity bias (often called recency effect) is more common during performance reviews than we might imagine. Managers see the improved work effort and/or quality and when it comes time to do the review, it tends to stand out in their mind more than the less than acceptable work done during the earlier part of the review period. This can result in higher ratings and more positive comments than the employee actually earned.

Have you ever had an employee who didn't perform all that well during much of a review period, turned it on at some point later during that period of time and then, once the review was completed, crept back into old habits? It's likely we've all observed this type of behavior.

As a manager responsible for reviewing employees, it's important to remember that the performance review covers the entire review period. Astute managers can usually discern between improved performance based on coaching, training, or a legitimate desire to get better versus a late run to enhance performance ratings and comments.

Ask yourself if the employee showed gradual improvement over the course of the review period as coaching and training took place or if there was a sudden sharp spike later in the review period. What type of improvement took place? Did the employee focus on the one key area he/she knew had been an issue and tweak behavior accordingly? Or was there improvement on a broader basis?

If you believe the employee truly had made a conscious and legitimate effort to improve performance over a period of time, particularly after being coached and/or undergoing additional training, they ratings should reflect those legitimate efforts. If, however, you believe that the improvement was too little, too late, avoid letting the recent behavior influence your ratings and comments too much.

For any employee showing improvement, that change in work behavior should be recognized. But be very careful to rate the employee on the entire "body of work", so to speak. Let them know that there has been noticeable improvement, but send the very clear message that it is important to sustain the improvement and continue to focus on improving.

If you rate an employee too high based on very recent efforts and ignore the inadequate work efforts prior to the recent behavior, the employee will feel they can get into a pattern of slacking early in the review period and then working harder later on. As you prepare a review, think about the entire review period and take the employee's efforts and results into account for the complete period. This will help avoid recent activity bias and provide a much better feedback mechanism for the employee.

Could It Be Me?

When an employee's performance falters, the natural reaction is to blame the employee first. Employees are responsible for at least meeting expectations and when they don't they are surely doing something wrong, aren't working hard enough or just can't do the job. Right? Well probably, but is the manager doing his or her job effectively to help that employee be successful?

An employee's performance is often tied directly to the quality of management oversight and assistance. The role of a manager is complex. The following list offers an idea as to what the manager should generally be doing with respect to supervising employees:

- Hiring people well suited to the job.
- Establishing rapport and trust with employees.
- Setting clear, demanding and reasonable expectations for employees.
- Communicating effectively on a regular basis.
- Training and development of employees.
- Planning and defining projects and work.
- Enforcing accountability.
- Creating an environment where high performance can occur
- Providing ongoing informal and formal feedback about performance to employees.
- Coaching and counseling of employees.
- Employee discipline when necessary.

When an employee is struggling, managers should first ask this question; "Am I doing my job to the best of my ability?". There are many cases where an ineffective manager has a profound negative impact on one or more employees. When a manager is ineffective, even an employee who has a history of good performance can be affected in a negative manner.

Looking at the list above, how many of the tasks do your managers do consistently well? Managing people requires constant attention to your own performance. The trickle down effect of marginal management on employee performance can't be overstated. But, as we know, it can be difficult for some managers to admit that they are contributing to an employee's performance problems.

Employees who might ordinarily struggle under a less effective manager sometimes flourish under a manager who consistently does his or her job well. But why? A good manager understands their employees' weaknesses and works with them to strengthen those weaknesses. The challenge in managing people is that is takes hard work and a lot of time to do it well. Most managers are unwilling or unable to put in the time and effort required to help employees be as successful as possible.

Effective managers tend to be willing to spend the time necessary to help their employees do their jobs well. They don't immediately dismiss the employee as the problem. Rather they work with them to develop their skills and create an environment where the employees don't feel threatened if they do make a mistake.

Obviously, there are employees who will never be able to do the job they are currently attempting to do. How the manager deals with these employees is critical to the performance of the work unit as well. Too many managers ignore problem employees. Left unchecked, problem employees not only underperform, but they can cause those around them to do so as well.

When every attempt has been made to coach and assist an employee to higher levels of performance, but it becomes obvious that the employee just cannot do the job, it's time to deal with that employee either by finding a job they can do well or by following the prescribed discipline and termination process.

When an employee is struggling to meet expectations, ask why? Look first at yourself. Are you really managing effectively? Use the list above and continually critique yourself in terms of how well you are doing each of the things on that list. Ask yourself if an employee's performance problems could be associated with your ineffectiveness and, if so, in what manner. Ask your employees to give you feedback about your performance. Let them do so in a nonthreatening way. Ask your peers to do the same.

Is it Just a Bad Day or is it Everyday?

Everybody has the occasional bad day at work. What often starts as a problem or irritant outside the office can get carried over to work. Or what looks like a promising day turns sour because of one or more work related issues.

But what about the employee who just seems to be in a bad mood or negative frame of mind most or all of the time? What's their excuse?

Employees who come to work on a frequent basis in a bad mood or with a negative outlook have an impact on the organization in a number of ways, not the least of which is the way they affect co-workers or bosses. These employees are often referred to as having a bad attitude. An employee with a truly bad attitude can create unnecessary tension and "noise" within a work unit to the extent that productivity is reduced.

Be careful though in characterizing an employee as having a bad attitude. It's important to focus on the behavior of the employee. A person with a bad attitude tends to respond negatively to many things within the workplace. This response is the behavior that results from having what many call a bad attitude and is what needs to be focused on when coaching the employee.

Focus on the behaviors exhibited by the employee rather than simply talking about a bad attitude. Employees need to understand how their specific behaviors affect those around them and the organization in general.

Telling an employee that he or she has a bad attitude likely won't resonate with them. In fact, because they are generally negative anyway they will take it as unfair criticism without basis. That's why it is even more important to pinpoint their behaviors and how they are affecting the team.

On performance reviews, this can be especially important. For the various competencies the employee is being measured against, point out the behaviors that support the lower ratings that are likely to be found on the review. Because an employee who is intent on being a negative influence may well be "managed out" of the organization, being as specific as possible on reviews and other ongoing feedback is critical.

The importance of documenting the behaviors that provide evidence of the bad attitude can't be overstated. Let's face it, if an employee brings an attitude to work that leads to negative responses to many situations, there is a good chance that he or she will create issues if and when they are terminated. Documentation of behaviors help cover a managers backside and may even help the employee recognize that a behavioral change is in order.

Keep attitude and behavior separated and focus on changing behavior. While you may not see the results you expect, you will be doing what is necessary to move the employee forward or out.

Empowered or Impeded?

Employees sometimes feel that as much as the employer or manager talks about empowering employees to autonomously make decisions and control their work, there just isn't a framework or environment available to them to allow it to happen. To them, it's all talk with no real attempt to create the type of work culture where employees feel comfortable taking action or making decisions.

Why does this happen? The reasons are varied and many and depend on the work unit or organization. In some organizations, many departments or teams have a very empowered group of employees while a few do not. In others, it is essentially an organization-wide issue.

In those where it is more widespread, it can generally be traced to top management. While they may talk about allowing employees a lot of freedom to act and make decisions, their actions say something much different. It's usually a trickle down sort of thing whereby the manager has been questioned repeatedly about decisions or actions they've taken even though they were very reasonable and appropriate. When this happens, the manager becomes gun shy about taking initiative and then consciously or subconsciously passes that mindset on to his/her employees.

In organizations where employees in most areas really do feel empowered and free to make many decisions and take appropriate initiative, but in one or a few work units or departments there is a strong reluctance to do so, the problem can generally be tracked back to an insecure or controlling manager or team leader. So while the organization has created an overall culture of empowerment, the manager has essentially blocked that culture from infiltrating his/her work unit.

In some cases, the manager is fearful of taking action and making decisions and passes that fear on to his/her employees. In others, there is an overt attempt to block employees from being too empowered, likely as a means to bolster the manager's sense of security. In either case, there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

When choosing competencies to use as part of performance reviews, we feel it is important to include at least one related to initiative or empowerment. What you call it and how you define it in your organization doesn't really matter. What does matter is that all employees understand that they are expected to take appropriate initiative and make good decisions as they deem necessary and that the evaluation of their performance will include rating and discussing how well they either take initiative or how well they give initiative.

Establishing a culture that encourages initiative in terms of decision making and taking action is important to moving an organization forward. Without it, the organization will fall into some level of paralysis. It may not be significant or it may be crippling. How well does your organization promote empowerment?

Is Your Manager a Morale Killer?

Let's face it...some managers just don't have what it takes to lead people. Much like the bosses depicted in the recent movie Horrible Bosses, there are people who flat out destroy morale, innovation and confidence. Sure those bosses may have been a little overstated, but the message was clear. And it isn't at all a surprise that these 'organizational terrorists' also do a very poor job with performance reviews.

According to one survey conducted by Florida State University, 40 percent of workers felt they worked for bad bosses. And 37 percent said their bosses didn't give them the credit they deserved. Even when we account for the fact that some of the respondents were likely less than stellar employees with a personal axe to grind, the numbers are concerning at best.

When it comes to getting feedback from bad bosses, both of an formal and informal nature, there is no question that the message and delivery are likely to be problematic. Imagine, for example, a boss who is overly negative and pessimistic. That boss will often carry that negativity and pessimism over to the preparation and delivery of performance reviews leading to distorted ratings and associated comments.

Or how about the insecure manager who feels the need to take credit for the work of others. Is it possible that the performance review might reflect more negative ratings simply to keep the employee down and make the boss look better?

Experience tells us that there are a lot of people in this world who have been promoted well beyond their ability. Those employees can impact those around them in such a negative manner that turnover increases, engagement falls, morale goes into the tank and productivity takes a hit.

We've talked about the performance reviews of the employees working for these bad managers. But what about the feedback and reviews of the bad bosses themselves? Their managers simply have to address the issues with their behavior and performance in a direct and honest manner. To do otherwise is detrimental to the organization as a whole. The more bad managers running around an organization, the more likely that organization is to underperform.

In short, bad bosses need to be dealt with and when it's clear they can't or won't change their behavior and/or performance, it's time for them to go elsewhere.

What To Do When There Is Nothing Positive To Say On A Performance Review

Once in a while, you start a performance review on an employee and realize you do not have anything good to say. When this happens, be honest on the review but do not tear down the employee for their poor performance. If you do they will leave your office looking like the guy in the picture. Remember, reviews are supposed to be a time to help employees improve, not create tension or put them down.

Keep in mind that an employee with serious performance issues should already know about those issues and the review shouldn't come as a surprise. If the employee is someone that you intend to coach and help to achieve higher levels of performance, the last thing you want to do is create an overly negative review meeting. That said, don't minimize issues that need attention.

With each negative comment, you should add in how they can improve and give them specifics on how to accomplish this. That way instead of being discouraged they can focus on what they need to do to make a change.

You should also make sure to include examples with each negative rating. That way the employee knows exactly what they are doing poorly. This is a great way to show an employee who may not agree with the review precisely what is going on.

The most important thing to remember is to stay positive and offer your guidance to the employee. This can be an awkward situation for everyone involved if it is handled the wrong way. Make sure to address the review as a learning tool and together discuss ways to improve this employee’s performance.

ReviewSNAP Launches Cascading Goals in Performance Management System

Yesterday ReviewSNAP launched a cascading goals tool as part of our performance management system. This tool allows you to add goals for the entire company, a department and all employees of a particular job description at the same time. This will eliminate the need to add the same goal into the system a number of times. The addition of this tool also allows you to import your goals into the system all at once. You no longer have to add them in one at a time. Another new cascading goals feature is the ability to select particular goals to automatically rollover to the following review period. This will be very helpful if you have goals that stay the same from year to year. They will automatically roll over to the next review period and you will not have to re-enter them for each review period.

Legal Check Update

ReviewSNAP is currently working on adding a legal check tool to our text editor. This tool will be available on any page within the system that has a text box. Our legal check will be used to search for discriminatory and derogatory language and offer alternative words or phrases to replace the discriminatory or derogatory language. This tool is in the process of being built and the estimated date of completion is October 23rd. Please check back for updates on the progress of the legal check tool.

What Statistics Matter To You? We Want Your Feedback

All performance management systems offer reports for HR personnel to view regarding the performance reviews and 360 degree feedback surveys that have been completed within the company. It is important to ReviewSNAP that we offer the most useful statistics within our dashboard. Soon we are going to make some adjustments to the statistical dashboard on our performance management system and we want to find out what statistics are important to you. We'll appreciate any feedback and all opinions.

ReviewSNAP Price Increase - Lock In Now

ReviewSNAP™ has recently launched several enhancements and modules to our Web-based performance management system. These include:

•eSignature to help you make your performance review process completely paperless.
•Comment suggestions to help managers/reviewers find just the right verbiage to support ratings.
•Employee import feature that allows you to import your existing employee information to the system.
•Logo upload that lets you personalize the system and review templates to your specific organization.

Also, we will soon be launching our compensation recommendation tool. This enhancement will allow you to create recommended percentage increases for employees’ compensation based on overall ratings. This feature can be turned on or off at your discretion.

As you may know, ReviewSNAP360™, a complete 360 degree feedback module will be bundled with the current performance review solution. It will afford your organization the opportunity to gather important feedback from superiors, peers, and subordinates on employee levels including managers, team leaders, group supervisors, and other staff levels of your choice.

Our goal is to offer the most powerful and flexible system possible at the most affordable prices. Due to the recent enhancements and the imminent release of ReviewSNAP360™, annual subscription rates will be going up.

Since you are currently or have been a free trial member we are offering you the opportunity to subscribe to ReviewSNAP at the current subscription rates until 11/15/2008. If you do subscribe to ReviewSNAP prior to the 15th and don't exceed your initial employee limit, you will be locked in at that price for annual renewals.

Although our prices will be changing they will still remain the most affordable on the market and you will have access to the most powerful version of ReviewSNAP yet.

Make The Most of Your Assets

Employee's are a company's biggest and most important asset typically consuming around 70% of a company's overall budget. This is exactly why you want to make the most of your assets (employee's). Companies can hire a world of potentially talented employees, but don't have the processes in place to get the most out of that world of talent.

ReviewSNAP™ will put a review process in place that will save time, save money, increase sales and profits, enhance employee productivity and morale, and achieve levels never before reached. Our consultants, in collaboration with other human resource professionals, have developed the ReviewSNAP™ Performance Review System to assist organizations in managing their performance review/appraisal process.

By taking advantage of our feedback, goal creation and development plans you will be able to have a more accountable, yet relaxed review process. As an employee this let's you know how you have performed throughout your review period and what needs to be done to perform well. So, no longer do you have to worry about walking into your boss' office and hear something completely unexpected.

Go Paperless and Automate Your Reviews

If you are looking for the simplest answer to transitioning from manual paper reviews to an automated system then ReviewSNAP is your answer. There is no software implementation or implementation costs and you will have access to the system as soon as you have subscribed to ReviewSNAP. With ReviewSNAP's recent implementation of our new eSignature and comment suggestion functions you can fully automate your performance review process and go paperless as well.

In today's world green initiatives are extremely important and by using our eSignature process you will be able to avoid having to print any paper. Your reviews will ALWAYS be stored on a highly secure server, so you will have access to them no matter what and you can have the peace of mind about your information being breached.

Performance reviews are an important process to a company's success, but many organizations use manual processes or inadequate software as their framework for managing performance evaluations. As a result most employees dread them because managers don't want to take the time to do them and most of the time employees don't know what to expect. ReviewSNAP makes your review process quick and simple and ensures the most accurate reviews with our feedback and goals and development plan functions.

Sign up for a 21 day free trial and see how ReviewSNAP can improve your company's performance and morale. We also offer live demo's, so if you would like to learn more about ReviewSNAP don't hesitate to contact us or call (800)516-5849.