Here at Expert, we’re often approached with questions about the performance review process: How should reviews be carried out? Who should conduct them? Should self-evaluations play a role? And how often should they take place?
The employee review process is an art and a science, and in recent years this process has become the focus of rigorous academic study. As it happens, it’s possible to take reviews too far: Every hour and resource invested in the process comes at a cost, and reviews—like every other business expense—need to provide measurable returns in order to be considered sustainable and cost-effective. So how many annual reviews are enough? And at what point (annual, semi-annual, monthly?) do reviews become a burden to employees and an unjustifiable expense for employers?
Semi-Annual Reviews: Employees Weigh In
According to extensive survey results across a range of professional fields, most employees seem to prefer a review cycle that takes place between once and twice per year. When employees view their company’s review process as meaningful and positive, they typically see semi-annual reviews as a way of gaining timely feedback that can help them excel at their jobs. These employees don’t like to wait until the end of the year to receive coaching tips or a green light on their performance.
Senior employees tend to prefer reviews that take place once per year, since these seasoned workers don’t depend as much on moment-to-moment coaching. Entry level employees are more inclined to request two reviews per year. Employees at both senior and junior levels who find their company’s process negative, intrusive, or a mere formality tend to prefer one review per year.
Semi-Annual Reviews: Managers Weigh In
Managers have more to gain and also more to lose by implementing a second review each year. While the second review can encourage busy managers to focus closer attention on their direct reports, reviews often require several hours of investment for each employee. Some managers feel that, six months into the year, this time would be better spent on an informal process targeting only the employees most in need of training and coaching.
But in almost every case, both managers and employees are more inclined to embrace semi-annual reviews if they have strong faith in the company’s current approach to the process. On both sides of the table, almost all participants prefer a process that’s scientific, fair, structured, and meaningful. Both parties have greater faith in reviews that are grounded in detailed observation of measurable performance metrics, and both parties appreciate follow-up in the weeks after a formal review, since this lends weight to the plans and goals established during the meeting.
In general, the value of the process seems to matter more to both employees and employers than the length of the review cycle. For more information on how to keep your reviews meaningful and effective, reach out to the Texas staffing pros at Expert.