22. Six Steps for Providing Meaningful Staff Performance Reviews

It is the end of the year and you are probably deep in completing performance reviews for all your staff.  
This episode explores six steps that can make performance reviews a meaningful exercise for you and your staff.
Given that reviews are often tied to staff raises or bonuses, doesn't it make sense to have a strong, objective, and thoughtful performance review?
When done correctly the process and written document can strengthen your staff's commitment to your agency and convey your investment in their professional growth.
Listen to learn more.

Find more practicable tips on my website Relish Your Role. com. I have so much respect for the work you do!
Thanks for listening.

Transcript

It is that time of year when most nonprofits prepare their staff performance reviews.

Is this an activity you dread, or do you see it as a time when your leadership shines?

Performance reviews are an annual fact of life.

If you have the right systems and processes established – conducting end-of-year performance evaluations can be a deeply effective experience that grows the leadership pipeline of your agency and deepens the sense of support and affiliation your staff feels towards their supervisor and your agency.

It seems fitting for the end-of-year episode for Relish Your Role that we talk about a typical nonprofit end-of-year activity, the performance review.

In this episode I am going to briefly touch on the six components of the staff performance review process and how you can make it an impactful exercise for everyone involved.

It is probably too late to change things for this year but as we head into January you can tweak your system to get the performance review system you and your staff deserve.

You can hear the full episode at relishyourrole.com/22.

If you find this episode or any of the 21 previous episodes helpful, please, as a Christmas present to me, leave a review on your favorite podcast app. And tell your friends.

Improve Your Agency's Work Culture

Performance reviews can be an incredibly powerful experience and set the tone for a strong positive work culture.

Personalized, thoughtful performance reviews show your staff you take their professional and career trajectory seriously.

A thoughtful performance review process helps everyone level set their expectations of one another. When expectations are clear there is a shared commitment to agency success.

When you can clearly identify a staff's successes and areas for growth you are conveying your commitment to their professionalism.

Usually, performance reviews are tied to end-of-year raises or bonuses, and given the impact these decisions have on staff income and your agency budget, doesn't it make sense to have a strong, objective, and thoughtful performance review?

Let's talk about how to get there.

I think there are six elements to a strong performance review.

Six Steps to Providing Meaningful Performance Reviews

1.    Provide clear expectations

2.   Translate expectations to observable behaviors and deliverables.

3.   Mutually develop 'reach' goals

4.  Frequently check in on progress

5.   Identify Professional development goals

6.  Promote self-reflection

Step 1. Provide Clear Expectations

Assuming you have current and accurate job descriptions for all your staff. (If you have not updated those job descriptions, it is a good idea to do so). The performance review, and by that, I mean both the written document and the process, should be based on a list of clearly stated expectations that track the job responsibilities spelled out in the staff person's job description.

The expectations should clearly state what activities are expected and the outputs of those activities as well as the outcomes.

For example, if the person is responsible for your agency's communication activities, the performance review should mention the person's role in all social media, agency informational activities, and graphic presentation material. Those are the outputs.

 If there are expectations of the number of these events are expected on an annual basis, the performance review should state that. This allows for an objective way to measure the person's performance. They are expected to produce six newsletters over the year, it should be stated.

Six newsletters are the output and the outcomes are perhaps increased memberships, subscriptions, or social media interactions.

When you spell out at the beginning of the year what is expected, it gives both you and the staff a clear road map to measure progress as well as guideposts to assess if the person is performing the tasks and having the impact that has been agreed upon.

Everyone does better when they know what is expected of them in clear terms. When you go over the review at the beginning of the review cycle, this element allows the opportunity to make sure there is a mutual understanding of what they need to do and why they need to do it.

Translate Expectations to Observable Behaviors and Deliverables.

This step is a natural outgrowth of the setting expectations. It provides a clear list of every element of their job responsibility, of what is expected to be done and how it is expected to be done.

Again, using the communication position as an example, if you expect them to create all the graphics for grant reports, the performance review document should state that they are expected to meet with the program staff to prepare the reports.

This is an example of providing both the expected behavior and the product to be delivered.

Clarity and specificity are the keys to an effective performance evaluation.

Mutually Develop 'Reach' Goals

Up to this point, you have focused on the expectations for the job. This section is when you get to discuss with the staff how and where they want to grow professionally this year.

Creating what I call 'reach' goals occurs by identifying the new skills or responsibilities the two of you decide if is appropriate to undertake in the coming year.

They will need to learn new things to reach these goals, and by including them in the performance review, you are committing to their professional growth.

The communications staff may identify mastering a new graphics program or producing a YouTube channel for your agency.

In listing new projects and skill sets you are supporting their growth and the agency's advancement.

Frequently check in on progress

A performance review is a process as well as a document.

If a performance review is to be successful, the staff's supervisor needs to consistently check in to assess their progress.

These check-ins allow the opportunity to problem solve, provide real-time feedback, and celebrate successes.

There should never be surprises in any end-of-year performance review.

The feedback staff receive in their annual review should be a culmination of the feedback they have received throughout the year.

The best way to devalue staff is not to give them frequent, constructive feedback on their performance.

The end-of-year review should truly be a review of the meetings held throughout the year.

Identify professional Development Goals

A strong performance review will have a section in which you can identify the areas for professional development.

This can involve attending training and seminars shadowing staff in a different role, or the provision of mentoring or coaching.

Talking with staff about the areas they see they need to grow, or new skills they want to master signals to them your agency's investment in their continued growth.

Ideally, you have a professional development budget and there are funds set aside for staff to attend training and conferences which will build their skills.

It is important to solicit the staff's ideas and buy-in for suggested professional development activities.

Their attendance and application of the information they were exposed to during these professional development events should be part of their performance review.

Promote self-reflection

A strong performance review is a mutual endeavor. It is a time to reassess the work done during the previous year and share reflections on performance.

You want to elicit and use the staff's assessment of their performance.

By discussing and incorporating the staff's assessment you are promoting their self-awareness.

Best practices suggest that in preparation for the annual performance review, the staff person is asked to complete the review on themselves, and they share and discuss their scoring with their supervisor and reach a mutual decision of what should be included in the written end-of-the-year review.

While you may not be the direct supervisor of the staff, you need to help that person's supervisor learn how to write these performance reviews, monitor progress, and hold the end-of-year review meeting.

The beginning of the year is when you begin to build the process for meaningful end-of-year performance review.

You can do this and train your staff and I am here to help.