Advice for Employers and Recruiters
CFOs and Employees Feel Differently about Performance Reviews
William FriersonOne of these groups believes performance reviews work, while the other says not so much.
How useful are performance reviews? It depends on whom you ask. In an Accountemps survey, 94 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said formal evaluations are either somewhat or very effective in helping employees improve their performance. Yet nearly one in three workers (31 percent) disagreed, calling these appraisals either somewhat or very ineffective.
CFOs were asked, “In your opinion, how effective are annual or semiannual performance reviews in helping employees improve their performance?” Their responses:
| Very effective | 26% |
| Somewhat effective | 68% |
| Somewhat ineffective | 4% |
| Very ineffective | 1% |
| Don’t know | 1% |
| 100% |
Workers were asked, “In your opinion, how effective are annual or semiannual performance reviews in helping you improve your performance?” Their responses:
| Very effective | 25% |
| Somewhat effective | 37% |
| Somewhat ineffective | 16% |
| Very ineffective | 15% |
| Don’t receive performance reviews | 6% |
| Don’t know | 1% |
| 100% |
“The success or failure of an appraisal depends on how clearly both performance expectations and feedback are communicated to employees,” said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Human Resources Kit For Dummies®, 2nd Edition. “Managers and their staff should be in agreement at the outset on what criteria will be used to evaluate effectiveness in a given role.”
Performance reviews shouldn’t be delivered just once a year, Messmer cautioned. “Nothing discussed in a formal evaluation should come as a surprise to the employee,” he said. “The best managers regularly give their teams performance feedback throughout the year.”
Here are some do’s and don’ts to help managers conduct effective performance reviews:
| Don’t | Do |
| Criticize the person in general. | Provide constructive feedback on specific performance issues so staff know exactly what they need to improve. |
| Sugarcoat the issues and avoid discussing real problems. | Be upfront about areas for improvement. |
| Wing it. | Prepare. |
| Dominate the conversation. | Engage employees. Remember that it is a two-way conversation. |
| Ask employees to come empty-handed. | Ask your team members to conduct a self-assessment of their progress toward goals set during the prior review cycle. |
| Focus only on the negative. | Tell staff what they are doing well to recognize accomplishments and reinforce positive performance. |
| Go it alone. | Ask for feedback from other colleagues for a more well-rounded review. |
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