Mid-Year Review or Mid-Year Renew?

Many organizations conduct mid-year employee performance reviews. Fewer conduct midyear business performance reviews. Most people look forward to neither of these. However neglecting either of these robs you and your organization of valuable information. In addition, linking these two processes can give your people and your organization the jump start it needs, not only for the rest of the year, but for the beginning of the New Year.

The idea of “looking back’ has no appeal for many. In fact, one manager at Adobe, commenting on their 1 through 4 employee review rating system, criticizes it as being a “soul crushing exercise.” That’s a pretty brutal description. The HR director dubs the company as “team oriented” and goes on to say that the rating system tended to compare one employee to another, decimating some of their top notch hires and a high turnover resulted after every review cycle. The HR director has now dumped the entire review process in favor of what some are deeming a “new” process. This process is one of more frequent, informal conversations between managers and employees. One organization calls it a “check in.”

This process is not new and has been touted by Herman Aguinis as a valuable performance monument tool for many years. Possibly what is new is gearing this process to the future and not so much to the past. After all, there is nothing we can do to change the past. Here are some ideas on how to utilize the midyear review as a midyear tool for renewal.

• Providing employees with information for their career paths and future development to reach their goals
• Since the past cannot be changed, concentrate on what can be changed going forward.
• Be sure you understand your team’s cultural makeup. This midyear renewal may be the time to better understand cultural behaviors. Some cultures yield to status, others feel freer to speak up. Some respect elders, others not so much. Arming the team with this information can enhance expectations and aid in understanding.
• Consider conducting a “styles” or communication assessment on your team. This will enable better cross communication between team members and between your team and you.
• From these assessments, you can then create a team profile that will enhance team members’ awareness and understanding.
• Encourage your team to develop guidelines or principles to enhance the team’s future direction.

According to Adobe, eliminating the “yank and rank” type review systems

• Provides a more “capability-building and consulting” culture
• Helps managers be more open to feedback by as much as 8%.
• Can save managers approximately 80,000 hours annually
• Has increased retention by as much as 2.5%

A couple of trends driving the focus on the future is that workplaces are becoming more collaborative and knowledge based creating a more difficult measuring base. Further, technology drives a more high expectation for real time feedback. What’s in your review system? If it’s not full of future indices, it may be pulling you into the past where nothing will change, growth will be stagnant, and development will be nowhere to be seen.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you need ideas for your team's renewal email diane@performstrat. or call 404-320-7834 or visit www.performstrat.com

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