Performance Evals Are Cruel And Wasteful. Do This Instead
By Lisa Bodell for Forbes
Due to WFH challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly 30% of companies adjusted performance evaluations and 5% paused reviews or completely canceled them, according to a survey from McKinsey & Co. and LeanIn.org. As a simplification expert with several anti-complexity books and TED talks, I strongly believe that the percentage of companies eliminating evals should be 100%.
Why? Because the annual process for reviewing employees’ performances has become so bloated that it’s now referred to as “review season.” What began last century as a simple rating system has devolved into a measurement of everything from “met sales goals” and “achieved client success” to “takes initiative” and “collaborates well with others.” For managers, all these criteria represent multiple data points to plot, more fields to populate and endless forms to complete and submit to H.R.
Meanwhile, the average employee is bewildered about how to apply the evaluation to her day-to-day. Does she need to be more of a team player…or take ownership of projects more often? Should she follow direction better…or take more initiative? These inputs often contradict one another, leaving the employee confused and even traumatized. For a kinder, gentler and less complicated approach, check out the five alternatives below.
Modify the cadence of performance goals. For most companies, goals set in January are obsolete by end of year.