A lot has changed in performance reviews in the last 15 years — about how long it’s been since the publication of the first edition of Performance Appraisals & Phrases for Dummies by Ken Lloyd.
Lloyd, who is a management consultant and has taught in the MBA program at the Anderson School at UCLA, said an update was much needed. Why? Because the performance review process of past generations will walk good workers right out the door, Lloyd told HR Dive in an interview.
The conversation below has been edited for clarity and brevity.
HR DIVE: What are the best and worst things someone can say in a performance review?
KEN LLOYD: Best things would be comments that are accurate and timely and focused on performance — not personality. The worst things you can say would really be the opposite. These are delayed pieces of feedback, inaccurate, arguably threatening — and certainly taking the person down and focusing on personality more than performance.
Why would personality come up during a performance review?
Because it’s easy. There’s less work as opposed to focusing specifically on measures of performance. Doing the work and more importantly, focusing on how to coach and guide and support the individual means that that person can do better going forward, not only for the job and their actual productivity but for themselves so they can advance their career and move on.
This is the second edition of your book. What has changed in between?
The one big overarching change is that overall, these sessions are being held more frequently than on an annual basis. They’re moving to even quarterly, or biannual. There’s also the addition of continuous feedback, where managers or supervisors meet individually with members of their team every week or every other week — scheduled meetings, not casual.
A lot can be discussed then: how are things going, how are we doing on benchmarks, what other resources do you need, how are things going in terms of learning and growth? What upskilling can I provide you? What questions do you have?
This way we have an ongoing, two-way communication, not all in one direction and not all focused on the past. You have two words: feedback and what we now call feed forward, which is really helping to provide employees with all the training, guidance and support they need.
What advice would you give HR professionals who want to do better with performance reviews?
Look at the systems currently being used, wherever it might be, and honestly answer: Is this system premised on helping them succeed so they can build their skills and abilities so they can further their careers? Younger workers especially want feedback, but they want it to be authentic, they want it to be accurate, they want it to be timely and they want it to be useful for them so they can continue their career growth and development.
What about for a new HR person who is about to start doing performance reviews?
It’s extremely helpful to get additional training and guidance and support, whether it’s through a professional organization, webinars or seminars. That way, you don’t go in and say “I’m just going to do this, and this is what they used to do.” Come in with some good, current training from others as well as courses that are available to really help you get a running start in that job.