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Performing employee evaluations can be nerve-wracking, especially for new managers. As a leader, you need to choose your words carefully so you don\u2019t demotivate or devalue your employees. But how can you do it?<\/p>\n
Today we\u2019re bringing you a list of 5 essential factors of successful employee evaluations, as well as some tips and example evaluation questions for you to use in your future meetings.<\/p>\n
Key Takeaways<\/b><\/p>\n Having data to back up your feedback is vital.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Set SMART goals with your employees during their evaluations.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Ask for feedback from your employees as well.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Choose your words carefully so you blend honest feedback with encouragement.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Back Up Your Feedback with Data<\/b><\/p>\n First of all, think about the kind of data that is relevant for the evaluation. Which aspects of the employees\u2019 performance are important and should be noted and reported on?<\/p>\n Is it whether or not they\u2019re late? Or how much time they spend on certain tasks? Or whether they watch funny YouTube videos for three out of eight hours?<\/p>\n All of these things can give you insight into how productive each individual is and allow you to demonstrate how they need to improve or show them what they\u2019re doing just right.<\/p>\n Employee Monitoring Systems<\/b><\/p>\n There are many digital platforms now called employee monitoring systems that can do all of this work for you, giving you hard data to rely on when the next employee evaluation comes around.<\/p>\n By using computer monitoring software throughout the year, you\u2019ll have all the numbers you need for a fair evaluation.<\/p>\n Show the employee how much time they spent performing productive or unproductive activities and how many projects they\u2019ve completed successfully, as well as what were their biggest hiccups within the past year.<\/p>\n Turn to the key performance indicators (KPIs) and compare their results. It\u2019s essential that you demonstrate hard facts when delivering feedback, whether it\u2019s positive or negative.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Ask for Peer Reviews<\/b><\/p>\n No matter how hard you try to get to know your employees, chances are that the person sitting next to them knows what they do or don\u2019t do well much better than you will ever be able to.<\/p>\n Consider getting employees’ (anonymous) input on their coworkers’ performance. After all, they\u2019re the ones collaborating, and they will certainly be able to provide you with insight that is coming from a completely different viewpoint. They might even point out some things you didn’t notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n Create a standardized survey you can hand out to participants each time you\u2019re performing an evaluation. Gather all comments, and pull out an average that can help you add some final thoughts to your personal employee review.<\/p>\n These insights can also be invaluable for estimating the social atmosphere in the team, which is definitely one of the factors affecting the overall team performance.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Set Goals for the Future<\/b><\/p>\n At the end of the day, you want your employees to succeed, stay on the team, and continue to thrive, so as important as it is to provide feedback, it\u2019s also crucial to set some goals for the future period.<\/p>\n Your goals need to be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely). Depending on the department the employee is in, the specifics of the goals will differ.<\/p>\n However, the deadline for these goals should typically be your next evaluation meeting. This can be on a monthly, bi-monthly, or even yearly basis, but the employees will appreciate it if these evaluations are regular.<\/p>\n Besides helping the worker allocate their workload more efficiently, goals will help you perform a more effective appraisal.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll have set standards on which to evaluate their progress and give pointers for further improvement, and employees will know what you expect from them and what they\u2019ll need to focus their efforts on. This will also help alleviate the stress that they so often associate with employee evaluations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Choose Your Words Carefully<\/b><\/p>\n Now we get to the fine details of delivering the evaluation. You have all the data, peer reviews, and your SMART goals, and now you need to face the employees. There are a couple of things you should bear in mind when choosing your words when evaluating workers.<\/p>\n Balance encouragment with honesty.<\/b> Honesty is key. That is the one thing that you shouldn\u2019t compromise. However, choose your tone and words with care.<\/p>\n There are certain sayings you should avoid while trying to critique or praise your employees and knowing how to phrase your feedback is critical for their self-esteem, job satisfaction, and future performance.<\/p>\n For example, saying “Stop wasting your time on irrelevant things” is not going to be received well. Instead, try something like this: “I believe you can improve your productivity by leaving personal correspondence and brief entertainment for after you\u2019ve done the task at hand because this way you won\u2019t lose focus.”<\/p>\n This phrasing is much more helpful for the employee. Now he knows what he needs to do and why accepting the suggestion will help him improve.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Give specific action items.<\/b> With every critique, indicate how exactly you want the employees to change their behavior and how this change will help them.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Speak professionally.<\/b> It should go without saying that insults, swear words or shouting are off the table, no matter what.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Be generous and specific with praise.<\/b> Don\u2019t forget to praise your employees when they deserve it. Tell them explicitly what areas they are excelling in and what they are doing well. Do this generously, but don\u2019t go overboard – this is still a business setting.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Keep your evaluation brief.<\/b> Nobody wants to listen to discourse for 3 hours, not even if it\u2019s about themselves.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n Ask for Feedback<\/b><\/p>\n Successful collaboration and employee improvement is a two-way street. Giving them your side of things is important, but don\u2019t forget to ask them for their feedback. You, as a manager\/business owner\/HR rep, also need to grow.<\/p>\n Having employees tell you what they like or don\u2019t like about the way the team is run, your interactions with them, or even the evaluation process itself will give you a clear direction for your future improvements. This survey can be anonymous in order to encourage honesty.<\/p>\n And of course, don\u2019t forget to actually read the feedback you get and try your best to apply what you\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
Five Essential Factors of Successful Employee Evaluations<\/h2>\n
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