For most managers and hence also for most employees, staff review meetings are something of an unpleasant chore. Most of the times, this dreaded drag happens only once a year and all of those involved think: “And rightly so, just not more often, please!“ These interviews take a lot of time and effort to prepare, especially for the manager, and, on top of that, they are awkward to implement. In essence, there are few reasons to really look forward to staff reviews.
Well, I have a completely different view: If the interview is initiated with an open mind and with great interest on the part of the manager, the meeting will yield valuable insights for both sides, strengthen both trust and the professional relationship, and, above all, lead to enhanced motivation on the part of the employee.
If the staff review meeting is held within the context of target achievement or employee appraisal interviews (which is often the case), then it is even more important to attach great value to an open, inquisitive start and a positive conclusion to the interview.
In an ideal world, good interviews should proceed as follows (from the manager’s perspective):
1) Find the right way to start
First of all, it is important to tune in to one another and to find common ground – usually called ‘small talk’!
2) Let the employee speak (70/30 rule)
The staff review meeting represents a great opportunity for the manager to gauge what the spirit is like within the team, what is working well and where the team might be in need of some help. Above and beyond that, the interview is primarily about the employee herself. This moment is the chance for the manager to learn how her employee is doing and whether she is satisfied. The best way to get this feedback is to ask the following questions:
- How do you feel within the team? (you can go into more detail by having the employee explain the reasons...)
- What kind of tasks or projects in our team do you find particularly exciting?
- Where did you wish your colleagues or me as your supervisor should have provided help?
- What new things have you learned in the most recent past?
- Do you have any ideas how and in what areas you would like to develop yourself?
- Which of your skills that you want to contribute to the team haven’t we used so far?
- Which further questions should I have asked you?
- Are there any questions you have?
- Do you have any feedback for me as your supervisor?
All of these questions make clear that the employee herself does the larger part of the talking; this share may well amount to up to 70%.
3) Provide feedback
The manager will want to provide feedback above all when it is a performance appraisal. But certainly not only in this case. There will always be matters that the manager wants to address with the employee.
The following is the generally accepted method to provide constructive, yet critical feedback:
- First, you start with what you have observed or noticed: “I have seen that you addressed the task as follows...“ (An observation should always refer to a specific example that happened not too long ago).
- Then, you talk about your feelings or the effect the matter had on you yourself: “I was confused as I wasn’t expecting that...“
- This is followed by a wish or a suggestion: “The way I see it is that the customer expects a different way to handle his requests (see the customer’s mail), therefore, I want you to do it this and that way in future (or that you consult two colleagues and discuss how you can do things differently...)“
Providing positive feedback is easy for all of us anyway. However, we should never forget to talk about the positive things we have witnessed! Something like: “Last week I noticed that you did xy. I liked that very much because...”
4) Make arrangements, if necessary
You will certainly find elements of collaboration in each constructive discussion which you may want to change following the discussion. I recommend to document these findings in writing. Examples may include:
- agreed trainings in which the employee may participate,
- seeking advice among colleagues,
- specific tasks that the employee will perform,
- regular feedback interviews which the supervisor will offer,
- showing more presence and interest in the employee’s work,
- jointly identifying new areas of use for the employee in future and
- as a manager, delegating more responsibilities to employees.
5) Finding a positive conclusion to the interview
Now, we only have to find a positive ending to the interview. This certainly includes a brief feedback on what has been discussed in the following form: what did I like, what did I miss – with both participants providing this feedback, of course. You may finish with thanking the employee or saying that you are happy to work with her.
In order to strip off the negative image that surrounds these review meetings, open feedback interviews between managers and employees should be held at least once per quarter so that they, by definition, are not always linked to meetings with respect to annual target achievements or performance reviews.
In a nutshell: Staff review meetings, if held properly, provide a boost to the employee’s motivation and provide the manager with important insights into team spirit.
This text first appeared in my newsletter 'Innovation on Wednesday'. It is published every other Wednesday. For subscription click here