Gaining Manager Buy In for Performance Reviews

As I mentioned in an earlier post annual performance reviews can sometimes be viewed more as a chore and a mandate from HR.  So if you want your company’s performance review to mean more than just a 20 minute sit down with a manager you need buy in from the top down.  If your managers do not buy-into your company’s performance review system neither will the rest of the employee work force, which can lead to poor employee engagement. 

Managers who do not believe in the annual performance review usually do so because of the following items. 

1)     Irrelevant to business objectives

2)     Time consuming and confusing

3)     Lack of training

4)     Past Experiences

5)     Lack of action after review process

These are all reasonable reasons to frown upon the performance review.  However, solutions do exist for these issues..    

If a manager is going through the review process and is consistently checking off the not applicable (N/A) check box then the employee’s performance review system needs to be reevaluated.  Changes need to occur in order to meet the company’s business objectives or so that its relevant to their current position with the company.

I have heard of performance reviews being15-20 pages in length which is crazy it can take that much paperwork to figure out whether or not the employee is meeting expectations.  The length and process alone makes people avoid performance reviews managers and employees alike.  Making the performance review system lean,efficient, and accurate must be priorities in gaining employee buy-in. 

Many managers may not have the confidence or training to conduct performance reviews with their team members, which can result in negative feelings towards the process.  Providing your managers with the necessary training or resources to become confident in their performance management skills will enable them to conduct effective performance reviews. 

If you already have an adequate performance review system in place but do not have a willing manager then it does not matter how great of a system it is if they are not accepting of it.  Their unwillingness to accept the performance management system may be due to a prior experience with a supervisor who did not buy-in with system.  Educating them on the benefits of the performance review system and how it can help them run a more productive team can help gain their support and acceptance.

The best performance reviews can only make the employee better if action is taken once the review is completed.  If employees are recognized for outstanding work they completed during the year they are more likely to continue with these habits as they are happy that their efforts have not gone unrecognized.  If an employee is lacking competencies required for their position a plan needs to be put in place in order to make sure the employee receives the required training.  Employees will recognize that you are committed to them through providing them with various development opportunities.  They will motivated to use their new training in order to help contribute to the companies objectives.