2.4 Feedback of results
2.4.1 Guidelines for handling performance feedback reviews
Harris (2000) provides some guidelines for supervisors and managers conducting feedback reviews as summarised below.
a) Distinguish between formal and informal feedback sessions
Effective managers use informal feedback sessions on an “as needed basis. The main aim of an informal feedback session is to assist an employee who is experiencing performance challenges. Most organisations also need the manager to meet with his or her subordinates once a year in a more formal manner to review their performance. A manager should use the annual, formal session as an opportunity to summarise an employee’s performance for the year, set goals for the next year, and discuss any areas of concerns. If done properly, there should be no unpleasant surprises for the employee in this meeting.
(i) Focus on behavioural examples
It is critical that managers provide performance feedback using specific behavioural based examples of employee’s performance for example specifying directly where the employee is lacking in terms of his/her performance other than using general comments. Armstrong (2009) goes further to recommend that managers focus feedback on actual events that have evidence.
Seek the employee’s specific input. This is in-line with the suggestion by Armstrong (2009) that the manager should ask the employee questions on their view of why they performed in that manner.
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It is important for the manager/supervisor to obtain input from the employee. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, in today’s workplace, most employees actively seek to participate in a variety of ways. Therefore, obtaining their input will make them feel valuable in the organisation. According to Groen et al. (2016), the employee’s participation positively affects their attitude towards the organisation, their social pressures and need for acceptance as well as improves their confidence in their abilities and capabilities. Secondly, active participation will help build commitment to the results of the review sessions. In other words, if employees feel that they are an integral part of performance reviews, they will be more likely to accept the outcome of reviews. Participation fosters the credence that the interrogation was a beneficial and fair process, that some present job problems were absolved and that the set-up of future goals was made. According to Armstrong (2009), it is imperative to maintain the constructive criticism, therefore a manager should refrain from judging and rather focus describing what can be done to improve. An effective manager is able to provide many participation opportunities during a feedback session (Harris, 2000), while also ensuring that it leads to immediate action (Armstrong 2009).
(ii) Carefully plan the feedback session
Managers should plan carefully and determine an agenda prior to the session as well as gather as much information as possible about the employee they are evaluating. A manager must be able to anticipate issues or areas of concern that might be raised by a subordinate and provide adequate time and opportunity to deal with any such concerns (Harris, 2000).
(iii) Use effective communication skills during the feedback session
Good communication skills are essential for an effective review session. Given the uneasiness and awkwardness usually felt by both the appraiser and the rater, it is important that both parties completely understand what has been said. “Conducting performance feedback will be meaningless if it leaves the subordinate in a confused state of mind about his/her performance (Harris, 2000).
(iv) Emphasise the developmental aspects as much as possible
To the greatest extent possible, a manager should emphasise the development and the growth opportunities of the employee. After all, the PM process should be used to identify training and development needs that are required by an employee. When an employee has failed to meet a performance standard, investigation should be made to ascertain if the reasons are related to
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the lack of training provided to the employee. A great advantage of feedback is that it allows individual employees to set their own performance objectives and goals. Adding some emphasis of the deficient aspects to this will give them a motivational target to strive towards (Hunter 2012). The literature has previously revealed that the performance of an employee is dependent on other factors that are beyond the control of an employee, such as the degree of support and training provided by management (Harris, 2000).
(v) Document everything
Proper documentation relating to the employee’s performance should be kept. This is important in situations where there was a disagreement in terms of the performance review which may result in disputes relating to incapacity or poor work performance and is a method or measure to safeguard all parties (Hartmann & Slapnicar 2012)
According to Harris (2000), the nature of the performance review session depends highly on the employee’s general performance, as well as on the purpose of the session (that is, whether it is a formal end-of-year session or an informal meeting for immediate feedback). Generally speaking, the informal session is used more to discuss specific issues relating to the employee’s performance, while the formal session is used more to summarise the employee’s performance for the year and discuss future goals and development needs.
The above literature provides guidelines for managers on how to handle performance feedback reviews. It is clear that when performance feedback reviews are handled well, they can enable the individual to improve their performance. Of course, feedback is useful only if it results in employees doing things differently. The effectiveness of performance feedback depends on how the results are communicated to the employee, be they positive or negative. Sometimes managers provide performance feedback for the sake of just going through the motions of the exercise, whereas research shows that this process actually requires managers to plan and prepare for feedback sessions. Lack of preparation results in non-specific feedback that may confuse the employee and hinder their performance (Harris, 2000).
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