Despite rising popularity around the notion of abolishing the once-annual performance review, most organizations continue to employ traditional means of employee evaluations, according to Human Resource Executive data cited by the Harvard Business Review.
Although traditional performance appraisal is still widespread, one thing has changed. Employees — particularly millennials — now demand more frequent conversations. Conversations between managers and employees that occur on a regular basis accomplish a few key benefits, according to the report. First, they lessen anxiety among employees when it is actually time for the formal performance review. But more importantly, frequent coaching makes employees more comfortable with asking questions. It acknowledges the fact that goals and priorities change more than once a year, and it opens more opportunities for the manager to provide course-correcting feedback or praise.
When it comes to increasing the frequency of your coaching, consider these two management practices highlighted by the Harvard Business Review.
1. Calendar-based coaching. Scheduling more sit-downs with your direct reports can boost employee performance as well as your perceived effectiveness as a manger. However, these meetings should be more than just a casual check-in. They should:
- Be formal and structured
- Be led and controlled by the manager
- Provide a forum for discussion and review of multiple events and skills
2. Event-based coaching. It can also be beneficial to hold discussions spontaneously after a specific incident or activity occurs. According to the Harvard Business Review, incident-driven feedback should:
- Occur whenever formal discussion is needed
- Focus on a specific event
- Be brought up by a "teachable moment"
- Rely on two-way accountability — either the manager or the direct report can initiate the discussion.