Tips for Conducting Annual Reviews

This article has been written as a discussion tool for your review process if you do not already have one in place. You should use it to think about the staff member's performance over the last 12 months (or the relevant review period) and what you expect from them over the next 12 months (or the relevant review period). It should be used as a discussion document only; it should not for the staff member's permanent record. The review must be a two way process. You should allow the staff member to give as much input as possible; the review is as much for them as it is for you and your business.

A review really should start with you telling your staff member something along the lines of "this review is a discussion a two way process for you to explain what you think is good and bad about the company, and similarly for the company to express what it thinks is going well and less well with regard to your areas of work. This should be a constructive conversation so relax the idea is that things (even those things that are already good) get better as a result of this".

The following is a list of questions that the staff member could have been asked to think about prior to their review. The list, if used, should be given to them at least a week in advance of their review date; so that they would have had time to think about what they have achieved in the last review period, what they expected to achieve and what they want to achieve over the next review period. At least with some degree of preparation, both the staff member and you will not be sitting at the review looking out of the window at a loss for words.

1. State your understanding of your main duties.
2. Has the past year been good/bad/satisfactory or otherwise for you, and why?
3. What do you consider to be your most important achievements of the past year?
4. What do you like and dislike about working for this organisation?
5. What elements of your job do you find most difficult?
6. What parts of your job interest you the most and least?
7. What do you consider to be your most important aims and tasks in the next year?
8. What action could be taken to improve your performance in your current position by you, your manager and your colleagues (or even the company)?
9. What training and development do you feel is necessary for you to carry out your job more effectively over the next 12 months?
10. What are your aspirations for the coming 12 months?

The following list could also be used by the reviewer as a starting point to gauge an staff member's potential to progress within the company:

1. Are contentious issues raised for management quickly enough?
2. Is too much management hand holding required?
3. Does the staff member use their own initiative when required?
4. Does the staff member communicate at the right level of detail for the manager?
5. Is the staff member ready to be given additional responsibility?
6. Is the staff member ready to be given supervisory responsibility (i.e. managing others)?
7. Can the staff member be counted on to carry out tasks with careful follow-through and follow-up?
8. Can the staff member see when something needs to be done and does it without overstepping boundaries?
9. Does the staff member make a positive contribution to staff morale?
10. Is the staff member able to accept constructive criticism positively?
11. Is the staff member adaptable to changing circumstances, such as emergencies and/or having to stay back late on occasions, when the need arises?
12. Does the staff member make practical, workable suggestions for improvements where possible?

Of course the above lists are not exhaustive and should be amended as appropriate for your own organisation. The most important thing to remember is the point I mentioned earlier about the review being a two way process. Ensure the staff member having the review is given ample opportunity to put their thoughts forward on their own performance. Often a problem that you might have identified in a staff member would already be known to them and they could suggest themselves how best to improve their own performance and move forward.

A review should always end with a summary of the key points from the discussion and an assurance that they staff member is happy with what has been agreed.