Performance Management Resource Center
Out-of-industry-inspired best practices to get the most from your performance management process
Review eight out-of-industry-inspired best practices to get the most from your performance management process, supplemented by seven downloadable tools your staff can use to put our recommendations into practice.
Dissatisfaction with the annual performance review process is a trend across industries, and higher education is no exception. Managers dislike spending so much time filling out forms, and HR staff equally dislike chasing down those forms. Most managers find that evaluating others feels awkward and subjective, while staff want (and would benefit from) more frequent feedback than the standard once-a-year review model allows.
EAB has created two resources to help campus leaders overcome these shortcomings and improve their performance review models: Prioritizing Continuous Feedback in Higher Ed Performance Management and The Manager’s Guide to Accurate Evaluations. Read on to learn more about each of these resources.
Prioritizing Continuous Feedback in Higher Ed Performance Management
Many private sector organizations have shifted from a single, labor-intensive annual review to a continuous feedback model that better promotes ongoing staff engagement. This whitepaper is an in-depth review of continuous feedback practices from human resources organizations in multiple sectors, specially tailored for application to higher education. Use this resource to transform your performance review process through the following steps:
- Minimize documentation required for annual reviews
- Focus on the quality, then the quantity, of one-on-ones
- Fill in the gaps between one-on-ones with frequent team feedback
- Democratize feedback to capture multiple perspectives
The Manager’s Guide to Accurate Evaluations
Tool 1: Five Tips for Rating More Accurately
This tool outlines five considerations all managers should make when rating staff. All managers completing downward reviews can use this to quickly prepare for and thoughtfully conduct evaluations of their direct reports.
Tool 2: Quick Guide to Identifying Bias in Performance Reviews
This tool describes how to mitigate five potential biases that could impact performance reviews and feedback conversations.
Tool 3: Ten Strategies to Interrupt Bias
This tool outlines ten considerations all managers should keep in mind before, during, and after conducting performance review and feedback conversations. This will help managers completing downward reviews to quickly recognize and interrupt potential biases that could impact the performance process.
Tool 4: Exercise for Objective Review Writing
This tool illustrates how to shift performance conversations from subjective to objective feedback. All managers completing downward reviews can use this tool to write reviews focused on objective evaluations of employee performance.
Tool 5: Manager’s Constructive Feedback Conversation Roadmap
This worksheet helps managers give constructive performance feedback by pinpointing specific behaviors employees should change and demonstrating how to prepare for a clear review conversation. Managers who need to give difficult performance feedback can use this tool to deliver feedback in an objective, thoughtful, and constructive manner.
Tool 6: Guide to Navigating Common Employee Reactions to Constructive Feedback
This worksheet helps managers anticipate employee reactions to difficult feedback and provides scripting to keep these conversations focused and productive. Managers can prepare for employee reactions to difficult feedback and avoid pitfalls that can derail critical conversations.
Tool 7: Staff Ratings Gut-Check Worksheet
Managers can use this worksheet and sorting exercise to ensure downward reviews reflect the relative performance of their staff.
Tool 8: Performance Rating Distribution Gut-Check Worksheet
This worksheet provides step-by-step instructions to help managers calculate their staffs’ performance rating distribution, affording a macro view of group performance. To help all managers completing downward reviews, calculate the percentage of direct reports rated “high, middle, and low.”
Tool 9: Guidelines for Adjusting Staff Ratings to Reflect Performance Differences
These guidelines help managers revise downward reviews to reflect subtle differences in performance between direct reports. All managers completing downward reviews for multiple direct reports can avoid giving the same ratings to employees who performed differently.
Tool 10: Rating Distribution Approval Worksheet
This worksheet provides guidance on building a principled case for why a rating distribution differs from institutional targets.
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