The interview and feedback

Ross Woods, 2014

Performance management interviews are not as straightforward as it might appear. People are usually afraid of them, so it is up to you to set a positive tone and put the person at ease as much as possible. Don’t try to fake a good attitude and put on a nice face for the interview. People spot a fake more easily than you think and will resent it. In fact, the way you treat people during the interview needs to be consistent with the way you treat them the rest of the time.

The interview is confidential, so it has to be private. In particular, don’t let any bad news become an embarrassment to your staff members.

In cases of difficulty, you will need to learn some empathy and be able to navigate contrasting viewpoints of any conflicts.

It is quite normal for both supervisors and employees to try to subvert or circumvent the process:

• Supervisors can use it as a threat, because a poor performance review can have serious career consequences for the employee.
• Some treat it as just a formality, "another form to fill out." Consequently the system is unlikely to achieve its goals.
• Employees naturally want to present themselves in the best possible light. They are tempted to exaggerate their good performance or give rationalizations and excuses for poor performance.

You might want to explore employees’ role expectations. For example, some might not want to respond to any weaknesses in the employment relationship. "I just get told what to do. I don’t actually have an opinion." On the other hand, some are overly willing to present their opinions and suggest corrections. "Here’s what you should do …"

It is easy for employers to sent mixed messages. For example, many organizations advertize to attract highly motivated, innovative thinkers. But after they hire them, they force them to follow the company line, and not be creative or take initiative. The employee’s performance then sinks to the average of the organization.

If something is wrong, don’t automatically blame the employee because it might not be their fault. Ask them for more information; you might learn something more about how the organization is functioning, the workplace culture, the supervisor, or the HR system.

 

Feedback

Feedback is a two-way street. It’s important to give employees feedback on how they are doing. Well-earned praise will almost always be welcome, just as long as it doesn’t sound like insincere flattery.

When employees give you feedback, act on it and tell them what you’ve done. They will be encouraged to be open and trusting. In contrast, if they believe you have not acted on it, they become reluctant to give feedback.

Feedback generally falls into one of three categories:

• The bottom 10 percent is mostly useless. It comprises comments that lack any justification or insight, and comments that are too unclear or contradictory to be of any use.
• The middle 80 percent represents the bulk of opinion. It’s value is that you need to know how to handle the majority.
• Top 10 percent is the comments with the best ideas and the most insightful observations. It is easy to miss because it is a usually a small minority of the whole work force.