Get Ready for Year-Round Job Performance Reviews

Rose Mueller-Hanson (pictured at left) is a performance management expert at CEB, a global company based in Arlington, Va.

Many people are wondering what’s happened to their annual job reviews. What’s going on? Companies in all industries are moving to monthly, or even weekly, check-ins instead of formal once-a-year reviews. About 80% of organizations have either made or are in the process of making such changes, or will do so in the next couple of years. These streamlined conversations take less time and eliminate a lot of formal documentation.

What can employees do to get the most valuable feedback? The new process puts more onus on employees, who are encouraged to take more initiative to talk to their managers about how things are going. Instead of asking open-ended questions such as “How am I doing?” ask, “What could I have done better on that presentation?” The conversation should give you a sense of what success looks like, where you stand and how you can improve.

Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Save up to 74%

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

Sign up

How can workers get a raise? A lot of the traditional advice holds true. Most employers still have a pay-for-performance philosophy, and managers may have more discretion over merit increases or rewards. But employees need to make sure they understand what is expected of them, how success is measured and how compensation decisions are made. Get to know when raises are generally given at your company. Organizations that give raises on regular cycles may make those decisions months in advance, so start laying the groundwork early. Make sure that you’ve gotten clear feedback, and use these conversations to describe the value that you bring. Know what your skill set is worth in your market, and understand what’s going on at your company. It’s a lot easier to ask for a raise when the company is having a good year financially than when it is struggling.

How else can workers use these reviews to their benefit? Use the conversations to gain a better sense of how you’re doing on an ongoing basis. With more real-time feedback and coaching, you can constantly be looking for opportunities to exceed expectations or to correct course. There’s also a focus on providing more career guidance. The purpose of managing an employee’s performance this way isn’t just to look back—it’s also to look at what’s next.