If most personnel managers could have it their way, every
employee performance evaluation would be chock-full of “excellents” and
“outstandings,” five-star ratings, and glowing feedback. Unfortunately, in the
real world, it doesn’t always work out like that.
The law of averages dictates that most of the workers you
evaluate will fall somewhere in the middle of the performance spectrum,
demonstrating a mixed bag of successes and failures, achievements and
challenges. Inevitably, though, a few outliers will fall below the curve. In
those cases, it falls to you to deliver what no personnel manager likes to
think about: a negative performance evaluation.
Making Negative Feedback an Opportunity
for Positive Change
Let’s face it -- no one really relishes being the bearer of
bad news. When we’ve been brought up to gloss over shortcomings in social
situations by resorting to well-meaning white lies and exaggerated praise, it
can feel very uncomfortable to bluntly confront an employee whose performance
has been lacking.
But for personnel managers, the task of doling out
unpleasant truths is just part of the terrain. HR consultant Judith
Lindenberger suggests trying to look at the process in a different light to
ease the discomfort of the situation: even though the performance evaluation
itself isn’t positive, you can frame it as a genuine opportunity to support the
employee and help them get their career back on the right track. Here are a few
more useful guidelines to follow the next time you’re forced to deliver some
not-so-great news.
A negative performance review shouldn’t come as a shock.
Performance
review experts are in universal agreement on this point: if a negative review
comes as a complete surprise to the employee, there needs to be more ongoing
feedback and informal evaluation throughout the rest of the year. Even if you
haven’t formally sat down with the employee before now, he or she should
definitely already have a strong sense that the review will contain some bad
news.
Plan ahead for different employee responses.
During your
pre-meeting preparation, spend a few minutes gaming out the ways you might
handle different reactions. Based on your knowledge of the employee’s personality,
do you think they’ll be defensive, silent, angry, or apologetic? Ready yourself
with responses for each possible outcome. If you think there’s even a remote
possibility that the employee could respond with aggression, you’ll need to
address the security issue well in advance of your sit-down.
Focus on specific incidents.
Research has shown that many employees
who receive negative performance reviews come away from the experience feeling
personally attacked. If an employee retreats into defensiveness, it’s far less
likely that you’ll be able to help them make positive changes in their future
performance. Back up your constructive criticism with incidents that illustrate
the employee’s on-the-job shortcomings and challenges. That way, the employee will
be more likely to grasp that you’re critiquing their past performance, not
their inherent worth as a person.
Listen with empathy and sensitivity.
A performance review shouldn’t
be a one-way street. While you’re offering feedback, make sure you stop throughout
the discussion to ask the employee whether he or she understands everything
that’s being said. After you’ve laid out your evaluation, let the employee have
their turn, offering their own take on their performance issues. During the
discussion, show that you respect their input and opinion by adopting a stance
of engaged listening, genuine openness, and understanding concern. Let them
know that you’re committed to working together to get past the current
issues.
Develop an action plan for remediation.
At the end of the review,
focus on three or four main areas that you’d like to target for improvement.
For each area of improvement, list three specific actions that the employee can
take to boost their performance. Encourage the employee to name several actions
or behaviors that they can take to improve in these areas, as well. By ending
on a positive note, you can underscore the fact that you value the employee and
you have faith in their willingness and ability to turn things around.
No one likes delivering bad news, but “bad news” is in the
eye of the beholder. If you can frame a negative evaluation as an opportunity
for positive change, both the employee and the organization will ultimately
benefit.