Performance reviews – everyone’s favorite time of year. Err, okay, maybe not. While some cannot wait to hear about their performance others get the sweats just thinking about the process.
Me? I’ve only ever had a formal review once in my seven years of professional work experience. While of course the review was fantastic (blatant sarcasm), the process was mundane and provided little value to me. Maybe it’s because I have very high expectations for myself and do whatever I can to exceed them. Maybe it’s because I let criticism soak in (for the most part) and try and learn from experiences. Or maybe it’s because the process didn’t cater to my personality or professional outlook. All I know is…snoozeville.
I’m all for forms and policy and procedure. I’m a nerd who grew up in a strict Catholic-based home. I even went to a private, formerly Catholic, but tries to exude non-denominational-ism, college in upstate New York. I thrive in well structured work environments. I don’t like to break the rules unless I believe they should be broken. Why do I think the formalized performance review process isn’t for me? Hmm.
I prefer constant feedback – positive or negative. I don’t want to wait to get reviewed once a year. How can you honestly remember all of the good and bad from the past year. Be realistic, managers/supervisors have enough to worry about. Remembering every little instance of an employee’s performance is just not possible.
Just thinking about it annoys me. I understand as a manager you need to give me, a Gen Y’er, a realistic outlook of my performance and develop goals for the next six months to a year. How do you get me to listen and take you seriously? Just because you are my boss doesn’t necessarily win me over.
I read a post recently by Kyle Lagunas from Software Advice that discussed this topic in a post called A Generation Y Perspective on Performance Reviews. It is definitely worth checking out. I really enjoyed reading his insight into how managers can take a proactive stance in reaching out to their Gen Y population and helping them “elevate their game” so to speak. To briefly summarize:
- Make the most of the review.
- Lose the cream filling, and challenge us to succeed.
- Don’t just talk to us – connect with us.
- Positive reinforcement isn’t a bad thing.
For me, I expect my supervisor to be honest with me. Be responsible and invest the time to help me develop. Make an honest effort and build a solid business relationship that we can mutually benefit from. I prefer this so much more than a gold star or a report card. Be smart and it will pay off.
Image by TooFarNorth
Steve
Geraghty-Harrison
You are right on target with your ideas about performance reviews. They are an outdated method for providing feedback to team members. The biggest problem is exactly what you stated in your post — “I prefer constant feedback – positive or negative. I don’t want to wait to get reviewed once a year.”
Feedback should be constant and delivered at the time the behavior occurred. A performance review (if given at all) should be a compilation of that feedback from the past year. There should never be surprises.
I hope that your generation of Ys can get this turned around as you become a larger part of the workforce. Reviews have stunk for years — perhaps you can be the catalyst for change.