Secondary Menu

Evaluation-free Fridays

Performance evaluation is part of organizational life, and whether formal or informal, it’s an important opportunity to discuss an employee’s merits and achievements with that person. Most employees want to hear feedback from management because they want to know where they stand, how they can improve, and receive recognition for their achievements. Managers should plan and carefully prepare for this process rather than rushing through it, but unfortunately, this is a process that many organizations, especially small businesses, don’t handle well.

Timing is an important factor with performance evaluations. You should never deliver bad news or negative feedback on Friday. Out of respect for your employees, plan your evaluation for sometime midweek (Tuesday and Wednesday work best).  Why is this? Addressing performance issues can be very upsetting for employees, so delivering bad news or negative feedback on a Friday is insensitive and reckless as it can completely ruin the employee’s weekend and often the co-worker’s he/she will call to vent about the evaluation.

Management should be given ample time to conduct performance appraisals and do it often enough to be a meaningful process. Employees need to know where they stand on a continuous basis. This should be part of an on-going conversation between management and employees to increase motivation, engagement, and build trust.

Employee evaluation should be part of a continuous communication process at work, and when done appropriately, the feedback can be part of developing the employee’s potential and increasing feelings of achievement and satisfaction that lead to increased performance for your organization.

, , ,

No comments yet.

Leave a Reply