Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/819246
38 / MAY.JUNE.2017 USICERINKS.COM or organization as a whole. These, too, are important when setting performance expectations. REGULAR COMMUNICATION Have you ever heard of MBWA (Management By Walking Around)? This practice puts managers and supervisors in front of their workers on a more frequent and less formal basis which lends itself well to opening up the lines of better communication. An "open door policy" is another tech- nique managers can use to encourage employees to informally speak with them without having to set up an appointment. To lessen the stigma of a formal evaluation session, regular discussions during the year with open dialogue, including both praise and constructive feedback, will go a long way with your employees. PREPARATION AND INVOLVEMENT Whether your organization has a struc- tured performance review process in place or not, it's important that you treat all employees equally when conducting these reviews. In most instances, there is a stan- dard template for which specific criteria is used to be evaluated. Consider distribut- ing this template to your employees and seek their input to help you develop their evaluations. When preparing their review, make sure you include the entire review period and not just the recent past. It's helpful during the year to make informal notes and place them in a file so you have them handy. Make sure you use specific examples that the employee will recognize and remem- ber, trying to avoid using generalities and vague references. If you've done a good job of "managing by walking around," the employee should already be prepared for your feedback as it will merely be a review of what you've already addressed with them over the course of the review period. After you've written their review, consid- er giving it to the employee in advance of your meeting in "draft" form to allow them the opportunity to think about it and pre- pare feedback of their own. When meeting, be open to change but prepared to "hold your ground" if you feel strongly about the wording of certain feedback. It's important that the review accurately describes the employee's job performance as this will be placed in their file and potentially referred to in the future. , So, we know, employee reviews aren't anyone's favorite part of the season. But if both you and your employees are prepared and go into each meeting with the intent to grow and improve, there's no reason you both can't come out on the winning end of this "necessary evil." J DURING THE REVIEW PROCESS, EMPLOYEE GOALS CAN BE SET—WITH IDENTIFIABLE AND ATTAINABLE OBJECTIVES—WITH THE PURPOSE OF ATTAINING PROFESSIONAL IMPROVEMENT FOR THE INDIVIDUAL AND/OR ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE. After you've written their review, consider giving it to the employee in advance of your meeting in "draft" form to allow them the opportunity to think about it and prepare feedback of their own.