What To Do When There Is Nothing Positive To Say On A Performance Review
Once in a while, you start a performance review on an employee and realize you do not have anything good to say. When this happens, be honest on the review but do not tear down the employee for their poor performance. If you do they will leave your office looking like the guy in the picture. Remember, reviews are supposed to be a time to help employees improve, not create tension or put them down.
Keep in mind that an employee with serious performance issues should already know about those issues and the review shouldn’t come as a surprise. If the employee is someone that you intend to coach and help to achieve higher levels of performance, the last thing you want to do is create an overly negative review meeting. That said, don’t minimize issues that need attention.
With each negative comment, you should add in how they can improve and give them specifics on how to accomplish this. That way instead of being discouraged they can focus on what they need to do to make a change.
You should also make sure to include examples with each negative rating. That way the employee knows exactly what they are doing poorly. This is a great way to show an employee who may not agree with the review precisely what is going on.
The most important thing to remember is to stay positive and offer your guidance to the employee. This can be an awkward situation for everyone involved if it is handled the wrong way. Make sure to address the review as a learning tool and together discuss ways to improve this employee’s performance.