Performance reviews for IT talent are an important part of many technical organizations. It gives your staff both the positive feedback and constructive criticism they need to grow as a professional. They allow both management and their staff to reflect and take stock of the previous year’s achievements.
Here are four steps worth further exploration that help your organization improve how it conducts technical performance reviews.
1. It is Important to Set Tangible Goals at the Beginning of the Year
Setting concrete, tangible goals for each employee is an important first step to the performance review process. Without goals, it becomes difficult to interpret any metrics used to analyze an employee’s performance throughout the year. Make sure you include the employee in the goal setting process, either when they are first hired-on or at the tail end of the previous year’s performance review.
2. Emphasize the Positive and Constructive During the Review
Keep the proceedings positive during the review, as it is vital that your employee feels comfortable and able to offer meaningful input to their own performance. Any criticism should be made in a constructive fashion. If necessary, make the effort to work with the employee to develop a plan for improvement in the following year.
3. Focus on Their Performance, not Attitude
During a review, be sure to focus on an employee’s performance instead of their attitude. This is another reason it is good to set tangible goals each year that can be analyzed using some form of metrics. While in some cases a bad attitude leads to poor performance, this cannot always be assumed.
4. Consider Quarterly Performance Reviews Instead of Annual
In this age of Agile and DevOps, IT has become a more collaborative and iterative process. As such, quarterly performance reviews make more sense in this environment. Feedback gets back to the employee more quickly, helping them achieve both your company’s goals and their own personal growth faster than ever before.
If you need additional input about building a top notch technical team at your organization, don’t forget the experts at APN Consulting. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in New Jersey, we can help your company achieve its goals through positive staffing. Contact us to find out more.