How to Give Effective Performance Reviews The most effective reviews are less a formality and more a conversation. By Charles A. Volkert, Esq.

Transcription

1 NPFA Career Center Article August 2010 How to Give Effective Performance Reviews The most effective reviews are less a formality and more a conversation By Charles A. Volkert, Esq. Charles A. Volkert is executive director of Robert Half Legal, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of attorneys, paralegals, legal administrators and other legal professionals with law firms and corporate legal departments. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., Robert Half Legal has offices in major cities throughout the United States and Canada. As paralegals increasingly take on higher-level duties, such as managing teams of other legal support professionals, they are finding themselves on the other side of the desk when it comes to performance reviews. As you know from your experience in being the reviewee, these meetings are significant events in the course of your professional development. When your own performance is being critiqued, your goal is to glean information that will help you achieve your full potential with the firm or legal department. When you are in the reviewer seat, the objective changes somewhat. Your mission is to provide honest, objective feedback so staff members can leverage their strengths and develop strategies for overcoming their weaknesses. What some managers miss, however, is that the manner in which reviews are conducted can strongly influence the outcome. The best, most effective appraisals go beyond summarizing an employee s accomplishments and shortcomings. Ideally, as a reviewer, you should strive to initiate a meaningful conversation with the employee. To ensure that the performance reviews you conduct hit the mark, try the following strategies.

2 Go beyond the forms At many firms, managers rely on performance evaluation forms supplied by the human resources department or the firm s managing partners. While completing these documents is often a requirement and the forms can be helpful as a basic framework for the meeting, don t feel limited to the discussion points provided. For instance, you might be asked to rate such areas as core job duties, initiative and teamwork, but critical areas worth addressing such as long-term career goals or professional activities outside of work may not be mentioned. Also, if you use the forms line-by-line, the talk tends to become one-sided and less engaging, making employees feel more like they re listening to a lecture. To make a comprehensive assessment, consider soliciting the input of others who work with the staff member, such as coworkers and subordinates. This can give you a more balanced picture of the individual s strengths and weaknesses and provide more complete feedback to the employee. It s also a useful tactic to have staff members complete a self-appraisal. Not only does this demonstrate that you are interested in how they view their own efforts but it also gives you the chance to learn more about their contributions. You may discover, for instance, that the individual played a key role in coordinating a litigation team or conversely, that the employee was less of a factor than you thought. Schedule appropriately At some law firms and corporations, performance evaluations are conducted for new hires upon completion of their 90-day probation period. For tenured employees, many firms have in place an annual appraisal meeting, but research by our company

3 shows that a growing number of employers now conduct these reviews twice a year or quarterly. The thinking is that staff members who receive feedback on how they re doing on a more regular basis can correct mistakes before they become bigger liabilities. They also benefit from the encouragement and guidance that typically accompany these reviews. Additionally, people are more likely to recall examples of their behavior and contributions if they re discussed more immediately, rather than up to a year later. Mentioning that you were unhappy with the way someone handled a difficult situation with a client isn t helpful if the employee can t remember details because so much time has passed. Even when appraisals are conducted more often than once a year, ongoing, informal feedback also called a spot review is also helpful. Talk to employees immediately when you notice they re doing something well or you identify an area for improvement. You ll reinforce exceptional work and encourage changes, when needed. Choose your words carefully During the review, focus your discussion on job performance, not personality. Telling someone he becomes stressed and less productive when workloads are high doesn t explain the problem precisely and seems like a personal attack. A better approach would be: When workloads are high, you tend to rush and often overlook critical details, such as proofreading briefs or filing responses promptly. Be careful, too, about using words like always and never because chances are they aren t entirely accurate. Also make sure that when you provide criticism, it is straightforward and constructive. Don t gloss over the negatives, because in your attempt to soften the blow you ll only make your point less clear. For instance, don t say: There have been some complaints

4 about the way you interact with some of your peers, but we all know how challenging it can be when the lines of authority aren t clear. This leaves the employee to wonder what exactly you mean. Does she need to change the way she communicates with colleagues? Should she seek your advice when faced with interpersonal conflicts? Or is she doing fine and the problem is with the other people? Also make sure that when you must provide negative criticism, it is straightforward and constructive. Don t gloss over the details, because, in your attempt to soften the blow, you ll only make your point less clear. For example, if you say, There have been some complaints about the way you interact with some of your peers, but we all know how challenging it can be when the lines of authority aren t clear, you ll leave the employee to wonder what exactly you mean. Does she need to change the way she communicates with colleagues? Should she seek your advice when faced with interpersonal conflicts? Or is she doing fine and the problem is with the other people? Instead you might say, Your communication style is very assertive, which is great in terms of keeping the team on track. But sometimes, when dealing with coworkers, you come across as too blunt and commanding. It would be a good idea to temper that by requesting information first rather than immediately issuing orders. Listen It s just as important to gain feedback from employees during the meeting as it is for you to share your assessments even if team members have already submitted a selfappraisal. When you give staff a chance to respond to your comments, you may learn more about the individual s situation, and this could prompt you to alter your evaluation. For example, an employee you feel rarely goes above and beyond his job duties may not

5 volunteer for new projects because he is feeling overwhelmed with current ones and doesn t believe he can do a good job if he takes on more. Discussing compensation If your firm has implemented a system of merit- (as opposed to tenure-) based raises or bonuses for legal support staff, the performance review may be the logical context in which to discuss changes in the individual s compensation. You can introduce the subject after you and the employee have looked at achievements and whether benchmarks were met. There will be occasions, however, when you learn new information during the discussion that could lead to a reconsideration of the amount of the raise or bonus. In such cases, it may be better to hold a separate discussion about compensation changes after you ve had an opportunity to speak with human resources and senior management. Following a review, the employee should have a clear sense of performance priorities and objectives for the coming months. To prevent misunderstandings, create a written plan that summarizes key goals, such as learning a new software application or obtaining advanced certification, and sets out the anticipated timeframe for accomplishing those goals. This list will give both you and the employee quantifiable expectations that can be evaluated at a later date. A written plan also sets the stage for your legal support staff s continued growth and improvement, as individuals and as a team. ###

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