How to evaluate your employees’s performance?

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The end-of-year appraisals are fast approaching. This year’s staff appraisal will take place in a particular context and may be a little more stressful for your employees and confusing for managers. In order to help your management to conduct these interviews and evaluate your employees’s performance with serenity and efficiency, we give you some advice in this article.

Staff appraisal: what are we talking about?


What is performance?


“Performance is the ability of an individual or a group to achieve the objectives they have set for themselves or which have been set for them. An employee’s performance is his or her ability to meet the expectations expressed by his or her management in order to satisfactorily fulfil the tasks attached to his or her position. In other words, individual performance is the employee’s ability to meet the objectives assigned to him/her in the context of his/her duties (1).

Be careful, however, not to confuse performance with productivity. Productivity is the ability of a person to accomplish a significant amount of work in a short period of time.

What is a staff appraisal?


The evaluation of staff performance consists of measuring the results of each individual in the context of an assignment. To achieve this, it is essential to have defined the objectives and the success criteria in advance. Beyond the results, the evaluation is the moment to give real feedback to your teams. Giving feedback is essential for your teams, it allows them to be confirmed in the right direction or to adjust what needs to be adjusted by providing areas for improvement. Feedback should be constructive and encourage exchange. You show that you are following their work and that you are there to help them develop. You can also include in your evaluation the employee’s general attitude through their mission, their involvement and their efforts.

Beyond performance, take into account the soft skills of individuals


Staff appraisal is an opportunity to measure the professional development of employees and their behavioural competencies, the so-called soft skills.

“Soft skills are behavioural competencies that include relational intelligence, communication skills, character and interpersonal skills (2). “

In general, taking soft skills into account is essential in order to offer new missions to your employees where they can fully deploy their potential and perform. This year, the objectives may not always be achieved given the exceptional difficulties encountered by your employees. Soft skills are therefore more than ever an interesting criterion to take into account when evaluating them.

Matching skills to the company’s challenges


On the company side, the objectives and challenges also vary over time. Depending on the economic and technological context, new opportunities arise. And new challenges arise that can change your strategy and your objectives. Appraisal interviews are an opportunity to take stock of internal skills. But also to ensure that your teams remain aligned with your trajectory. And finally, that they are fit to meet these new challenges.

Why should you evaluate your employees’s performance?


Reward and develop employees

  • Reward your employees for their performance
  • Identify newly acquired skills
  • Identify gaps and adjust the training plan according to needs
  • Support the career development of each employee


Maintain employee commitment

Employee appraisal is above all a time for exchange and dialogue between managers, HR and employees. It makes them feel listened to and taken into account. It is a good time for employees to take stock of the bigger picture and to express their career plans and wishes. Listen to them. Just like rewards and incentives, dialogue and listening are important elements in retaining staff and keeping them engaged with the company.

Anticipate your company’s future needs


Companies need to adapt their strategy and business to the digital transformation. To achieve this, they need to anticipate the skills that will enable them to win new markets and remain competitive in a changing economy. This anticipation is possible on the condition that they have a fine and continuous analysis of each internal talent and make them evolve towards the skills they will need in the near future.

Evaluation of teams? What methods are possible?


In general, performance assessment takes place at the end of the year during the annual interview. You can also opt for a more regular follow-up during the year. Software can help you to centralise and keep track of your talent reviews. However, whatever method you choose, appraisal interviews should be formalised. Face-to-face, they should be documented in a report shared between the employee, the manager and HR. We also recommend that you prepare them well in advance and personalise them. During the interview, give your employee space to express himself. It should be a moment of privileged and constructive exchange!

(1) Open classroom: “Manage the performance of your employees“. Amandine Ruas, Certified Career & Confidence Coach

(2) Cadre emploi: “Soft skills, what are the ones that companies are looking for?

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