A regular evaluation is essential to developing and keeping an employee. And as each employee grows, so does the success of the organization. Evaluations consider job performance as well as consider his or her fit within the culture of the organization.
Using 90 Day and Annual Evaluations, management can communicate expectations and observations in a formal, structured way. Both encouragement and constructive coaching are provided. These interactions inform the employee of where they stand in their job. Often times unspoken parameters, expectations and little to no feedback causes fear and frustration for an employee. These meetings provide the direct supervisor time to encourage and coach for a successful professional development. Ideally, this intentional communication leads to longer employment too.
Considering the First 90 Days
The 90 Day Evaluation concludes a trial period. It confirms your new hire is a good fit for the position, your team and your culture. The first 90 days allow the employee to get used to the job in a period of grace, as they work through the learning curve as a new employee. Generally speaking it is a good practice to keep them encouraged and excited about the future of their job.
The 90 Day Evaluation primarily assesses an employee’s contribution to the culture, attitude and synergy of the team. If the person has ongoing behavioral issues, such as tardiness or not adhering to dress code, or if they have a poor attitude, are not excited or passionate about being at work, this is the time to assess and address as necessary. Obviously, job performance is always a focus so communicate how well the individual does the job.
Annual Evaluations
Annual Evaluations focus on how an employee is mastering his or her job. Presumably, being with the company for a year, the individual fits well within the culture and adds value to the team. Annual Evaluations assess the job performance more closely than a 90 Day Evaluation. These reviews provide insight into the trajectory of a team member’s professional growth track. Ideally, the direct supervisor sees steady improvement from the initial 90 Day Evaluation. In addition, the direct supervisor pinpoints areas for improvement and areas for refinement so the individual is prepared for promotion to the next level.
Coaching Opportunities and Evaluation Consistency
Keep a keen eye on the consistency of messages in your coaching opportunities and evaluations. This detail is essential to the successful growth of an employee.
For instance, if a direct supervisor regularly sees an employee outside of dress code but never documents a coaching opportunity for that employee, it is not appropriate to score them below average on their evaluation. An employee should not hear about an issue for the first time at an evaluation. Surprises are not the norm, rather recaps of things already discussed.
Likewise, if an employee has received a documented coaching opportunity for being late to work, then he or she should not be scored above average on that component, if improvement has not occurred. Consistency between ongoing coaching and evaluations helps further develop your employees to perform and conduct themselves up to the expected standards.