What to Say in An Employee Performance Discussion
Would you agree that employee performance management is arguably the toughest part about being a leader?
After leading employees for over 10 years and working in HR for nearly 20, I am STILL learning ways to motivate employees and maximize employee performance.
Hands down, the best tool I've found for increasing employee engagement and success is the "Performance Check-In."
A performance check-in is a way to...
Increase connection with your employees, ask questions, and offer support
Focus on outcomes and motivate action
A performance check-in is NOT....
A long, boring meeting where the leader does most of the talking
A list of what the employee is doing right or wrong
I'm even a fan of replacing annual performance evaluations with longer, more structured performance check-in discussions. You can read more about that here + download a free discussion guide.
If I really think about it, I've never in my career been motivated by receiving a rating via a formal performance evaluation.
Instead, I've been deeply motivated by leaders who talked to me frequently, were curious about what I was working on, and who were genuinely supportive of my work efforts. Those leaders who checked-in with me frequently, made me feel more cared about. They inspired me to action.
What to Say in a Performance Check-In
It’s important that check-in discussions are a two-way conversation, primarily driven by asking questions and offering support. According to Author Marcus Buckingham, the two most important questions to ask during a check-in are:
What are you working on this week?
How can I help?
How Often Should You Schedule a Performance Check-In
I typically see leaders checking in with employees daily, weekly, or bi-weekly depending on:
How well you and the employee know each other and trust each other. For newer employees, more frequent check-ins are a great way to build relationships and trust. Whereas with a longer-term employee, your work rhythms may be more in synch, requiring less of a need to check-in.
How engaged your employee is. Check-ins are a great way to ask questions, offer support, and to inspire employees to act. It’s important also to consider that some employees (I argue most employees) require frequent contact even when they are already engaged/motivated. People want to know they matter.
Whether your employee is remote/hybrid or in-office may dictate how often you schedule your check-ins. A lot of the remote leaders I know, check-in with their employees daily.
And when it comes to scheduling, the #1 way to engage your employees and make check-ins more effective is to put the scheduling in your employee’s hands. I even recommend doing this for performance evaluations.
Employees picking the time and location of meetings and also having a say in the structure and length of the conversation is a great way to empower and engage employees. The more input and control employees have over their own performance management, the more satisfied they tend to be.
How Long Does a Check-In Discussion Need to Be?
It depends on the employee (some employees are more long-winded) and the situation (some jobs require you to go over more information, more frequently). I typically see check-ins last anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on how often you’re meeting.
A good starting place is to ask your employee what they think about how long you need to meet once you’ve discussed the purpose and structure of the check-in with them.
And the good news is that you can change the length or structure of the meeting at any time!
Nothing is static - if it’s not working, make a change.
How to Host Effective Remote Performance Check-Ins
With your remote/hybrid employees, videos are a must during check-ins. Nothing will ever replace in-person connection and communication, but video is truly the next best thing. When it comes to performance discussions, make sure you connect face-to-face with your employee via video. 80% of communication is non-verbal. To make sure your conversation is a success, you will need to "see" each other.
The only exception I see is when you have an effective and trusting relationship with your employee. In that case, go for a “walking meeting” with your headset via phone! That’s one of my favorite ways to meet with people.
As with all employees, and even more importantly with your remote employees, make sure employees are clear on the check-in structure, timeframe, purpose (the “why”), and yours/their expectations.
Giving context prior to jumping in will help make your check-ins more successful.
Do you need help with a specific employee performance issue? Book an HR Strategy Session to receive guidance and answers for how to resolve the situation.
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