Why Almost 50% of Employees Think Reviews Are a Waste

Have you ever asked your employees what they think of your organization’s employee assessment process? Chances are you wouldn’t like the answer. You would most likely discover that your workers don’t think reviews are particularly effective.

Read on to learn why so many employees think that reviews are completely useless and not worth the time or effort.

The Stats

In October 2014, GuideSpark published a survey about employees’ views on evaluations. The results most likely surprised their supervisors: 45% of employees surveyed stated that reviews are “a total waste of time.”

Then again, employees might be amazed to discover that their supervisors feel similarly. Fifty seven percent of managers surveyed by GuideSpark called the evaluation process “a time sink.”

Why Do Managers and Employees Feel This Way?

For years, managers and employees have heard about the importance of the review process. Yet, according to GuideSpark’s survey, many of them feel that it wastes time. Why is that?

GuideSpark’s researchers believe that there’s a lack of communication about the purpose of performance reviews. In addition, managers don’t know how to evaluate employees.

So, when you combine these two factors, it leads to a dislike of the evaluation system. Moreover, it diminishes the effectiveness of employee reviews.

How to Change These Statistics

While these numbers are upsetting, they’re not written in stone. Organizations can change the way employees and managers feel about the evaluation process.

What can business leaders do to improve the image of the review? For a start, they can clearly communicate the evaluation process’ purpose. Companies carry out evaluations to determine how well employees are doing their job. To make that determination, every position must have an easy-to-understand description with which the manager is deeply familiar.

Secondly, managers need to explain to their employees why they’re evaluating them. People like knowing what’s going on. When they feel as though they understand a situation, they won’t view evaluations as a waste of time.

Thirdly, managers must learn how to review employees’ performance. The secret to an effective evaluation is, as mentioned above, an understanding of the employee’s position. A manager also has to know what the employee is supposed to be doing, and whether he or she is actually doing it. If the manager is too hands-off, he or she won’t have the knowledge necessary to accurately review the subordinate.

What impact are your employee reviews having?

Always make sure that your employee reviews are holistic, clear, and take into consideration the fact that your employees are human. If you find that your current evaluation tools don’t allow you to ask the right questions, then maybe it’s time to consider 360 degree performance feedback. Contact us today for a live demo to learn more!

See our Overview of our 360 Performance Review Templates from our Software.

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