How to Prepare Your Year-End Performance Review in 5 Steps

Teams and companies take the end-of-year meeting to review. Make some changes and set future goals. It’s also a way for B2B companies to build trust, ensure their goals match and have employees take part. A solid review method at the close of the year allows teams to thrive and results in better performance.  

However, many reviews offer nothing new. A Gallup study showed in 2023 that just 29% of employees agree that performance reviews help them improve.  

This means, most businesses are missing a major opportunity.  

Here are five ways that managers and HR teams can use to ensure detailed year end reviews that benefit employees.

What Are The 5 Steps To Prepare Year-End Performance Review?

Here are the steps and a tool to easily launch performance reviews that will have a positive impact on the employees performance: 

Set Clear Goals and Ideas

Make sure you settle on goals from the start.  Select which areas you wish to include in your review: 

• Work habits.

• Skills.

• Performance or plans ahead.  

  
  

Make sure to give the workers the criteria at the start of the year.  

Link the jobs people do with the overall goals of the organization.  

If you have a clear idea, the feedback you get is balanced and useful.  

SHRM reports that 90% of exemplary companies use planned reviews to achieve their goals.  

Thanks to this, you can avoid biased decisions.

Gather Balanced Feedback 

Don’t trust what people tell you. Have more than one client, team lead or even peer to provide you some feedback.  

Using this approach, you’re able to view the full picture of how well an employee is performing.  

Ask employees to evaluate yourself from time to time too.  

It allows workers to prepare mentally for the upcoming employee yearly review.

Research from PwC in 2022 showed that teams who received feedback from a broader group worked more effectively and were more trusted.  

Be sure to keep feedback relevant to the position and in a professional language.

Incorporate Using Data for A Feedback

When you have facts, trust builds. 

Build your points on evidence from:

• KPIs.

• The outcomes of the project

• What your clients are saying. 

  
  

As a result, reviewers are able to offer a fairer and clearer feedback.  

Don’t try to hide or cover up facts.  

Show evidence for each thing you say.  

Avoid saying simply, "the company needs to improve communication." Prove that missing reports hold back the progress of the project.  With data, you can avoid bias and make sure the review of employees centers on actual achievements.

Prefer A Two Way Conversation 

Your review shouldn’t consist of one person’s point of view.  

Encourage workers to explain their opinions and thoughts.  

Allow them to bring up:

• Personal achievements.

• Obstacles they’re facing and 

• Their ambitions.  

  
  

Need assistance with your team’s interactions, the solutions you use or support? 

Request feedback from your friend. This way, you show respect and can spot problems.  

In 2021, LinkedIn found that when workers were heard at work, 92% felt more engaged.  Now, it’s a good time to share your ideas about career progression or the training you see as necessary.

Incorporate Tools To Work Seamlessly 

Incorporate a tool to easily launch performance reviews. Digital tools allow HR to process things smoothly, manage their data well and save both HR and managers time.  

It’s simple to use a tool that provides templates, efficient reminders and tracks advancement during performance reviews.  

It allows every team to do things in the same way and keep records organized.  

Each year, new ideas can be found using digital tools which helps improve the process.

Final Thoughts 

At the end of the year, the review means more than just an activity you need to do.  

If done properly, it improves the strength of teams, gets everyone involved and confirms the business goals.  

All participants can grasp the process easily when the right planning, data and tools are used.  

Looking at your review annually will help you for years if you focus on being open, having structure and growing.