Recently, we explored the importance of yearly raises for supporting staff morale and maintaining a strong team. Reviews are an important part of the process of determining such raises, and they require a reliable and objective process.
The Value
Reviews can be time consuming in their preparation and execution, but their value comes from the feedback you gain from and give to your staff. Often, staff underperformance stems from a lack of understanding or incorrect perceptions of expectations. Reviews give management an opportunity to address those areas as well as hear the team member’s perspective, which strengthens working relationships and provides a way to outline clear responsibilities and goals moving forward.
The Structure
It is important to hold these one-on-one meetings with each staff member to ensure that everyone feels comfortable sharing concerns or needs with management. Additionally, reviews should be scheduled and conducted regularly so your team knows when to expect their meeting. In my office, I conduct a review at each new hire’s 90-day mark (regardless of whether they are receiving a raise or not), and then yearly at their hiring anniversary or at a set time during the year. For us, those hired between January and June are reviewed in June or July and those hired between July and December are reviewed in December or January. I announce the day or week that reviews will be held ahead of time and request that each person think about their goals and needs before our meeting.
The Template
I’ve found that my employees have benefitted from having a template for reviews because they provide a consistent and measurable comparison from review to review. The template I apply has a grading system of 4 categories: attendance, knowledge and performance of job responsibilities, interactions with patients, and team mentality/office pride. The expectation of each category is listed on the review. We give a score between 1 (unsatisfactory) and 5 (outstanding), followed by any comments pertaining to that category. At the end of the review, we give the total along with any overall comments from management, and each employee has space to outline goals for the next year. My employees appreciate having the chance to express goals for growth as well as areas in which they may be struggling in this section.
Other Tools
Some companies recommend having employees conduct self-assessments or team reviews. Self-assessments have staff members rate their own performance and give feedback about their accomplishments and struggles over the year. These responses can provide a stimulus for thought and allows you to see your employee’s perception of their role and value to the team. Team reviews ask other employees to grade their colleagues and provide constructive criticism that allows management to see how the team views each member. Whether or not to use these techniques is office dependent, but they tend to be more valuable in larger offices.
Regardless of the structure, cadence, or tools you decide to use in your practice, making staff reviews a priority will prove to be a beneficial way to connect with and grow your staff.
