The appraisal interview
Optimize your performance reviews with 2people. Gain insight into how to best prepare, conduct and follow up on the conversations. We share tips, tools and advice to create value for both employees and the company.
MUS-samtale or MUS-samtale is now a well-known tool in Danish organizations and companies. It first appeared in the Danish dictionary in 1997, but as a tool it has existed for much longer and has undergone many changes.
In recent times, there are many opinions about performance reviews. Some look forward to the annual interview and look forward to having a good chat with the boss. Others think it's a waste of time and don't see the benefit of the interview. There are many opinions, and in this article we'll take a look at the prejudices that arise around performance reviews and how to overcome them in your company or organization.
Positive and negative numbers
To start somewhere and create an overview, we'll start by introducing you to some statistics about the SDD interview. The figures are borrowed from Krifa, who in 2018 compiled a report on SDD interviews, where over 1000 respondents participated. The analysis showed that 85% of the respondents held an SDD.
The participants' general perception of an SDD interview was on the positive side, but far from optimal. Only 54% were satisfied or very satisfied with their last performance review, and 38% felt that there was no or little follow-up on the performance reviews. 43% felt that the performance reviews did not provide any particular value, and 53% felt that the performance review did not develop them at all or developed them to a low degree.
Unfortunately, this is not the intention of Employer Development Planning at all, quite the contrary. Performance reviews should improve employee well-being, motivation, development and clarify work tasks. By not taking performance reviews seriously, they can have the opposite effect and lead to poorer performance, become a worthless ritual and overlook untapped potential.
With SDD, you as a manager have the opportunity to uncover and meet the needs and challenges of your employees. Through this open and value-creating dialog, you get a finger on the pulse of your company and your employees. This creates a better balance between employees and the workplace, increasing well-being, efficiency and employee retention.
Solving your HR challenges
The 2people system is developed by HR enthusiasts with many years of experience in HR.
We offer a standardized solution that easily can be customized and connected to what's most important to you.
We are ready to help with your HR needs and challenges.
Create positive numbers in your business
What can your company or organization do to improve your performance reviews and ensure you are part of the positive statistics regarding performance reviews? First and foremost, taking SDD seriously and prioritizing it in the company can be done by systematizing and creating processes.
A good idea is to start by creating a template for preparing, holding and following up on SDD interviews.
Preparation
What are the expectations as a manager and employee for the SDD interview? What do you need to familiarize yourself with and is there a form to fill out? Preparation is important, both because it creates the framework and agenda for the conversation, but also because it sends a clear signal about the attitude and seriousness you have as a manager and employee towards the upcoming performance review.
The Conversation
With preparations in place, the agenda for the interview is set. There are many interview tools that can be used as a starting point for an SDD interview if you don't already have a template. It's a good idea to prepare an action plan in collaboration between manager and employee.
This conversation should be between two equal individuals, where the focus is on the employee's development, well-being and contribution to the company. It's important that it's not an authoritarian conversation where one party uses power over the other.
Follow-up
One of the most neglected points in the performance review process is the follow-up to the review. Statistics show that the more you follow up on a performance review, the more satisfied employees are with the review and the more satisfied employees you get in the workplace. It's a good idea to agree on a deadline for a follow-up already during the preparation or during the interview. An HR system, tool or calendar reminder can be a good idea here.
As an employee, you have a responsibility for your development, try to live up to the action plan/agreements agreed upon at the performance review, but both manager and employee have a responsibility to follow up on the agreements. This can be difficult if there is no system or a concrete plan that can be accessed. It should be easy and clear for both parties to access the action plan/agreement that has been made. It should also be possible to discuss and possibly revise the action plan/agreements. Again, it's a good idea to set a deadline for when this could happen.
Alternatives to EPD
We have now been an example of how a performance review process could work. There are a number of other alternatives to the appraisal process that can be combined or replace an appraisal. Whether or not this particular type of appraisal process is right for your company is not certain. We therefore suggest that you read some of the the alternatives to SDD.
Solving your HR challenges
The 2people system is developed by HR enthusiasts with many years of experience in HR.
We offer a standardized solution that easily can be customized and connected to what's most important to you.
We are ready to help with your HR needs and challenges.