Management tip: SOLICIT PEER INPUT ON PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Performance reviews tend to focus on a manager’s perception of the person being reviewed. Yet, team members often spend more of their day interacting with each other than with their manager. So it makes sense, then, to include the entire team’s input when putting together a performance evaluation.
This doesn’t necessarily mean having everyone on the team complete a full evaluation for the person being reviewed, but it can include soliciting comments from the team via e-mail. Here’s an example of such an e-mail:
Hello Team,
Jane and I will soon be conducting her annual performance review and discussing her goals for the upcoming year. Since the success of each person here depends on the relationships between the entire team–not just that of the staff member and her supervisor–we’re asking for your help in this process.
If you’ve worked with Jane over the past year, I’d appreciate if you could take at least 15 minutes to comment on her performance and provide suggestions to help her be more successful.
Please send your comments directly to me by [date] and I will incorporate them into Jane’s review where appropriate. Anything you tell me will be kept strictly confidential. If I use any of your comments, I will use them in a way that does not reveal the source of the comments.
Here are some things you might want to comment on:
How do you feel about the quality of Jane’s work?
Has Jane led any projects that you’ve worked on? How did that go?
How do you feel about Jane’s ability to communicate effectively with you and other team members?
What things has Jane done to help the organization reach its goals? What else could/should she do?
What classes or training would you suggest for Jane?
Feel free to comment on other areas of her performance, too.
Specific examples supporting your statements would be especially helpful.
Finally, if you feel uncomfortable with this request, you do not have to provide any comments. If you prefer to meet with me to discuss this, just stop by my desk. Your participation/assistance is completely voluntary.
Thanks for your help!
- From SD Magazine email -
