Annual evaluation interview, an archaic ritual?

Is the annual evaluation interview really effective? It would seem not if we believe the statements of 70% of employees who decide that the latter is not sufficiently followed up by concrete actions.

These reserves are not new but have existed for years. In 2017, 95% of managers said they were “dissatisfied with the traditional evaluation system”.

So what are the reasons for this lack of love for the annual evaluation interview? With what alternatives can it be replaced, or at least completed effectively?

That's what we're going to find out in this article.

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SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE:

1) Why is the annual evaluation interview no longer popular?

2) Replace the annual evaluation interview by establishing a real feedback culture

3) An issue of talent retention and engagement

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Why is the annual evaluation interview no longer popular?

A moment experienced as stressful by many employees

Knowing that you only have a short hour to “defend” the results of your year is cause for concern. Indeed, between the evaluation grid to be completed, the “one-to-one” with your manager and the overall very solemn aspect, it can quickly be perceived as a school exam. Even worse, like a class council.

Especially in French companies where managers are more often quick to focus on failures rather than successes.

Interviews that are often insufficiently prepared, especially with employees

It would still be unfair to point the finger only at managers when it comes to criticizing the annual evaluation interview. Of course, their posture is sometimes not always the most appropriate, but what about that of employees?

Among the main areas of improvement concerning the way in which employees approach the interview, we could note:

- Draw up a more accurate assessment of their objective achievements without trying to embellish or justify themselves

- Take stock of the year's learning to better plan for the following year

- Entering into a real fluidity of exchange to get out of the classic “teacher manager” vs “student collaborator” pattern.

The annual evaluation interview, an obsolete practice given the reality of the company today

Beyond being very expensive for companies because it mobilizes managers and employees over a long period of time, annual maintenance is above all unsuited to the current functioning of most organizations.

Today, teams are increasingly collaborating in project mode where decisions must be made at each stage of a process. To be able to progress and pivot more quickly, employees need regular feedback on their work, not just during a single annual interview. In fact, more than 70% of them say that they would be more successful in their work if they received more regular feedback from their manager.

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated these changes: strategic decisions are made more quickly, teams work in a hybrid way between face-to-face and remote work. Hence the importance of providing more feedback throughout the year to optimize collaboration and performance.

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Replace the annual evaluation interview by establishing a real feedback culture

As we have just said, in business, feedback is key, especially when it is practiced regularly. Indeed, more than a quarter of employees say they were surprised by the feedback given to them during the interview. It is therefore urgent to establish a culture of permanent feedback within organizations to avoid sometimes unpleasant surprises at the end of the year.

To achieve this, it is necessary to involve every stakeholder in the organization. From managers to managers to employees, it is up to everyone to take their share of responsibility in giving regular feedback, whether positive, development or reframing. And this is not only vertically “descending” (from N+1 to N-1) but also vertically “ascending” (towards its manager) and horizontally (between peers).

Even if giving feedback seems simple on paper, in reality, it's not that easy.

It's not easy because doing it requires courage and receiving it requires being able to question yourself, when it comes to development feedback or reframing.

Giving positive feedback is not easy for everyone either. Taking the time to recognize the qualities of your collaborator or manager requires empathy and disinterest.

To strengthen the “feedback loop”, companies have set up 360 questionnaire systems. Each employee assesses their employees and managers on soft skills: posture, management, autonomy, etc. The results are then transmitted to them, which allows everyone to know precisely what points to work on in order to improve.

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Learn everything about feedback thanks to our article

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A challenge of talent engagement and retention above all

The figures speak for themselves, according to the 2017 Deloitte study, 90% of companies that have reviewed their annual evaluation interview system see an increasing level of engagement among their employees.

Why? Because systematizing feedback throughout the year or even making more regular evaluation points injects more autonomy into teams, strengthens communication, frees speech and makes decision-making more fluid.

In a context of “hybrid” functioning in most companies, working to make communication more transparent, while remaining benevolent, makes it possible to optimize cooperation and therefore performance.

The aim of this article was not to “tackle” the annual evaluation interview for free, quite the contrary. Beyond the criticisms raised above, we can still recognize some benefits: a privileged moment of exchanges between an employee and his N+1, possibility of discussing increases or other advantages, etc...

Through this article we simply wanted to show that for even more impact, it was necessary to review the way in which end-of-year interviews were conducted. In particular by strengthening the practice of feedback throughout the year.

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