5 tips for Managers to Prepare for Annual Performance Reviews

Between objectives, performance, and employees' wishes, it can be difficult for managers to navigate. Here are five tips to help you prepare for your annual performance review.

The annual review is a key moment for both employees and managers. Together, they assess the objectives that have been set and plan for the year ahead. Here are five tips for managers on how to prepare for their annual review.

1. Prepare the form

Of course, the content is important, but the form of the annual review should not be neglected, according to Clotilde Mérillon, HR Director at Javelo. It is perfectly feasible to hold the interview outside the office, over a coffee in a hotel lobby, for example. The idea is to find a setting that puts the employee at ease, where the conversation will be richer: "you don't say the same things in a meeting room as you would outside the company", says the expert.

2. Devote time to preparation

"Many managers don't have the time to prepare their annual appraisal properly", says Clotilde Mérillon. Nevertheless, it's an effort that shouldn't be neglected if employees are to feel that this is a special moment.

On the other hand, a lack of preparation undermines the importance of the interview: "if you rush it, you run the risk of losing the intensity and flavour of future interviews", says Clotilde Mérillon.

3. Taking stock of feedback

The key is to review the objectives that have been set. In order to establish an employee's areas for improvement, the HR Director advises taking into account feedback from each of her colleagues. Employees don't just work with their managers: "it's interesting to take stock of feedback from all the parties involved in the employee's development", explains the expert.

4. Focusing on the future

Admittedly, part of the interview is based on the past year, but it's important to think about the employee's year ahead. It's in the manager's best interests to look ahead to the employee's future, by asking themselves a number of questions: "What can I offer them?

5. Prepare an action plan

To implement the ideas discussed during the interview, you need to draw up an action plan. Before the meeting, you need to be prepared to turn words into action: "if an employee wants to develop his public speaking skills, you need to define a precise timetable for training him", concludes the HR Director.