For many faculty and staff, performance reviews are just around the corner. This is a busy time as managers collect their thoughts to put them into writing. This month’s issue provides a refresher on what works in the performance review process while highlighting the best practices supervisors should consider before the review discussion.

When discussing bias in performance management, it’s common to talk about bias as it relates to performance evaluations – what ratings people are receiving and feedback objectivity. Yet there are practices we can apply to mitigate bias at every stage of effective performance management.
 

Well-designed goals are a powerful tool to inspire results and create focus on getting the most important work done. Many of us have been taught to create detailed SMART goals, but these often focus on tasks rather than big initiatives. Plus, they are often too rigid to allow for unforeseen changes in the organization.  

Instead, individual goals should describe what and how the staff or faculty member will impact their college or unit’s key priorities and how they will know they are successful in doing so. 

When creating goals, keep these four tips in mind:

Adjusting our expectations for performance and productivity doesn't mean lowering our expectations. Instead, it means acknowledging the challenges that we've faced and offering feedback and support with grace and compassion to those we supervise, as well as ourselves.

Setting goals can be a painful, meaningless exercise for everyone, or it can be a powerful way to drive performance and keep your staff engaged and challenged. Here are some ideas for getting the most out goal setting.

Many of us have had bad experiences with performance evaluations. They can leave you scrambling to remember what your employee accomplished or scratching your head to evaluate performance against goals no longer reflect your department’s priorities.

Research suggests meaningful performance management is possible using a more fluid process involving many discussions and interactions throughout the year.