Performance Reviews During A Pandemic

Another unexpected challenge

It looks like this fall is going to be challenging on many levels. Flu season is around the corner, the election is coming and many people are wondering whether their children will be attending school physically or focused on e-learning.

Meanwhile, there’s another challenge that’s about to hit corporate America. We are going to be conducting performance reviews during a pandemic. 

In the midst of the new challenges engulfing every aspect of our lives, nobody relishes the additional paperwork that performance reviews are notorious for adding to our workloads. However, to the extent that bonuses, stock options and other incentives are tied to these metrics, we all need to be alert to the importance of this year’s review process.

The review process is definitely not going to be “business as usual” this fall.  For starters, many of the goals set for employees last year were crafted prior to the pandemic.  What’s more, even for employees who have had mid-year reviews where these expectations were adjusted, mere months ago we were still focused on what many hoped was temporary risk management. As we still find ourselves in a cultural climate where employees are grappling with unprecedented stress when it comes to their health, the well-being of their families and their career expectations – we have to bear in mind that this year’s performance review conversations will be setting the stage for the “new normal” in our organizations. 

It’s not unusual for me to start getting calls from clients about how they hope to navigate their firm’s performance review season long before the evaluations are due. This year, however, these calls are taking on a new tone of urgency. 

Jason, an HR specialist who supports the IT division of his firm, called me the other day concerned about how to help people in his organization cultivate the skills they need to get out in front of this year’s performance review challenges.  

“Our employees work like dogs to ensure top performance for our customers and our stakeholders, and many of them have made huge personal sacrifices to support our firm,” Jason began thoughtfully. “Sadly, we are in uncharted waters because of this pandemic and I’m concerned that I let down one of my favorite managers as I simply didn’t have the answers he deserved.”

“What did he say to you?” I inquired.

“He reminded me that, when it comes to keeping our team members motivated, the most important part of our review process this year was ensuring that we gave our people clear development plans so that their efforts could be measured fairly against the targets we set for them. Then, when he turned the tables and asked me for my thoughts, I couldn’t give him the type of straight answer I know he deserved. I got off that call with more questions than answers and, as someone who likes to add value by providing solutions, it wasn’t a great feeling,” Jason confessed.  

I’ve developed a method for helping managers and leaders stay on course when unexpected change and disruption strikes that I call The Lifeboat Process. The Lifeboat Process stems from lessons I have gleaned from studying stories of Titanic survivors and formalized into a process of exploration, discussion and awareness. From my perspective, the most timeless lesson we can all glean from the Titanic story relates to how the crisis affects people – how they see themselves, how they interact with one another, and how they respond as a group when faced with abrupt and potentially catastrophic change. 

The Lifeboat Process is particularly helpful for managers and leaders who are beginning to realize that the old norms that have guided the way we define job descriptions, evaluate performance within a given role and set performance targets are all in flux. Thanks to the pandemic – we are all in uncharted waters together. 

Here are four tips from The Lifeboat Process that can help you navigate this year’s performance review process:

In the Lifeboat Process, we constantly stress the importance of having a clear, objective and practical conversations with yourself under pressure.  When it comes to this year’s performance reviews, your management team needs to be sure everyone on their team realizes how vital it is to provide specific examples of how they have performed relative to their objectives this year. This is crucial during a period when line management may not have been able to physically observe their performance relative to their goals in the same manner that was possible in the past. Thus, members of your team need to prioritize identifying colleagues and clients they have successfully collaborated with and incorporate these into relevant examples of the work they have done in their self-assessments. 

It’s vital to be straightforward with employees about how conditions due to the pandemic have impacted your organization this year. Has the manner in which performance is measured changed? Have conditions related to performance or profitability altered the bonus pool? Are the firm’s mission, vision and values evolving? If so, how? During a period where we all have more questions than answers, being clear about the questions we are facing fosters a tone of unity.

Rather than try to influence others through displays of emotion, focus on being present and striving to understand what others may be experiencing without exaggeration. This situation we are all living through is dramatic, and being present in a helpful manner as people work through their financial and professional concerns involves paying attention both to what people say and to nuances of body language or tone that convey a deeper meaning or unspoken truths. Staying present, objective and balanced is an act of great kindness that can inspire loyalty in the midst of the thorniest conversations. 

Rather than dominating or monopolizing conversations with our own thoughts and opinions, we ask others to share what they genuinely think and feel. This is pragmatic since we need to know what others think in order to figure out how to keep them focused and ensure they feel validated. This type of strategic listening also helps us bear in mind that “one size doesn’t fit all” when it comes to creating the conditions that make it possible for your workforce to motivate themselves. For some workers, realizing that they are adding value is an incentive on its own. For others, it’s getting cutting edge experience that matters. In a year when compensation is tight, it’s vital to assess the range of intrinsic factors that enhance retention thoughtfully.