New Manager? Here’s How to Conduct Your First Employee Review

New managers often have a great deal to learn about taking on a leadership role. Your understanding of the work your team does is only half the battle. The other half is learning how to motivate, teach, delegate, and provide effective feedback. 

Employee evaluations provide an opportunity to do all four of these tasks. Done well, they can help your team do better work and engage with their daily tasks in a more meaningful way. Here’s how to conduct an employee evaluation.  

1. Prepare before the evaluation happens. 

Never walk into an evaluation empty-handed or try to fill out an evaluation form in front of the employee. Instead, spend time beforehand planning out the most important points to discuss with each employee at the meeting. Gather any evidence you need to support your points, and prepare evaluation forms beforehand as a guide to discussion. 

2. Be clear and direct. 

The more you waffle or go off on tangents, the more confused your employees will be about what they need to do – which will result in employees struggling to meet expectations.  

To be clear and direct, state an issue, and then offer a specific example. For instance, you might say, “It’s important that you arrive on time. Last month, you were late six times.”  

3. Set goals with employees. 

Once you’ve clarified a particular problem or area that needs correction, work with the employee to set specific, measurable goals. For example, if your employee has trouble arriving on time, first state the problem. Then, say “I’d like us to set a goal for the next month, so that we can track your improvement. Between now and [date], I’d like to see no more than two late starts.”  

4. Ask employees to share their own self-assessment. 

Questions like “where do you think your strengths are right now?” and “what are your biggest challenges?” can help you see the job through the employee’s eyes. These questions can reveal where employees are confused or need help understanding how their work fits into the bigger picture.  

At THE RIGHT STAFF, LLC, our recruiters connect our clients to some of the best talent in the Twin Cities. By hiring the right people, you can make employee reviews an event to look forward to each year for managers and staff alike. Contact us today to learn more.  

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