People & Leadership
A review once a year, held in a hurry, helps nobody
In many small businesses the performance review is either missing, or it is a rushed chat when a pay increase is due. Employees learn how they are doing from the size of the increase, and owners put off hard conversations until they are unavoidable. This session shows owners how to run a simple, fair review: what to look at, how to prepare, how to hold the conversation, how to record it and how to link it, honestly, to development and pay. It is practical guidance, not legal advice.
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People want to know where they stand, and most owners wait too long to tell them.
A review is the one scheduled moment when an employee hears, in the owner's full attention, how their work is seen. When it is missing, people guess, and guesses are usually either too hopeful or too worried. When it is rushed, the conversation is dominated by pay, and nothing about the work is learned.
A good review is mostly a summary of conversations that have already happened. There are no surprises. This session shows how to keep simple notes through the year, hold a conversation of an hour or less, and agree two or three things for the next quarter. It does not require software, a rating scale or an HR team.
What the session covers
36 topics across 7 areas. Seven parts, from the form to the follow-up. 6 apply to almost any business; the rest only in a particular case.
What a Review Is ForFour jobs, in order of importance.4
Many reviews try to do the last job first. Putting the conversation about the work ahead of the conversation about pay makes both more honest.
- Telling the person how their work is seen, plainly
- Recognising what has gone well
- Agreeing what to improve, and how you will help
- Informing decisions about growth, pay and responsibility
A Simple One-Page FormEnough structure to be consistent, not so much that it is avoided.6
- The outcomes agreed at the start of the period, and how they went
- Three strengths, with an example of each
- Two or three areas to improve, with an example of each
- How the person works with others and handles customers
- Their own view of the period, written before the conversation
- Goals for the next quarter
Collecting Evidence Through the YearMemory favours the last month and the loudest event.5
- A running note for each person, updated monthly, in two or three lines
- Recording specific events, not impressions
- Including good moments as well as problems
- Asking for input from people who work closely with them, where it is fair to do so
- Looking at actual work, such as orders, accounts, customer messages or output
Holding the ConversationA discussion, not a verdict.6
- A private place, enough time, and no phone
- Starting with their own view of how it has gone
- Sharing your view with examples, in the order you prepared
- Naming difficult points directly and without sarcasm or hints
- Asking what is getting in their way, and what they need from you
- Ending with two or three agreed actions and a date to look again
Giving Feedback That Can Be UsedSpecific, about the work, and about what to do next.5
- Describe what happened, and its effect
- Avoid labels such as 'careless' or 'lazy'
- Say what would be better, and offer an example
- Give the person time to respond
- Be consistent: the same standard for the people you like and the ones you do not
Reviews, Growth and PayKeep the link honest and the promises realistic.5
- Telling people how pay decisions are made, in general terms
- Not promising an increase the business cannot yet afford
- Offering growth that costs less than money: learning, responsibility, a clearer role
- Talking about pay in a separate conversation if it helps
- Making sure pay differences between people can be explained by the work
When a Review Shows a Serious ProblemIf it appliesWhere an informal conversation is no longer enough.5
How a business may end employment for poor performance depends on the contract, the size and type of the business, the state and the labour codes now in force. Do not rely on a general list. Speak to an HR professional or lawyer before acting.
- A clear written note of the concern, the support offered and the timeframe
- A further review date, kept
- Treating similar cases in a similar way
- Not springing a dismissal on somebody who has never been told
- Taking advice before any decision that may end employment
Questions to ask the employee
- What are you most pleased with from this period?
- What was harder than you expected?
- What would help you do your job better?
- What would you like to learn or take on next?
- What should I do differently as your manager?
Mistakes that make reviews unhelpful
- Holding it only when a pay decision is due
- Judging the whole year on the last month
- Saying everything is fine, then raising problems later
- Comparing people with each other instead of with the role
- Not writing anything down
How the session runs
An HR practitioner or an employer with experience of reviews explains the approach and walks through a made-up review from preparation to follow-up. Participants draft a one-page form for their own business and practise opening a review and giving one piece of difficult feedback in pairs, using made-up scenarios. The session covers practice, not legal requirements; matters that may affect employment status should be confirmed with a professional.
What your students leave with
- A one-page review form that suits a small team
- A habit of collecting examples through the year, not remembering in a rush
- A structure for the conversation that covers results, strengths, gaps and next steps
- A way to give difficult feedback specifically and kindly
- A fair, consistent way to connect reviews to pay and growth discussions
- A written record that both the owner and the employee can refer to
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
A review should hold no surprises.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.