Find out how managers and employees alike can manage anxiety about performance reviews with these helpful strategies.
Performance reviews can be stressful for both parties
Have you ever walked into a performance review with a sense of trepidation and uncertainty? Whether you’re the employee receiving the review or the manager giving it, evaluating performance over the past year can be a stressful experience.
Performance review anxiety can be especially prevalent among younger workers who have less experience navigating these types of conversations—but no one’s immune. “For employees, a review is often associated with the potential for a promotion or pay raise,” says Annie Rosencrans, Director of People + Culture at HiBob. “This can lead to pre-review anxiety about whether they will be promoted, how to negotiate a raise if they feel the number they are offered isn’t at market rate, and other similar concerns.”
Rosencrans and I recently connected to talk about the annual ritual of performance reviews and how to make them something to look forward to—rather than dread. Here’s what we covered.
Review stress: individual contributor edition
The sense that your career and salary growth hinges on how your review goes is stressful enough on its own, but there are also other reasons individual contributors might be worried about that conversation. “Employees may worry about feedback if they feel their performance has been below par recently, and how to communicate that they understand their areas for improvement and have plans to grow,” says Rosencrans.
If you’ve been navigating a rough patch that has affected your work performance, take a breath. The fact that you’re aware of it is the first step. “Demonstrating self-awareness and going into a review with more than self-congratulatory remarks is key,” says Rosencrans.
Additionally, the format of the review could feel daunting, especially if it’s a self-assessment. “Carving out the time to put pen to paper and make sure it’s self-reflective and thoughtful may cause employees to feel stressed,” says Rosencrans.
Rosencrans shared three quick tips to bring down some of that stress:
1. Look at the whole year. “Realize that a review is reflective of more than just the past couple weeks,” says Rosencrans. “Thinking about the year holistically—the highs, the lows, and the in-betweens—can help you put together a self-assessment that is comprehensive.”
2. Review past reviews. “To reduce stress, workers should consider looking at prior assessments to see what areas were flagged as high points or opportunities for growth and track against those goals,” Rosencrans advises.
3. Prep ahead of time. “Jotting down notes in advance can help make the self-assessment feel less overwhelming at review time,” says Rosencrans.
What to do if you receive a poor review
No one wants to receive a poor review, but it can happen. Rosencrans advises employees in that situation to first ask questions. “Make sure you understand the directions given for improvement, and don’t be afraid to ask follow-ups even after the review has concluded,” she says. “Sometimes reflecting will lead to more, new questions and you should not hesitate to be upfront about asking those, even if it’s a week after the initial review conversation.”
It’s also important not to turn the conversation into an argument. “If you are too focused on your ‘comeback’ or counterpoint, you will likely miss the meat of what they are trying to communicate to you, which is what you’ll need to improve,” says Rosencrans.
Another helpful strategy is to request a check-in after a shorter period of time. Rosencrans suggests within 2–3 months. “This can help to ensure the changes you are making are setting you on the right path and are progressing in the way the reviewers intended.”
Finally, you should seek out a mentor. “This can be your formal manager or someone who isn’t directly responsible for your performance,” says Rosencrans. “This person can be a good sounding board and help you to potentially find faster or more effective ways of doing some elements of your job that you may not have thought of on your own.”
Review stress: manager edition
Performance review season can be tough on managers who have multiple reviews happening within a limited timeframe. “This can put a lot of pressure to fill out the employee assessments and make sure they are doing those thoughtfully,” says Rosencrans.
Good managers will include tangible examples of successes and areas for improvement, as well as actionable goals for employees. “If the review is too broad or nonspecific, it can leave employees feeling unsupported and as though the review didn’t say anything of value,” cautions Rosencrans.
To counter these challenges, Rosencrans suggests working with other leaders on their teams to fill out performance reviews, depending on the team structure. “This can help with building in ideas or examples from work they may not be directly involved in, but that still speaks to an employee’s overall performance.”
Planning ahead can also benefit managers. “Keeping notes from check-ins throughout the year can help shed light on where an employee has grown and where there are still opportunities for further development,” says Rosencrans.
How to give a poor review well
Sometimes, a poor review is inevitable. Rosencrans suggests sandwiching critical feedback between layers of praise. “This can prevent the negative review from feeling like an attack,” she says. “However, if you take this ‘sandwich’ approach, be sure that the critical feedback is received and understood. If you soften the message too much, sometimes the point can get lost in translation.”
Rosencrans also says it’s vital that the poor review is constructive rather than just critical, and that actionable advice and next steps are provided. “Make this as specific as possible so it’s clear how they can get back on track, whereas something that’s too broad can be difficult to implement and cause feelings of overwhelm or defeat,” she says.
Ultimately, if someone is underperforming, it’s the responsibility of the people managers and HR to address that before the review itself, says Rosencrans. “This should not wait until a formal process, but must be done via one-to-one check-ins on a more regular cadence. Open communication about performance provides a chance for the employee to start making changes before the formalized review process.”
A better performance review season
It’s not unusual to feel extra stress during this time of year, but spending a little time in thoughtful reflection can be a big help. “Effective stress management during review seasons—for both managers and workers—boils down to preparation, organization, and empathy,” says Rosencrans.
“When both managers and employees keep a good record of achievements, set clear goals, and approach reviews with a constructive mindset, they create a positive environment that reduces stress and promotes growth.”
