Guest blog: preparing for and delivering effective performance reviews
Ian Egerton, director of Ico Management Services, explains how you can conduct staff reviews and appraisals effectively.
Building a good team takes a lot of effort – investing time in goal setting and giving constructive feedback that can really pay dividends.
As a salon or spa owner you should hold quarterly – at the very least half yearly – performance reviews with staff, and preparation is key. You need to standardise your meetings to set a familiar theme for your one-on-ones and they should always take place in a private room to help achieve the most positive results.
You also need to collate important information on the employee ahead of the meeting, especially Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as sales statistics, client retention, services and retail figures to name just a few.
Armed with the hard facts, you can then prepare for general feedback. Review a range of soft skills, allowing you to give positive feedback for things as well as guidance and recognition where applicable.
10 key points every owner needs to remember when conducting a performance review:
- Prepare well
- Share only relevant information
- Be positive
- Listen
- Give clear feedback
- Seek feedback
- Work to resolve conflict
- Give recognition and guidance for both facts and soft skills
- Smile
- Set clear goals, definitive timelines and state the rewards for achievements.
It’s also important to remember that:
- 55% of what we say is body language
- 38% tonality
- And 7% are the words used.
After performance reviews, you need to communicate with staff regularly about progress and celebrate milestones along the way for a strong team culture.
When taking all these elements into consideration you will see how positive feedback and recognition can stoke the imagination and spirit of employees, which can easily become infectious as you inspire through good leadership and thoughtful communication.
For more information on recognising and rewarding staff contact Ian at Loop HR, which is part of the Ico suite of management products.
