The performance review template has always been an essential aspect of the performance review process. There is, however, a bit of confusion surrounding this discussion, due to the sheer volume of performance appraisal templates that have flooded the market.
The main questions around this discussion range from “Should I use performance review templates?” to “What should a performance review template include?”.
One of the main reasons people tend to shy away from using templates for performance reviews is quite simple.
They have been doing things a certain way for so long, that they don’t feel the need to change them. No matter how much greener the grass is on the other side, some of us have our well-placed doubts about the ratio of achieved end-grass-greenness to the effort it takes to get to the other side.
We have after all traveled long distances before to only find ourselves standing in a field a shade greener than our own.
Butchered metaphors and sayings aside, we here at Teamflect can confidently say that implementing performance appraisal templates into your performance review cycles is a solution that not only streamlines the entire process but also increases the efficiency of each performance review greatly.
This article will discuss how these simple templates can improve the efficiency of your performance reviews along with some helpful tips on what you should look for when you are selecting a template.
Table of Contents
1. Automated Performance Review Cycles
One of the greatest benefits of using employee performance review templates is the ability to automate your performance review cycles.
This feature however isn’t one that you can utilize with your run-of-the-mill Excel performance review templates, word performance review templates, or performance appraisal template PDFs. To automate your performance review cycles to their fullest extent you need to make sure the templates you are using are integrated parts of a performance management system.
No matter what the performance solution you are using is, if it isn’t integrated into the rest of your software, then you are missing out on quite a bit of optimization.
Whether you are mapping out a first 30-60-90-180 day review or a 360-degree feedback cycle, having the option to automate your performance review cycles is an incredible time-saver.
Using automated performance review templates helps people leaders by letting them reallocate their time and effort from the process of conducting performance reviews to all the incredible work they will be doing with the data they have received from said reviews.
2. Customize Your Performance Review Templates
The word template might have some negative connotations attached to it. When people talk about using templates it does sound like they are putting themselves in a box.
There is a sense of conforming to the limits of an existing framework when the word template is involved. Just because that is the case with many of the PDF templates you can easily find online, that doesn’t mean it has to be that way all the time.
No matter how universal some concepts are or how brilliantly some templates are designed, there is no conceivable way a template can reflect your organization’s culture and values perfectly without being tweaked at least a little bit.
The one-template-fits-all model is a myth we can shelf, alongside “jeans that fit just right” and the “Loch Ness Monster” and we are not sure about that last one.
The best performance review template is one you can fully customize. Before starting a review cycle using a template, you should be able to adjust all sorts of different aspects of it such as question types or automation intervals.
Using a performance review template that offers complete customization gives you two incredibly useful options.
You can either let the template hold your hand and guide you through the performance review process or change the template so it reflects your way of conducting performance appraisals.
3. 360-Degree Feedback With Ease
Singing the song of 360-degree feedback and praising just how beneficial the practice of this concept is the “Water is wet.” statement of today’s performance management landscape.
The effectiveness of practicing 360-degree feedback is beyond well-established at this point. One issue with its practice that is holding some organizations back is the fact that starting and managing a 360-degree feedback cycle can be a bit cumbersome.
Using a template designed specifically for employee reviews with 360-degree feedback nips that problem in the bud.
With a well-designed performance review template within performance management software that is fully integrated into Microsoft Teams or any other communication tool, any organization can turn 360-degree feedback into a routine practice and a part of their company culture.
4. Implement Employee Development Plans
There are many different reasons to conduct a performance review. But whether you are using an annual performance review template, a quarterly performance review template, or a monthly performance review template, there is one end goal that is universal in almost every performance review: Employee development.
A fully integrated performance appraisal template can easily give its users the option to include an employee development plan within their performance review cycles.
These development plans need to be a part of the continuous performance review process and should be addressed, tracked, and followed up on at every step of the review cycle.
The employee development plan within a performance appraisal can also function as a great way of practicing employee recognition in your day-to-day operations.
Rewarding the progress you observe through the employee development section in a performance review template with custom recognitions can have a great effect on employee engagement.
5. Continuous Performance Reviews
In a plot twist that would make M.Night Shamalayan jealous, we would like to tell you that the fifth reason on our list is the end result of the previous four entries combined.
Before you roll your eyes at the campy intro, give our writers a chance to explain. They work hard on these little gags.
We have on many different occasions stated that performance is an ongoing process, as opposed to a series of individual isolated events.
Your performance reviews should be the same. Continuous performance reviews should be an integral part of your company’s culture.
Performance review templates through the benefits they provide such as automation, integrated employee development plans, and the ease of 360-degree feedback, give managers a great tool to implement continuous performance review cycles.
The Right Template For You
We take pride in the wide array of performance review templates we offer. If you can think of a situation where you might need a performance review template, then you better believe we have it in our performance review template gallery.
The best part is, all of these templates come fully integrated into performance management software that works perfectly well with Microsoft Teams! Give the templates a look and plan how they would fit in your performance review cycles.
