by Sandra Seigle

Created on: December 15, 2008

Should employee performance reviews be abolished?

Unless you honestly think that even the best in their field have no room to grow, the answer here is no.

Employee performance reviews serve several purposes. The obvious is to evaluate an employee's work; their efficiency, their ethic, what they contribute to their company, and any other factors that make the difference between an employee being dispensable, or indispensable.

A good employer will consider all aspects of performance and use a review as an opportunity to touch base with each employee. Especially in larger businesses, it is important that there is a face behind the names of the higher-ups - even better if those faces are friendly, cooperative ones. This doesn't necessarily that professionalism should be thrown out, but feeling like a valued member of a team rather than a drone always makes an employee more willing to put the effort into whatever they're doing.

A good employer will use employee reviews to pinpoint their employee's best assets, and worst. From there they can decide if that employee is best suited for their current position, if they are eligible for a promotion, or if they need to improve in certain areas to be more productive where they are, and how. Barring a need in their company to downsize, they will at least make an effort to find tangible solutions to any problems with each employee, whether those problems lie with the employee, inter-office relations, or the manager/boss himself. Allowing an employee to voice their concerns and opinions benefits everyone involved.

Performance reviews also allow employees recognition for their hard work, which they may not be receiving often, if at all. Any good employer knows that high morale equals less chance of burnout, which creates more loyal employees, better productivity, and a larger bottom line, no matter what business you're in.

I'd be lying if I said I believed that employee performance reviews were always used to benefit the employee as well as the company, and there are definitely instances where they are used more for berating a person's abilities than constructive criticism for improvement. Despite the few exceptions, I do believe that performance reviews are beneficial. Even if they aren't used in the best manner they could be, I'd much rather be told as an employee where I could improve, rather than be fired or demoted with no explanation whatsoever.

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