Every year, thousands of company human resource managers embark on the arduous task of conducting employee performance evaluations. This is a necessary aspect of planning annual salaries, bonuses and staff augmentation for the upcoming fiscal year. However dreadful it may seem for employees worried about getting their raises, it’s equally nerve-wracking for the HR department.

As part of Davis Staffing’s two- part series on successful performance evaluations, we’ll start out with a few helpful tips to make your life easier as the HR administrator.

Create a simple evaluation system. One good way to reduce the stress of a time-consuming employee evaluation is to keep it simple from the start. While a long and detailed spreadsheet of employee metrics may seem like a brilliant idea, it actually turns into a nightmarish process of trying to document every little thing – which only serves to bog HR down. Instead, create an evaluation system that covers the basic categories of work performance and a 5-star rating system to measure employee performance accordingly.

Keep reviews consistent and fair. The most critical aspect of conducting performance evaluations is to treat all employees fairly, with a completely objective rating system and comments. This involves the development and use of a performance appraisal that accurately measures the same guidelines for all employees, regardless of their actual titles or duties. This is to make sure all employees get an unbiased evaluation that will help them to achieve more over time.

Conduct reviews the same time annually. The best time to conduct reviews may vary from one company to another; however most do theirs during the last quarter of the fiscal year. This keeps things consistent so that employees know what to expect year after year. However, a more constructive way to handle performance reviews is throughout the year, during regular staff development meetings. Try stepping your reviews out once every 3-4 months, then using this information to decide how to reward employees more often.

Give employees a chance to reflect. The purpose of employee performance reviews is to help employees become better at their jobs, thus increasing on-the-job performance. A great way to manage the performance review is to allow employees to self-evaluate beforehand. This will get them thinking about ways in which they can improve, as well as find ways to demonstrate their skills for further development. Hand employees a copy of their past employee review and ask them how closely they have met their annual goals.

As you prepare for this year’s employee performance evals, remember that the goal is to give employees something tangible to work towards in the upcoming year. Be sure to return to the Davis Staffing blog for part two in our series on making performance evaluations more successful.