Checking in with your team

You might want to consider replacing annual staff performance reviews with a less formal approach, says HR specialist Lisa Duston.

With the stress on all of us this year due to COVID-19, looking after our mental health and wellbeing is more important than ever. Making the time for a regular check-in with your team is a great way to find out how they are coping in and outside of work.

At the Master Plumbers and Masterlink national office, we have decided to move away from the formal annual performance review process, where employees and managers meet to rate the employee’s performance in various areas of their job.

Our focus is now on a less formal 6-monthly check-in to ensure we have a good understanding of our people and any challenges they are facing in their roles or in their personal life. We also want to ensure they are happy doing what they are doing and to see if there is anything the business can do to support them.

Scheduling a regular time for employees and managers to discuss challenges and achievements over the past six months helps gauge your team’s engagement levels and how things are going for them in general. You might also find there are other areas of the business they would like to get some professional development in.

This is a time to give your employees positive feedback on what they are doing well. If performance issues need to be raised, this should be done separately.

A regular check-in is also a great chance to share some of the things going on in the business as a whole. Perhaps you have secured a major new client or are looking

at smarter business systems. You’ll be surprised about how much you both get out of these conversations—and your employees will appreciate being involved and having their ideas acknowledged.

About the author: Lisa Duston is HR Manager at Master Plumbers. Lisa offers HR advice to Master Plumbers’ members at competitive rates. Contact Lisa on 021 245 1704 or email lduston@masterplumbers.org.nz

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