How To Master Healthcare Performance Reviews

Performance reviews at hospitals and other healthcare organizations can be a dreaded topic for both employees and managers, but they don't have to be.

In fact, the 2015 Global Human Capital Trends survey conducted by Deloitte found that 82 percent of companies think that the performance review process is not effective in helping them manage their business. A 2015 report from Forbes indicated that 65 percent of employees want more feedback on how they are doing and how they can improve. Although many employees have a negative connotation with performance reviews, this doesn't have to be the case moving forward. Leadership supervisors, and employees can all learn how to master healthcare performance reviews and improve the company's overall performance and understand what employee performance reviews mean.

What are Employee Performance Reviews?

Employee performance reviews are a tool that supervisors can use to communicate with their employees on how they are performing in their role. Often the feedback includes areas where the employee is excelling, as well as opportunities the employee has to improve their performance within the healthcare organization or hospital. Some of the feedback may be related to technical skills needed for the employee to improve in their current role or to advance up the leadership chain, while other feedback can be related to soft skills such as communication or teamwork.

Employee performance reviews are often broken down into different graded sections or feedback sections where the leadership or manager can review an employee's performance and take notes. While conducting the performance review, different sections will be graded against certain benchmarks to provide an overall score or grade on an employee's performance.

Once an employee's performance review has been completed by the manager or boss, the next step is to go over the performance review with the employee and break down each section, why they graded the employee in the manner they did, and advice on how to proceed.

Typically, healthcare organizations require supervisors to complete a written evaluation that gets turned in to Human Resources for retention in the employee's file. The review should also have a verbal discussion component between the supervisor and the employee. This provides the opportunity to explain or provide examples of the behaviors outlined in the evaluation, and the employee has the opportunity to ask questions and get the information they need from the supervisor in order to make a change in their performance.

These documents are often reviewed by both parties and signed to ensure that they have gone over it and there are no remaining questions about the statements made in the employee performance review, and both sides are understanding of the future for each.

How Do Performance Reviews Benefit Employees?

An understanding of how they are performing in their role is the biggest gain for healthcare employees or hospital employees when they receive a performance review. Stress and anxiety can result when employees are unsure how they are performing. They can spend a significant amount of time contemplating whether or not they are meeting expectations or wondering if their job is at risk. This constant worry can cause them to be less productive as employees. For employees who are meeting or exceeding expectations, an employee review allows them to relax and focus more at work.

Depending on the setup and pace of the healthcare organization, an employee review can also be beneficial for the employee in helping to open up the dialogue of career opportunities with their supervisor. Needs of patients, rotating shift hours and changes in personnel are just a few of the factors that may limit the amount of time an employee gets to spend one-on-one with their supervisor in a healthcare organization. An employee review, which is typically done in-person and free from distractions or interruptions, provides the perfect opportunity for a discussion to occur on the employee's development opportunities and future career advancement options.

Employees want fulfillment from the work that they are doing. They want to know that the actions they take make a difference in the organization and the lives of the patients they help. Performance reviews provide supervisors with the opportunity to reinforce the message that the employee is making a difference through their performance. When an employee feels like they are doing a better job at work and that their work has value, they feel more engaged in their daily routine. Over time, their engagement levels rise. An increase in engagement can increase their future performance and improve the culture and performance of the overall organization.

How Do Performance Reviews Benefit Healthcare Organizations?

Retaining strong performers is a key aspect of talent management for healthcare organizations that are attempting to remain competitive in the ever-changing healthcare industry, and performance reviews help hospitals and healthcare companies achieve this. When employees are uncertain about their performance or don't feel as though they are being developed to advance in their career, they are at increased odds to voluntarily leave the company. Performance reviews help to facilitate the discussions with these employees to let them know how they are performing and what they can do to advance or improve.

A decrease in absences and an increase in productivity can also be a benefit to healthcare organizations that utilize performance reviews. Employees that have knowledge about what they are doing well in their role and where they can improve are typically more content than those who are uncertain and have not discussed their performance with a supervisor. Those that are content and fulfilled with the workplace and what it's doing to help each employee move forward in their career are more likely to show up to work and be more productive while at work.

Another benefit healthcare organizations can expect from performance reviews is employee development. Supervisors who effectively communicate with their employee about development opportunities and career advancement on a regular basis help prepare and develop that employee for advanced positions at the organization. This can be extremely beneficial to the overall financial health of the organization as companies that look outside the company at the external talent pool to fill leadership roles often spend more than it costs to leverage and develop the talent within the organization for these same roles. In fact, a 2014 study by the Association for Talent Development found that replacing a manager cost the organization more than $130,000 while training an existing employee for the role was one percent of the cost at $1,300.

When Should Performance Reviews be Completed?

Each organization has its own schedule for when performance reviews must be completed and turned into Human Resources. For some, this is at the end of the calendar year or the fiscal year, while others can complete the performance review at any point as long as it's done regularly, such as once each year or semi-annually.

Performance feedback should not be limited to just when a written review is required, and employees should not have to wait 12 months to know how they are doing. Supervisors need to continually be providing feedback to employees. This includes both positive and constructive feedback on where the employee could improve. When a supervisor delivers the written review, nothing within it should be a surprise to the employee if the supervisor has been providing both types of feedback all along. While it may not be easy to discuss negative feedback with an employee, the performance review process can be less traumatic if the negative feedback hasn't been bottling up or come as a shock to the employee because constructive feedback wasn't provided earlier.

What Happens During the Performance Review Process?

The formal performance review process typically kicks off with some type of notification from Human Resources. Most hospitals and healthcare organizations have a form or set of guidelines that can be used to structure the performance review. A sample employee performance review or employee performance review questions examples are typically available from Human Resources for supervisors needing assistance. Supervisors spend time evaluating the performance of the employee using the form and the employee performance review questions example.

Some organizations require the supervisor to get 360-degree feedback from co-workers, customers and others the employee regularly interacts with as this prevents the review from having a bias of only one person. After the form has been completed, the supervisor and employee will meet to verbally discuss the review and the employee's overall performance. After the discussion, the employee and supervisor both typically sign or initial the review, and then it is returned to Human Resources for retention in the employee's file.

Is there an Employee Performance Review Questions Example in Healthcare Organizations?

Sample employee performance review forms from healthcare organizations typically have a lot of the same performance review questions. If for some reason your hospital or healthcare facility will not provide a performance review example or performance review questions for you to evaluate, then you can always look them up on the internet to get a good understanding of what they entail. The wording may vary but the type of information being gathered is the same.

Strengths and improvement opportunities are the two major focuses of the review, so forms will often have performance review questions centered around these two topics. Essentially, it's important to identify what an employee does well, along with where an employee is underperforming and how they can improve.

Culture-related performance review questions are also common on a sample employee performance review. These questions may ask about the employee's communication skills, ability to work as a team or even the attitude they have while at work. Depending on the type of role, a sample employee performance review may include an employee performance review questions example related to safety and compliance matters.

How Should Performance Reviews Be Completed and Delivered?

The written performance review should be completed in advance, and the supervisor should set aside a dedicated time and place to deliver the performance review with the employee. The discussion should be free from interruptions or distractions as this demonstrates a lack of apathy towards the employee and the respect for their time. Plenty of time should be allowed in order for the supervisor and employee to have a quality discussion about the employee's performance.

What Steps Can be Taken to Prepare for Delivering a Performance Review?

Reviewing an employee performance review questions example can help increase the supervisor's confidence that what they've written is appropriate. Thinking through what is going to be said is a critical step in preparing for a performance review. Reading verbatim from the form isn't going to create a positive impact. Supervisors should think about how they are going to discuss the employee's performance, especially if they have to deliver feedback that may be tough for the employee to hear.

It can also be beneficial to consider how the employee may react to the performance review and how the supervisor will react to this. An employee may get angry if they are hearing feedback they don't agree with, and the supervisor should be prepared to address these emotions. Some employees may not know how to respond to a good performance review, or they may use the opportunity to ask for a raise. The supervisor should be equipped address this type of request or concerns as well.

What Should be Expected When Delivering a Performance Review?

Employees of healthcare organizations should expect a performance review meeting that's free of distractions and interruptions. This is time dedicated to them and the hard work they've put in up until this point. Supervisors should expect that some employees may be nervous going into the review and do everything they can to help them get adjusted to the process and feel comfortable. Past negative experiences with performance reviews may have made them untrusting of the process, so some employees may not know how to respond to a good performance review. Supervisors must also expect a wide array of emotions and be prepared to address them.

What Should Not Occur During a Performance Review Delivery?

There are a number of things that should not occur during the delivery of a performance review in a healthcare organization. The review should not be cut short or interrupted until both the supervisor and employee have had an opportunity to walk through the full review and discuss any questions or concerns that arise from it.

The supervisor and employee should both be engaged in the performance review process. This means that cell phones, computers, and other devices should be put away or silenced. Supervisors should not read directly from the evaluation form, and a person who isn't the employee's direct supervisor should not provide delivery of the review as this makes it extremely impersonal and doesn't allow the employee ample opportunity to talk to someone who is directly reviewing their performance to ask for feedback on why they graded the way they did.

Should Employees Know How to Respond to a Good Performance Review?

Employees don't always expect a positive review, so it can be difficult to know how to respond to a good performance review. Employees that receive a positive performance review should be excited. Not only are they performing their job well, but their actions are having a direct effect on the overall success of the healthcare organization, hospital, facility, and the patients they directly interact with. With the knowledge that they are performing well, employees should have the confidence to ask their supervisor about development and career advancement opportunities. This shows an employee's interest in further advancing their skills with the organization and increasing their contributions to the company.

What Happens After a Performance Review is Delivered?

Once a performance review is delivered, the supervisor should provide the employee with a copy for their records. This allows the employee to read the actual review at a later point when they have time to do so and can use this time to consider their development opportunities and how to improve in those areas. Both the employee and supervisor should sign or acknowledge the actual review before a copy is forwarded to Human Resources.

Moving forward, employees and supervisors should discuss a plan for the employee's improvement opportunities. As the employee continues to work in their role and focus on their development opportunities, the supervisor should continue to provide ongoing feedback to the employee. This continuous cycle of feedback and improvement will be what helps the employee advance in the healthcare organization.