Even 360 degree feedback
isn’t immune to office gossip and misconceptions. When implemented properly, 360 degree employee evaluations can be a boon for your company. It will turn under-performing employees into stars and transform top performers into the next industry leaders.
That being said, getting these types of results out of 360 degree performance feedback
requires you to find out the best and worst practices for this employee evaluation system.
Here are the top 360 degree feedback myths that will steer you in the wrong direction.
Myth: 360 degree feedback only helps management
Unlike many other performance assessments systems, a 360 degree approach doesn’t just tell the management team who your strongest and weakest employees are.
Instead, it provides a comprehensive analysis of how well a given employee is performing in specific areas, and then provides them with a path for improvement.
True to its name, it provides a 360 degree assessment, identifying where both the employee and the leadership team can improve.
Myth: 360 degree feedback is the perfect tool to cull employees who don’t belong
It is easy to perceive any assessment system as an easy way to justify the termination employees who don’t fit. This, however, is not the purpose of 360 degree feedback at all.
As Alice K. Waagen, PhD, of HR.BLR.com said in a recent article (opens in new tab), when a manager does this, instead of trying to provide a struggling employee with constructive feedback, they “want to solicit the negative feedback from others and have them convey the bad news.”
This is counterproductive and can significantly damage your relationship with not only the employee you plan on getting rid of, but also the people who are staying, as they will recognize this ploy for what it is.
A 360 degree management system is a tool for improving your entire team’s ability to produce results. If you already know that someone isn’t a right fit, deal with this separately instead of damaging the perceived viability of 360 degree assessment.
Myth: 360 degree feedback is a great way to gauge new relationships
If you are trying to perform 360 degree feedback a month or two after your employees started working together, then you are wasting your time. The number of interactions is too limited for any solid results.
Instead, use reviews between people who have worked together for at least 6 months, and only with employees who have been at your company for at least a year.
Myth: The 360 degree management process is self explanatory
Kenneth Nowack, President and Co-Founder of Ofactor, Inc. said in a recent LinkedIn post, that “all too often, vendors and some practitioners espouse the ‘diagnose and adios’ approach” for their 360 degree feedback.
An assumption that employees will know what to do next can turn a great 360 degree review into a total waste. Make sure that you explain every step in the process to ensure that everyone fully benefits from it.
Have you made the mistake of following any 360 degree management myths?
If these myths have held your organization back from taking advantage of 360 degree employee evaluations,
hopefully we have helped dispel them. If you would like to learn more about 360 feedback tools, please contact us
today!