Performance appraisals and reviews for employees tend to be a part of the job that staff reliably hates the most.

Colorado State University scientist Kevin Murphy believes that traditional feedback becomes biased by those who provide evaluation, leading to damaged relationships even when the review appears to be accurate. “As a result,” Kevin Murphy concluded, “Annual appraisals end up as a source of anxiety and annoyance rather than a source of useful information.”

Some of the most influential businesses in the world are following suit, switching to performance improvement that helps staff better understand and improve their performance.

Inaccurate Portraits of Performance

Many employees hate performance reviews because they feel that the feedback doesn’t accurately represent the work that they perform. Often, reviews consist of arbitrary number rankings that aren’t capable of reflecting the nuances of day-to-day performance, especially when the process consists of a 15-minute review that assesses an employee’s year. According to Forbes, HR professionals agree , with 45% stating that they don’t believe performance reviews present an accurate depiction of workers.

More and more Fortune 500 companies are moving away from annual reviews that assign number rankings. Instead, they’re implementing a system where managers and supervisors provide feedback on specific issues on a more consistent basis, leading to greater performance and employee growth.

One of the biggest names in business that’s switched to this new philosophy is Accenture, which is a firm that specializes in consulting and strategy. In an interview with The Washington Post , their CEO, Pierre Nanterme, said that what people want to know “on an ongoing basis: Am I doing right? Am I moving in the right direction? Do you think I’m progressing?”

As companies continue to move away from traditional reviews, more employees will benefit from receiving timely feedback that provides an accurate assessment or their performance. Those who perform well receive rewards, increasing retention rates of desired talent, while staff who need to progress get an opportunity to improve their performance.

Collaboration Works Better Than Competition

There’s no doubt that certain situations call for creating healthy competition among employees to boost the results of the entire team. However, when it comes to feedback that’s supposed to help an individual better understand their performance – under the guise of improvement – competition gets in the way of providing a clear view.

Even Microsoft, which formerly touted its philosophy of competitive rankings as part of feedback, have changed their ways, with companies such as the Gap and Adobe following suit.

Why 360 Degree Feedback is the Ultimate Solution

Take the hassle and inefficiency of traditional employee performance reviews out of the equation, and introduce 360 degree feedback software into the process. Our survey tool assists you in creating, distributing, managing, and evaluating all stages of the review process, easily and efficiently. And, you can track survey participation and follow up as needed. For more information, please contact us today, or take a tour of our product.

See our Overview of our 360 Degree Performance Appraisal format of our Software.