360-Degree Performance Evaluations
Katherine Dobbs, LVT, CVPM, PHR, interFace Veterinary HR Systems, LLC
It is that time again—time to evaluate the team’s performance. Evaluations can be performed several ways, including the 360-degree performance evaluation method, in which feedback is obtained from all points on the circle—the team member and the team member’s peers and supervisor. Some managers believe they can assess team performance without ever personally witnessing team members doing their job.1 However, in the author’s experience, obtaining information from multiple sources is best. Consider the basic factors of the 360-degree method:
Self-Evaluation: The team member must comment on his or her own performance and, more importantly, his or her professional goals.
Peer Evaluation: Others on the team who have personally witnessed the team member’s work performance may provide feedback.
Supervisor Evaluation: Any manager who directly oversees the work of the team member being evaluated provides feedback. This may be the person creating the final performance evaluation.
Once all evaluations are complete, the information is blended together and presented by the supervisor to the team member in a face-to-face meeting.
Self Evaluation
Self-evaluation, the first step in 360-degree evaluations, allows a team member to reflect on the past and, more importantly, dream of and plan for the future. This step should encourage the team member to:
Recognize how well he or she completed the performance plan from the previous evaluation or most recent discussion
Take pride in his or her improvement in areas noted at the previous evaluation or most recent discussion
Reflect on past performance, including CE attended and presented, team members trained, projects completed, and/or improvements suggested that the practice implemented
Discuss what he or she wants to learn or do next, including pursuing special interests
Highlight his or her professional and personal goals
At this time, the supervisor should give the team member a week to complete the self-evaluation, then read it before the final evaluation meeting to identify and respond to any differences between observations.2 If the supervisor and team member clearly disagree on their assessments of the team member’s performance, they should meet to discuss the discrepancies before the final evaluation. This will help avoid any negative surprises during the final evaluation, which should focus on the future.
The supervisor should also assign and collect peer evaluations from the team member’s colleagues.
Peer Evaluation
Peer evaluation, the second step in 360-degree evaluations, allows the manager to collect valuable information from those who witness the team member’s performance on a daily basis, which helps the manager construct an objective evaluation with information from multiple people.
Feedback from a 360-degree evaluation is more comprehensive and less prone to individual bias because there are multiple perspectives.3 Peers provide input on the specific tasks and nontechnical skills that apply directly to the job description; they may also offer freestyle comments (eg, positive—or negative—feedback about the team member’s attitude). Remember the following tips when conducting the peer evaluation step:
Make it mandatory for 4 to 6 people to provide feedback, and select these people based on the following criteria (in this example, peers will be evaluating a veterinary nurse who works 8 am to 4 pm):
same position, same shift
Select another veterinary nurse who works the day shift
different position, same shift
Select a client care team member or kennel assistant who works the day shift
same position, overlapping shift
Select another veterinary nurse who works 2 pm to 10 pm
supervisor or direct manager
Provides feedback on all his or her direct reports
veterinarians
Obtain feedback from a practice owner and an associate or two, depending on the size of the practice
Peer evaluations should be confidential but not anonymous; the team member being evaluated will not be told who said what, but the manager collecting the data will know who is submitting the peer evaluation.
Positive comments can be quoted directly, omitting the name of the speaker (eg, Your peer said, ‘She always has a smile!’).
Negative comments are not quoted directly; instead, the manager will incorporate this feedback into goals for the team member under review.
Collect these peer evaluations before creating the final evaluation document. After the self-evaluation and peer evaluations are submitted and reviewed, focus on the final evaluation.
The Self-Evaluation Meeting
Sometimes, but not always, another step in performance evaluations is a meeting to discuss the team member’s self-evaluation and ensure the manager and team member are on the same page. For example, it is best to know before the formal evaluation meeting if the team member considers his or her performance stellar but the manager does not agree. Follow the mantra no surprises when evaluating a team member’s performance.
When a team member submits his or her self-evaluation, the manager should read it carefully and identify and respond to any differences between his or her observations.2 If the manager finds the team member’s evaluation surprising, the manager may need to meet with the team member before the final evaluation.
The manager often knows or remembers facts the team member does not recall or does not want to consider (eg, disciplinary warnings, projects left undone, verbal warnings the team member may have forgotten or did not think important) but which the manager knows were the first step in trying to correct behavior or performance. The manager should prepare documentation that clarifies these issues and be prepared to discuss them in the self-evaluation meeting.
Sometimes the team member remembers or considers factors the manager does not (eg, projects that were completed but never reached the documentation phase, extra projects, extra responsibilities, participation in community events or CE courses).
Both the manager and team member should sit down and discuss any discrepancies so they are prepared for the final evaluation.
Next, the manager compiles the final evaluation and meets with the team member.
The Final Evaluation Meeting
The final evaluation meeting takes place after the manager has reviewed the team member’s self-evaluation, met with him or her to discuss the self-evaluation if needed, assessed the collection of peer evaluations, and recorded final thoughts about the team member’s performance.
The final evaluation should be set at a time when the manager and team member will not be interrupted or have to reschedule. The manager may need to put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door and assign someone to cover that team member’s position during the meeting.
Before beginning, the manager should take a minute to relax the tension that likely is present, perhaps by asking the team member how he or she is doing that day. This may help the manager determine if anything external may be affecting the team member’s mood (eg, a troublesome client just discharged, a busy surgery schedule). The manager also should focus on being completely present for the conversation and not distracted by what might be next on his or her to-do list.
Begin by reviewing anything from the past year that needs to be discussed. Remember, the point is to have no surprises during this final meeting. “Keep in mind that you should be addressing problem issues as they arise, not letting them compound and stockpile for a massively negative review,” says Marsha Heinke, author of Practice Made Perfect.2 Comments about past performance should be familiar and serve as a wrap-up of what is already known about the team member’s performance.
The main focus should be on the performance plan for the future. Together, the manager and team member must be sure to create goals that are SMART (ie, Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Realistic, Timely). They can narrow down the areas that need improvement by agreeing on a certain deadline or time limit, but the manager should speak specifically about what he or she expects from the team member and how improvement will be assessed.
This final evaluation completes the series of performance evaluation meetings. If accomplished according to the plan presented, they will set the tone for another successful year for each team member.