Dive Brief:

• Thirty-three percent of managers aren't following up on check-ins with their employees, making real-time, more frequent appraisals less effective, according to a survey from Appraisd. This failure on the part of managers devalues workers' time and could allow valuable information to be forgotten, the company noted. 
• The survey of 1,000 U.K. employees by OnePoll found that employees were concerned by managers' failures to follow up. When asked what their manager could do to improve the situation, 26% of respondents said managers should follow up on concerns more effectively, and 24% said their managers need to be better prepared for check-ins. This is a sign that a number of managers are simply "going through the motions and not treating these meetings as a priority," Appraisd said.
• "Employees want to know what their goals are, how well they are doing and to have a manager who will do what they promise," Appraisd founder Roly Walter said in a statement. "Just taking five or ten minutes to prepare for a check-in and the same amount of time afterwards to note and share the action points, makes these regular meetings far more valuable, measurable and productive for all concerned."

Dive Insight:

In a succession of studies, employees have shown a preference for more frequent assessments, considering them more valuable than the traditional once-a-year meeting. As Appraisd noted, regular check-ins are vital to building employee engagement; exchanging valuable information; and providing timely, constructive and relevant feedback.  

Getting performance management right is critical to retaining and engaging workers. A recent study by Reflektive found that 85% of professionals would consider leaving a company because of an appraisal that didn't reflect their true performance, caused them to be passed over for a promotion or was biased.    

HR leaders must ask whether their performance management procedures are working for both managers and staff. According to a study by Betterworks, 59% of managers and employees polled saw little value in their company's performance management processes, and only 37% of front-line managers said they are held accountable to developing their staff members. Managers may need more training on how to properly aid and develop their direct reports.

"For most of us, the transition from 'doing the job' to 'leading and helping others to do the job' is a big change," Josh Bersin, president of Bersin & Associates, said in the Betterworks study's foreword. "We need to learn how to set goals, listen closely to others' needs, and gain an understanding for what makes an individual, team, and organization succeed."