Some Things Never Change: Communication Is Still Key

Research by advisory firm McLean & Co. plus additional HR research, have shown that clear feedback strengthens engagement. Engagement and productivity both increase when clear expectations are communicated to employees. In addition, organizational culture is reinforced. Additional benefits of clear communication include the following:  

• employees who understand their job expectations were 8.6 times more likely to be engaged in their work, 

• turnover is reduced by up to 40 percent, and 

• stress levels are reduced by approximately 20 percent. 

One key to success is defining performance review criteria that actually reflect HOW employees accomplish their work, and making those criteria as simple as possible. That makes the easier both to communicate and to understand. It was found that having criteria that are not “on point” hurts trusts, creates confusion and leads to performance evaluations that are not perceived as “fair, focused and credible” by employees. Further findings are that criteria need to be “grounded in role realities” and reinforces regularly via constructive communication.  

A separate study by Cornell University researchers found that employees tended to prefer “narrative-only” feedback on the basis that it is the “fairest” form of feedback and also provides them with better understanding of their performance expectations.