Currently, our People and Culture team is working with managers throughout the organization on employee performance evaluations. This year, merit increases will be effective April 1st and will be reflected in your paycheck on April 15th, 2023.

Our Performance Management Process

Every company aims to create a performance management process that gives all employees an equal opportunity to succeed and receive valuable feedback on their work. Unfortunately, having an employee’s performance rating determined solely by their manager can involuntarily invite bias into reviews and disproportionately help certain individuals while disadvantaging others. That is why we have begun integrating calibration review meetings into our performance management process.

Performance review calibration is a process in which managers discuss their proposed employee ratings with other managers. The goal is to find common ground that makes consistent employee performance evaluations possible. This practice is meant to limit bias in the performance review process and ensure managers agree on the criteria against which their direct reports will be rated.

Why is performance management calibration important?

Performance review calibration is a crucial step in the employee review process for many reasons. As mentioned above, it ensures managers are on the same page and empowers them to rate employees more fairly. Review Calibrations also:

1. Increase review accuracy. Unfortunately, one manager’s idea of a top performer might differ wildly from another’s – a difference that can dramatically hurt one team and help another. This is because, come promotion and raise time, one manager’s team will have a significant leg up while the other’s chances will suffer. Calibration ensures reviews are more consistent and accurate.
2. Properly acknowledge and reward high performance. Once the bar is set, managers can rate employees with more certainty and ensure everyone on their team gets the recognition and reward they deserve.
3. Reduce bias. When managers rate their direct reports in a vacuum, they can only compare their direct reports to other teammates or their own idea of what performance should be. Without a calibration discussion, a manager might let unconscious bias influence their decisions and prevent specific reports from receiving a fair review.