A Generation Y Perspective on Performance Reviews

by

HR Market Analyst, Software Advice

Performance reviews are arguably the most painful part of the talent management process. And yet, for all of the time and energy that goes into them, many complain that they're simply not worth the effort. In his article, Get Rid of the Performance Review, Dr. Samuel Culbert argues that reviews are “little more than a dysfunctional pretense.”  In his assertion, Culbert fails to distinguish that some reviews are better executed than others. But for all of the attention that Culbert's article has received, I would argue that performance reviews are not innately bad. And whether you love them or hate them, they aren’t going anywhere.

The workforce is changing, though, and the archaic processes organizations have relied on for the last two generations simply aren’t cutting it anymore. Just as a company would adjust its business model to meet the demands of a changing market, so too must an organization rise to meet the demands of the newest and youngest crop of faces in the workforce: Generation Y.

The question many HR professionals are asking is: can Gen Y handle the performance review process without a sugar coating and cream filling? (The answer is, “Yes!”) In his article, Trophy Kids: What Goes Around Comes Around, Ira S. Wolfe dubs Gen Y “trophy kids” and argues that managers must “tread lightly when making even the most benign critique.” The implication is that, whether we hit foul balls or home runs over the course of a year, we expect to be applauded and rewarded regardless of how we perform.

I don’t entirely agree with Wolfe’s candid, and sometimes harsh, views of Generation Y, but his article certainly holds some truth worth exploring. Specifically, for organizations interested in helping their Gen Y employees elevate their game, I think it would be worthwhile to understand performance reviews from our perspective.

  1. Make the most of the review. We, like, totally don’t get it… There are too many organizations out there treating performance reviews as little more than a matter of course. Performance reviews are our best chance to get quality face time with leadership and to gain insight into their expectations of us. Share your vision with us, and sell us on it. Generation Y is patently idealistic, and we love to know we’re contributing to something bigger than ourselves. You don’t have to make every review life changing. However, we need to feel like we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Help us see the end result of our compartmentalized functions and you’ll be surprised at how engaged we can become. An engaged Gen Y’er is a happy Gen Y’er.
  2. Lose the cream filling, and challenge us to succeed. We understand the reality behind the glitter and gilt we were promised as kids. The recession affected us, too! In fact, according to a Pew Research Center study released last year, about 37% of Gen Y is unemployed or out of the workforce (the highest percentage in three decades). In the workplace, we appreciate honesty, even if it means getting some tough love. Although we might be surprised when a manager tells us we didn’t perform up to par, don’t write us off as complete dolts. Let’s talk about it, figure out where we went wrong, and come up with a game plan with clear, measurable goals. Take it one step further, and follow up with us throughout the year. Create some accountability. Foster some collaborative effort and we’ll rock your socks off.
  3. Don’t just talk to us – connect with us. We know you have a lot on your plate, and we don’t need you to hold our hands, but regular feedback is invaluable to us. You may have noticed, though, that we communicate through new channels; we’re not big fans of printed memos in triplicate. Do you have an office instant messaging client? If not, get one. Chat is an awesome way to stay connected with your Gen Y employees. Social media tools like Yammer and Chatter offer a great way to collaborate and perform informal check-ins. They also give your team a chance to connect with each other for quick questions and knowledge sharing. Open communication establishes a solid connection to the organization for Gen Y’ers, which is a key ingredient in loyalty and retention. Get some conversation flowing, breathe life into your open door policy, and watch it grow.
  4. Positive reinforcement isn’t a bad thing. Who decided to demonize trophies in the workplace, anyway? Just because we’re not on a football field doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expect to be recognized for stellar performance. I may not be as satisfied with a plastic “gold” medal as I was in middle school, but we all like being rewarded for “crushing it” (as my boss is wont to say). Check out this neat iPhone app, iAppreciate. It’s cool, it’s easy, and it’s free, and those little “Atta boy!” or “You go girl” emails go a long way in keeping us motivated.

We may be asking a lot, but that’s because we’re ready to give you all we’ve got. The line between work and personal life has blurred in recent years, and this is especially true for Gen Y. When we talk about reviewing performance and recognizing a job well done, we’re not talking about ranking systems and shiny pieces of plastic. We’re talking about cultivating ongoing relationships between employers and employees. From a Generation Y perspective, that’s definitely something worth investing in.

Thumbnail image created by Pete Ashton.
 
  • Wally Hauck

    Most performance reviews do not deliver any of the four things you are asking for in your interaction with the boss. The design prevents these four things from happening and to pretend they will because you want them to happen is naive.  How is that for losing the cream filling?

  • Ira Wolfe

     Kyle – thanks for referencing my article about Gen Y and performance reviews.  I appreciate your point of view and I myself don’t necessarily like how many experts recommend managing Gen Y. But real-life does support that many Gen Y do expect to be acknowledged for at least trying to hit a home run even if they consistently hit foul balls.  Likewise a lot of Baby Boomers see a foul ball as failure. Unfortunately if you’re going to swing for the fences you’re going to have a lot of fouls.  And that’s a problem for many companies – they don’t allow or acknowledge that foul balls are learning experiences and from them comes improvement and sometimes even innovation.  So my recommendation to cajole and nurture Gen Y isn’t all bad.  In effect, the high potential Gen Y could be a superstar with some feedback and support.  It won’t kill Boomers to acknowledge and support the trophy kids a little (many of these trophy kids are their own doing anyway!). And Gen Y maybe needs to grow up a bit and realize that every adult is not entitled to win at everything they try.

  • http://www.californiahrrescue.com Kay Diamond, SPHR

    Kyle – I wrote a blog about Dr. Culbert’s article, arguing that the evaluation process is flawed due to 1. abysmal training of supervisors and managers in the art of performance evaluation and 2. forms and processes that do not reward or redirect performance in order to align with company culture and goals.  Your article adds the generational dimension to this issue and is long overdue.  I truly believe that successful organizations will be the ones who rethink their culture and processes to acclimate to the new work force.  These organizations don’t need to tolerate behavior they don’t value BUT they need to rethink the old “buttoned down” culture of organizations built on 1960′s and ’70′s models.

  • Anonymous

    Wally, I couldn’t agree more re: the flawed design of performance reviews. Organizations need to dust off their thinking caps and modernize their process. The standard model used across multiple industries for decades is now obsolete, and misses the mark when it comes to employee engagement.

    By the way, I checked out your blog. You’ve got some great insights. Thanks for checking out my article and joining the conversation.

  • David Lee

    Outstanding article Kyle! A couple of thoughts:

    1) “Don’t Just Talk to Us-Connect with Us” – Another aspect of that which I see missing with many managers is they need to connect more at the human level, rather than just business-role to business-role. Because of that, they don’t engage the hearts of their employees. Because Gen Y employees are more likely to have been raised by parents and other adults who related in a more human-to-human manner, I believe it’s especially important with Gen Y. But…it’s important to do that with all employees if you want them to bond to you, your company, and your mission. I just visited Zappos this week and what a stellar example of a company that connects at the emotional/heart level with employees–and the difference it makes.

    2) I think your post is important for managers to reflect on for ALL their employees. In my article “The Hidden Gift Your Gen Y Employees Are Offering You” I use the Canary in the Coal Mine analogy to illustrate a point I believe escapes many employers:

    “Your Gen Y employees basically want what ALL employees want. It’s just they’re willing to tell you if you’re a lousy employer…either to your face or by leaving.”

    The “Hidden Gift” in that is it’s a whole lot better to get that feedback than to deal with the response that’s more likely present in older generations: they emotionally quit, but stay on for the paycheck. These ROAD Warriors, to use Gallup’s term (Retired on Active Duty) comprise 55% of the workforce according to Gallup’s research.

    So…finding out if you suck as an employer, so you can do something about it, than thinking you’re doing a good job…while only a fraction of your employees are truly engaged.

    Thanks again for a great article Kyle. I’ll be sharing it with my ezine.

  • Anonymous

    Ira – So glad to have you join the conversation! Your article offered some really interesting insights, lots of food for thought. Love the foul ball analogy, and couldn’t agree more. To take it further: Gen Y is up to bat. Boomers can either wait in the outfield to catch our foul ball… or they can coach us from the dugout and use their experience to teach us how to hit homeruns. I think we both know which role would be more productive (and better for a company’s bottom line).

    Favorite fact from your article: Boomers raised us! Funny how that works, right?

  • Graeme Codrington

    I’d add that Gen Y would be comfortable using technology as a key part of the performance review process.

    And that leads to another factor which is the ability – and desirability – of having ongoing, real time assessment of their work.

  • Anita Bruzzese

    Interesting discussion, Kyle. Based on my years as a journalist covering the workplace, I’ve heard the good, the bad and the ugly (definitely the ugly) about performance evaluations. Many of the suggestions you make have been echoed by generations before you, and I am ever hopeful that many companies will begin to see how outdated their current system is. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your generation begins to break through these old rules and fosters a new commitment by managers to foster a culture that values risk-taking and collaboration and seeks to engage through opportunities and mentoring.

  • Paul Smith

    Interesting insights Kyle.

    Although I think that most people are hungry for feedback at their workplaces no matter what age they are. I think this may have been always the case.

    It’s just that at certain ages, priorities and expectations, are different. I think the class of folks who fall under the category of Gen Y, are just as hungry for feedback as Gen X and Baby Boomers, when they were the same age.

    Today it may look different because:
    1) We like to create sociological groups based on when we were born
    2) Technology continues to advance in its expediency
    3) We have a  greater understanding about our brains and our behavioral patterns than we did even 20 years ago.
    4) And we are learning how to express ourselves more efficiently as employees in the workplace.

    Again, it may seem that Gen Y has different needs. But I predict as we advance in the years to come, we will look back at this time and say, “the needs are different because of how old one is, not because of when one was born. The label that was used to describe me was flawed and I’m glad we don’t do that anymore.”

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