We may not want to admit it, but we are all biased
Some common performance review biases:
RECENCY: Managers focus on the most recent time period instead of the total time period.
Prevention: Collect employee feedback at different times throughout the year to have more frequent data points.
PRIMACY: Managers emphasize information learned early on over information encountered later.
Prevention: Collect feedback from multiple points in time to ensure first impressions aren’t weighted too heavily.
HALO/HORN: Managers allow 1 good or 1 bad trait to overshadow an employee’s other traits.
Prevention: Evaluate performance on multiple dimensions instead of leaving it open to interpretation.
CENTRALITY: Managers place employees in the middle of a rating scale because most managers don’t like being extreme & trend moderate in their employee reviews.
Prevention: Perhaps eliminate the neutral option from the rating scale, such as switching from a 5-point scale to a 4-point scale. This way, managers must choose one direction or the other.
LENIENCY: Managers give employees favorable ratings when they have noticeable room for improvement which makes it challenging to distinguish who the top-performing employees are.
Prevention: Perhaps use a rating scale that reflects the way managers talk & think about their employees. For example, Below Average, Slightly Below Average, Average, Slightly Above Average & Above Average.
SIMILAR-TO-ME: Managers rate employees who have similar interests, skill & backgrounds higher because we tend to like people who are just like us. This type of bias can make an organization feel less inclusive.
Prevention: Provide specific reasoning behind each parameter so performance reviews are evidence backed & objective.
IDIOSYNCRACTIC RATER: Managers rate employees higher on skills they are not experts in (computer programming) because they are not familiar with the standards for performance, or managers rate employees lower on skills that they excel in (project management) due to their higher standards.
Prevention: Consider an employee’s performance from your team’s perspective.
GENDER: Managers tend to give male employees feedback based on their performance & female employees feedback based on their personalities.
Prevention: Use structured criteria for feedback
RU Ready to learn more about how to avoid performance review biases? R U Ready To Achieve can help – reach out today!
