You may already be familiar with the concept of an annual review from experience working in an office or another professional career. If you are not, an annual performance review is just what it sounds like: an annually recurring review of an employee’s performance in their household staff position over the past year. Even if your staff is relatively small or does not work full-time hours, a yearly review of their job performance, duties, and other details can be incredibly helpful for both you and your employees.

How Do I Give an Employee Review?

You are the employer, which means your employees’ annual employee performance reviews can be structured however you wish. If you have never given one before, however, you might start with a basic structure used by other employers and managers. It is very common to use the “sandwich” method of discussion, starting with praise, moving into areas for improvement, and then finishing with more praise and positivity.

Make sure you give your employees a fair opportunity to speak, ask questions, and openly share their responses to your feedback. The idea is to work together in an honest way for the best possible results going forward. If your employees do not feel comfortable sharing with you, you may miss out on important insights.

Be sure to schedule annual reviews consistently and reliably, as close to a year apart as possible. Give yourself and your staff sufficient time to discuss everything on the agenda, and give everyone an equal amount of time for their review, even if some staff members have more significant roles than others. You may not need the entire time for the review, but it is best to show that everyone will have an equal opportunity to talk with you.

The Benefits of Annual Performance Reviews for Private Household Staff

By checking in with your employees and conducting staff performance management once a year, you give everyone a unique opportunity to have the important discussions that have fallen to the wayside over the past 12 months of daily happenings. The following are five notable reasons why these reviews are so important for you and your household staff.

They Allow You to Offer Valuable Constructive Feedback and Give Praise Freely

Feedback is not always easy to give, especially when it comes to ways in which your household employees can improve. If you struggle to find the right time to bring up your thoughts or address challenges your staff seems to be facing, an employee performance review can be the perfect place to have those sometimes difficult conversations.

In a review of employee performance, you can take your time to lay out where you think an employee can improve without it coming across as harsh or unprompted. With good feedback, your staff members will know what to work on and can do an even better job in the coming year.

Reviews also give you a natural chance to give credit where credit is due. Do not be afraid to sing their praises where they have earned them—this is exactly the time when you want to tell them just how much you have appreciated their good work. Although you should always offer words of thanks throughout the year, a review is the perfect time to show your gratitude with a special reward or a raise, should you see fit.

Reviews Give Employees a Safe, Comfortable Opportunity to Share Their Thoughts

Just as it can be difficult for you to find the right time to bring up your concerns regarding employees’ work, your household staff members might struggle to find an appropriate time to bring up their thoughts about any issues they may be having with the job, other employees, your management, or more. In the context of an annual staff performance review, employees should feel safe to share their thoughts and opinions with you.

While it might be difficult to hear certain things, it is important to hear them out and show that you are really listening to their concerns. Not only is their feedback just as valuable as yours, but it is also a sign that you respect and appreciate their ideas. Without such an opportunity, your staff may feel that they are going unheard.

Create Structure and Accountability in a Way Employees Can Anticipate

Having a scheduled annual performance review gives both you and the employee the chance to celebrate victories and discuss any concerns at a scheduled time you can both expect and plan for. By having a date and time set for the review, you can exchange feedback in a structured session where everyone is prepared.

An annual review also lets your employees know that they can expect to be evaluated on a regularly scheduled basis. They will not have to worry about constant micro-managing, but know they will be held accountable for their work when review time comes around.

They Support Healthy Working and Personal Relationships

In many ways, an annual employee review is like a constructive conversation. Despite the fact it is a much more professional and structured interaction, a review is still a great opportunity to catch up with each employee individually and talk about how things are going. This allows you to strengthen the personal bond you have with your employees without weakening your professional relationship.

By having a scheduled time to discuss concerns, suggest changes and “air grievances,” so to speak, it relieves workplace tension and makes it clear that any critiques are purely professional and not personal attacks.

Review Time Is a Natural Time to Discuss any Home Changes or Improvements Going Forward

Annual reviews can serve as a reference point around which you schedule any major changes to be implemented. This is the perfect time to introduce any new duties you want your staff to take on, discuss major changes to the family schedule, or redistribute various responsibilities among your employees. With employee reviews as a sort of mile marker, you can neatly wrap up the previous year of work and smoothly transition into changes and improvements for the next year.

Similarly, you might use the information you gain from employee reviews to determine whether or not you need to make major changes in duties or staff members. If staff members express concerns that they are taking on too many duties, perhaps it is time to consider hiring more staff. If you do end up hiring additional employees as a result, you will have plenty of time to see them in action before the next round of reviews comes around!

How Do Performance Reviews Benefit Employees?

Performance reviews benefit employees by improving communication between the employees and you. Not only do they open the lines of communication, but they provide regular encouragement to communicate and present the opportunity for employees to improve their communication skills.

A staff performance evaluation that includes the identification and praising of an employee’s strengths will motivate them to continue the good job they are doing and overcome areas of difficulty.

What Makes a Good Performance Review?

The way in which information is delivered is key to writing a good performance review. Find examples of quality performance review phrases that frame your points in a way that illustrates their importance to and impact on the team.

For example, if addressing an employee’s punctuality, you may comment that this is noticed and appreciated, and they are setting a strong and positive example for the team.

When addressing weaker points such as multiple absences, your comment could include that these absences have been noticed, are causing scheduling conflicts, and are having an impact on team productivity.

Another way to create a good performance review is to ask open-ended questions. This gives an opportunity for the employee to provide thoughtful, honest answers, and it allows them to lead the conversation. Asking the employee what has and has not gone well for them since the last review is a good start.

Finally, providing clear objectives for staff to achieve will give them a goal to work toward.

What Length of Time Is Ideal for Employees to Implement Changes?

When providing objectives, it is important to allow your employees sufficient time to achieve them. Typically, the time between the current and next review is fair, as long as this time period is sufficient for the employee to reasonably achieve each objective.

Find Skilled, Pre-Screened Candidates for Private Household Staff at Staffing at Tiffanie’s

When it comes to hiring household employees, finding qualified, trustworthy individuals with relevant experience is—probably more than—half the battle. That is why we at Staffing at Tiffanie’s do all of the searching, interviewing, and background screenings for you. All of the candidates we provide are fully vetted by our Household Staff Agency before we send them to you for interviewing. All you have to do is determine which candidate is the best fit for your needs.

If you are interested in hiring a family assistant, live-in nanny, butler, estate manager, or another household staff member, call our Private Household Staff Agency today at (866) 206-3750. We will match you with top-quality candidates for all your home and family needs, plus help you manage your new hires with complete employment packages and ongoing client support.