You may already be familiar with the concept of an annual review from experience working in an office or another professional career. If you aren’t, an annual performance review is just what it sounds like: an annually recurring review of a household staff member’s performance over the past year of work. 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’re the boss, which means your employees’ annual reviews can be structured however you wish. If you’ve never given one before, however, you might start with a basic structure used by other employers and managers. It’s very common to use the “sandwich” method of discussion, starting with praise, moving into areas for improvement, 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 don’t 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’s 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 reviewing their job performance 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 isn’t 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 annual review can be the perfect place to have those sometimes difficult conversations.

In a review, 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. Don’t be afraid to sing their praises where they’ve earned them—this is exactly the time when you want to tell them just how much you’ve 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.

They 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 about 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, etc. In the context of an annual review, employees should feel absolutely safe to share their thoughts and opinions with you.

While it might be difficult to hear certain things, it’s 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’s also a sign that you respect and appreciate their ideas. Without such an opportunity, your staff may feel that they are going unheard.

They 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 and things won’t escalate into an argument.

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

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’s time to consider hiring more staff. If you do end up hiring additional employees as a result, you’ll have plenty of time to see them in action before the next round of reviews comes around!

They Support Healthy Working and Personal Relationships

In many ways, an annual employee review is like a good conversation with a friend. Despite the fact that it’s 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 problems, suggest changes and “air grievances,” so to speak, it relieves workplace tension and makes it clear that any critiques are purely professional and are not personal attacks.

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’s why we at Staffing at Tiffanie’s do all of the searching, interviewing, and background checking for you! All of the candidates we provide are fully vetted by our team 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’re interested in hiring a family assistant, live-in nanny, butler, estate manager, or another household staff member, call us today at (866) 484-5550. We’ll connect 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.