How to use performance reviews to drive career growth

This article originally appeared in SumTotal Systems blog.

Are your performance reviews and development initiatives siloed? It's time to integrate these processes to close skills gaps, drive employee growth and ensure a future-fit workforce.

If your employee is newer to the company or their role, a performance review can be a great time to continue setting them up for success or combat struggles.

If employees are having difficulty seeing the value of upskilling to improve in their current role, they may be more resistant. Discussing ways to upskill during a performance review can make the meaning of it much more straightforward.

Establishing a learning culture in your company by using performance reviews as a check-in point will make your employees feel cared for and engaged. And, while it isn’t a certainty, a person who masters a current role usually feels prepared when another option presents itself.

According to SHRM, internal mobility has increased by 20% due to COVID-19.

That’s not to say that those who have the potential to rise into a new role will be ready right away. But there’s no better time to talk about what an employee needs to do to get a promotion than performance reviews.

A performance review is an excellent time to review an employee’s options for their next career move. Ensure you discuss growth opportunities for employees within their current department or team and within other departments.

Employees value having options for internal mobility, and internal hiring also positively affects employee tenure. According to LinkedIn, employee tenure is 41% longer at companies with high internal hiring than at those with lower internal hiring.

Of course, internal mobility isn't always possible. For certain roles, you may need to hire from outside. When looking for candidates, you may not find someone who checks 100% of the boxes. Sure, it would be wonderful to find that person. But in a world where talent shortages are a constant reality, human resources professionals need to consider an employee's long-term growth potential.

Use interviews as a time to gauge upskilling interest from candidates so they have growth opportunities from day one. This also signals to job candidates that you value their career progression.

If you would like to fast-track the overall learning rate in your workplace community, consider implementing a system capable of 360 feedback. Three hundred sixty feedback results in increased performance through more robust engagement, improved workplace culture and better analytics. Plus, you don’t have to wait until an arbitrary date to access skills and areas of lack.