Delivering the Performance Review

First, as tempting as it may be sometimes, a formal performance review should never be delivered in any format that isn’t some kind of face-to-face discussion. If possible, opt for an in-person meeting, but if you’re in charge of a remote team, then a video-conference face-to-face (cameras on, on both sides) is the minimum level required. You want, and need, to be able to see your employee’s reaction during the entirety of the review. And, similarly, they need to be able to feel like you are focused entirely on them during this discussion—close your office door, set your online status to “Busy,” put your phone on silent (and in the desk drawer), whatever else you need to do to ensure as best you can that you will not be distracted during this conversation.

The Emailed Review: Sending a performance review through email is, in my opinion, simply cowardice on the part of the manager. It’s almost guaranteed to wreck any sort of psychological safety between that manager and the team. Yes, delivering a less-than-positive review is awkward and difficult, but this is part of the job—if you’re not comfortable telling somebody to their face that they aren’t meeting your expectations, then you really need to rethink whether you are cut out to be a manager. (Conversely, if you’re looking forward to delivering that less-than-positive review, you may want to rethink the job, but for different reasons.) Note that sending the review in email during the meeting, or after the meeting, as a form of record-keeping, is ...