Performance and Goals

This section covers how companies set expectations, assess work and act on the results. It includes the main review formats, from the performance appraisal to 360 feedback and its narrower version, 180 feedback, as well as continuous feedback between formal cycles. On the goals side, it explains objectives and key results (OKR) and how goals link company strategy to individual work.

Other terms deal with what happens around reviews: performance improvement plans for employees who fall short of expectations, forced ranking and its drawbacks, reward and recognition, and ideas such as discretionary effort, self-efficacy and performance culture that explain why people do more than the minimum. Read them together if you are designing or reworking a review process: the format, the goals and the follow-up only work when they fit each other.

In Skailer, HR runs review cycles from the org chart in performance reviews and links company, team and personal goals in goals and OKRs.

FAQ

How often should HR run performance reviews?

Many companies run a formal review once or twice a year and add regular check-ins or continuous feedback in between, so the review itself holds no surprises.

What is the difference between 180 and 360 feedback?

180 feedback combines a self-assessment with the manager's review. 360 feedback adds peers, direct reports and sometimes clients for a fuller picture of how someone works with others.

How do OKRs connect to performance reviews?

OKRs set what a team or person aims to achieve in a period. At the review, the manager rates progress on those goals alongside skills and behaviour, so goal-setting and assessment use the same agreed targets.

When should a company use a performance improvement plan?

When an employee is not meeting clear expectations and regular feedback has not helped. A PIP sets specific goals, support and a timeline, and gives both sides a documented, fair process.