Performance Management
Build the review as the year unfolds.
Employee-led check-ins augment the once-a-year review and build the appraisal record month by month, so year-end conversations start from a full picture.
Appraisal record, one employee
Example year
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Jan
Goals set against a clear role profile
Mar
Check-in: progress, roadblocks, support needed
Jun
360 feedback and coaching plan added
Dec
Year-end appraisal drafted from the record
Planning
Monitoring
Developing
Evaluating
The problem with once a year
A single annual review asks managers to recall twelve months in one sitting.
Recent events crowd out earlier wins. Feedback arrives too late to act on. Employees hear about expectations at the end of the year instead of the start. Regular check-ins fix the timing, and they also give the annual review something solid to stand on.
Annual review only
With employee-led check-ins
Record
Written from memory in December
Record
Built from entries made all year
Ownership
Manager carries the paperwork
Ownership
Employee leads, manager coaches
Feedback
Delivered after the fact
Feedback
Delivered while it can still change the outcome
Year-end
A surprise for one side or both
Year-end
A summary of conversations already held
What we solve for
Four stages of performance, connected across the year.
Each stage feeds the next. Goals shape the check-ins, check-ins shape coaching, and all of it informs a fair, structured appraisal.
1
→
Planning
Set goals and expectations people can act on, grounded in clear job roles so everyone knows what good looks like in their position.
Built on
STYR job roles
Goals
Expectations
2
→
Monitoring
Regular, employee-led check-ins track progress through the year. Each one adds to the record that becomes the yearly review.
Built on
Check-ins
Progress notes
3
→
Developing
Managers are equipped to give regular coaching, feedback, and training, informed by what the data shows about each person.
Built on
Talent data
BrainsFirst results
360 feedback
4
Evaluating and rewarding
Structured yearly appraisals draw on a full year of evidence, with 360 feedback for perspective and recognition tools to reward results.
Built on
Yearly appraisal
360 feedback
Recognition
Employee-owned performance
The employee leads the check-in. The manager coaches.
When employees reflect on their own goals and progress, check-ins stop feeling like paperwork. Managers spend their time on the conversation, and the appraisal record fills in as a natural result.
Employee
Reflects on goals and progress
Shares what is going well, where they are stuck, and what support would help.
Manager
Responds with coaching and feedback
Uses the employee’s input, plus talent and 360 insights, to guide a focused conversation.
Together
The entry joins the appraisal record
Every check-in becomes part of the year’s history, ready when the formal review comes around.
Coaching with real insight
Managers know what their team thinks. Now they can see who their team is.
Development conversations are stronger when they start from evidence about each person’s natural drives, potential, and how others experience their work.
Talents and drives
TMA Talent Analysis
Shows what energizes each person and where their natural strengths lie, so coaching builds on how they prefer to work.
22
drives
44
talents
~30
minutes
Cognitive potential
BrainsFirst results
Adds a view of each person’s cognitive potential, helping managers shape development and training that fit the individual.
Potential
alongside performance
Displayed behavior
360-degree feedback
Brings in perspective from peers, direct reports, and managers, with confidentiality built in, to inform coaching and the yearly appraisal.
80
competencies
320
mapped behaviors
Start where you are
Mix and match what your organization needs.
Begin with check-ins alongside your current review process, then add 360 feedback, talent assessments, or job architecture as your approach matures.
Foundation
Check-ins and reviews
Employee-led check-ins that build toward a structured yearly appraisal.
Add-on
360-degree feedback
Multi-rater perspective for development and evaluation.
Add-on
Talent assessment
Drives, talents, and cognitive potential to guide coaching.
Add-on
STYR job architecture
Clear job roles that anchor goals and expectations.
Make performance a conversation that runs all year.
Talk with our team about adding employee-led check-ins to your current review process, and how talent data and 360 feedback can support your managers.