You may have your employee evaluation process carefully planned out, and you may be making excellent use of performance evaluation software (like emPerform) to keep employee goals and performance metrics on track. But without proper execution and follow up, your employees may not be walking away with all the tools they need for success. Are you making any of these common evaluation mistakes or skipping these steps during and after your review cycle? If so, your process might benefit from a closer look.

Here are some common mistakes evaluators make when conducting performance review meetings:

1. Ignoring self-evaluations. After your employees have gone to the trouble of completing self- evaluations, don’t just ignore this information during your meetings. Review the results carefully beforehand and use them to guide your conversation with each employee regarding current work assessment, areas in need of improvement, and future goals.

2. Not listening. The review process provides managers with a moment to tactfully discuss failed projects and performance shortcomings. But don’t become so focused coaching and correction that you close down two-way communication channels. Listen carefully and try to understand what your employees need from you and how your own performance can help them become more productive.

3. Failing to follow up. Most evaluators develop a long term follow up plan with the best of intentions. But if you fail to check in with your employees during scheduled weekly or monthly follow up sessions, this sends the message that a) the goals that seemed so important during the meeting don’t actually matter very much in practice, and b) when it comes to resolving issues and correcting shortcomings, your employees are essentially on their own. Don’t let either of these messages override the content of your formal employee evaluation. Keep the coaching and attention of the review cycle active all year, and your employees will be more likely to take action and initiate meaningful change.

If you would like to access other great talent management tips and tricks, be sure to visit our library of archived webinars or collection of Take 10 Videos.