Continuous Feedback: What is it? How does it work? Why use it?
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What is continuous feedback?
Continuous feedback (aka continuous feedback performance model) is a philosophy of giving feedback, to employees, throughout the year.
How does continuous feedback work?
Goal setting. The manager sits down with the employee to establish goals for the year.
Quarterly check-ins. The manager provides feedback on the employee’s strengths, weaknesses, and progress relative to the goals at frequent intervals, typically once a quarter.
End of year documentation and meeting. At the end of the year, there are self and manager evaluations along with a 1:1 meeting to discuss.
Companies may choose to vary from this model by incorporating other elements such as:
Peer (aka 360) reviews
Ad hoc career conversations at a more frequent interval, perhaps even weekly.
Why use continuous feedback?
The continuous feedback contrasts with more traditional performance management (aka annual review) processes that happen, as the name implies, once a year.
By having performance feedback at annual intervals, the feedback is not timely or relevant (aka no longer actionable). Also, managers (and employees) may have difficulty remembering at the annual review what happened earlier in the year. By increasing the frequency of performance discussions, managers and employees have less difficulty with recall.
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