According to the Workmonitor Survey released by Randstad Singapore earlier this year, employees value real-time feedback as it gives them a clearer understanding of what they need to achieve and how to do it. Some employees still feel that these sessions are used by their managers to give feedback on their performance and often do not know how to react to it.
- 80% said that they are able to have an open conversation with their managers during performance reviews.
- 15% of respondents were never asked for feedback during their performance appraisals.
- 60% said that they value their employer’s feedback because it helps them get a clearer understanding of what they need to do to achieve their next career milestone.
The survey was conducted with more than 400 locally based employees across key industries in Singapore.
According to 47% of the Survey respondents, performance reviews are only conducted once a year. More than 87% said that their work performance is still being graded against a potential perfect score, which is unattainable. As the working environment changes and working relationships become less formal, it is important to understand how the perception of performance reviews has changed and how feedback is being used today.
Instant feedback most valued by employees
Real-time feedback is finding its way into today’s offices. It gives employees a chance to ask for new growth opportunities, or raise any burning issues before it is too late. In Singapore, 49% of employers have adopted the use of real-time feedback to monitor work productivity and to help staff improve.
More than 7 in 10 respondents said that they feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback to their managers. 73% said that they work in an open environment where feedback can be shared between staff, including their managers, at any time. Despite working in an environment where real-time feedback is encouraged, 88% of respondents still feel that performance reviews are sessions that are purely used by the manager to give employees one-way feedback. In fact, 15% of respondents felt that they do not have the opportunity to speak out about their career aspirations or concerns at work.
| The Survey revealed feedback was delivered in the following format | |
| face-to-face | 55% |
| online survey | 16% |
| in writing on paper | 12% |
| employees are not asked for feedback | 15% |
| others | 2% |
Feedback helps collaboration, but employees do not know how to react
Employees have mixed emotions towards both real-time feedback and scheduled job performance reviews. Feedback was seen as positive in some areas:
- 60% said it helps them gain a clearer understanding of what they need to achieve and how to do it.
- 49% said it encourages more open communication
- 45% said it helps them learn and develop
However, feedback sessions were negatively regarded for other reasons:
- 32% said they feel vulnerable
- 29% said they do not know how to react
- 26% said they feel uncomfortable
The feedback that is shared between colleagues does not always need to highlight areas of improvement; it can also be used to recognise someone on the team for a job well done. The balance between sharing positive and negative feedback helps point the employees in the right direction toward growth, motivate them to be more productive and collaborative, and promote employee loyalty.
The Survey showed that only around half of employers organise training on how to give and receive feedback. It is important for organisations to ensure its entire workforce knows how to share and receive constructive feedback professionally and effectively so that managers and employees can have a more meaningful and productive conversation. It is also the manager’s responsibility to empower their employees to comment on the challenges they face at work and suggest the type of support that they will need.
Annual performance reviews still a norm in Singapore
Globally, 32 % of respondents said that their managers review their performance only once a year. In Singapore, 47% of respondents said that they still have regular annual performance reviews.
| How often are performance reviews conducted? | |
| yearly | 47% |
| half-yearly | 19% |
| quarterly | 15% |
| monthly | 8% |
| weekly | 3% |
| never | 8% |
‘Great Conversations’ introduced to promote open conversations in Randstad
The annual graded performance reviews at Randstad were fully replaced by ‘Great Conversations’ in 2018. Under the new practice, managers and employees engage in an open discussion to share and receive feedback on their work performance, as well as discuss opportunities for growth and the kind of support they hope to have. To facilitate these conversations, Randstad organises training sessions for all of its employees so that they feel more comfortable and confident with receiving and giving feedback to each other.
Jos Schut, Global Chief Human Resource Officer at Randstad said, “We moved from the traditional backwards-looking appraisal process to a future-oriented process using real-time feedback to make the conversations meaningful, aspirational and progress-focussed. This new approach made sure all of our employees have the opportunity to provide and receive frequent feedback to improve their performance, something the traditional appraisal process didn't offer.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
