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Traditional performance reviews take place behind closed doors, largely between workers and their direct managers. But one company, Garner Health, decided to not only allow coworkers to write each other’s reviews—they also make them public for everyone in the company to see.
“Call it radical candor with high standards,” Valentina Gissin, chief people officer of the 300-person health tech company, tells UnHerd. The goal, she says, is to create a workplace culture that thrives on accountability. “We want to create the conditions for people to do the best work of their lives and a big part of that is this notion of courageous communication.”
Employees who participate choose who they want to review their work, and that list is approved by their manager to avoid selection bias. In addition to that, employees are able to write feedback for anyone they choose, including upper-level managers and senior leaders, as long as the reviewee has been at the company for at least a few months. Gissin and her team read everything to make sure it is appropriate, but they have yet to censor a submission. The reviews are then posted internally so that anyone can look through them at any time.
“The net effect is that because we have this culture year round, we both select for and train people to understand that constructive feedback isn’t personal, it’s not painting you in a negative light,” says Gissin. “It is a core part of how we get better as individuals and as a team.”
Not everyone agrees that this method is productive. Even Gissin says the feedback can be shocking. A junior colleague once accused her of “wielding influence carelessly.” Gissin reached out to the employee to have a conversation about that concern, and after some self reflection realized that at times she had talked people into taking “stretch opportunities” she thought would be good for them, but that they weren’t particularly interested in.
“I’ve worked my whole career to cultivate the people on my team so that they feel comfortable giving me that kind of feedback, and, as a result, they know that it’s their responsibility to call things out right away when they see them, without fear.”
You can read more about Garner’s performance review process here.
Brit Morse
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
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JPMorgan Chase is changing the language of its DEI programs, removing the word “equity” and replacing it with “opportunity.” Reuters
Watercooler
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