Rethinking Performance Reviews: Humanizing the Process All Year Long

It’s performance review season—again. Over the weekend, I caught up with a couple of former colleagues, and their stories were all too familiar. One was burning the midnight oil until 1 AM to finish reviews, while the other was sacrificing personal time to get through her pile. It begs the question: Who’s really reading these? And unless layoffs are on the table, are they truly helping anyone grow?

The current system feels outdated. Performance reviews shouldn’t be the end-all, be-all. A yearly conversation that crams 12 months of work and feedback into one sit-down is unrealistic and exhausting—for both employees and managers.

What if we reimagined performance reviews with more consistent, human touchpoints throughout the year?

Here’s the thing: regular check-ins—quarterly, even monthly—help managers give thoughtful feedback without scrambling to remember every detail. And they give employees an opportunity to reflect, pivot, and grow in real-time, not just once a year when it’s too late.

Here are my tips for year-round performance management:

1. Use 360° Feedback for a Holistic View

Create simple surveys via Google Forms or shared docs to collect feedback from colleagues, clients, or collaborators. This gives you actionable insights with real examples to work from. If your firm has a 360 platform use it for everyone

2. Look for Themes in Work Conversations Always

Emails, chats, and meeting notes offer patterns that AI tools or a simple review can summarize—showing strengths and areas to improve without needing to start from scratch. This is also helpful for every generation in your workforce level set on how you work how you manage and what the company expects to continue to drive out values and visions each quarter without missing deadlines on repeat, for example

3. Incorporate a Growth Wheel

Use a tool like the Wheel of Life (or a simplified version) Or a simple Venn diagram to explore personal and professional development areas. Where are they stuck? Where can they grow? Capture these insights alongside self-assessments to guide future conversations. In my minds at work, Harvard based training, assessing where people cannot let go of old patterns that are no longer serving them illuminates a reason to make shifts in their style

4. Make Space for Self-Reflection and Future Goals

Shift the conversation away from “what happened” to “where do you want to go?” Regular check-ins make space for employees to lead their development with clarity and intention throughout the year.

Humanizing performance reviews means less stress, fewer late nights, and more meaningful development—for everyone involved.