Annual reviews have a bad reputation — and honestly, it may be earned.
Annual reviews are often broken. Not because the concept is flawed, but because the way they’re typically designed and delivered is outdated, performative, and inequitable. Most people don’t look forward to them. Staff feel anxious. Managers feel rushed. The format invites subjectivity, and the whole thing becomes a ritual no one really believes in, but everyone is expected to complete it.
In this moment, when organizations are being called to lead with greater equity, clarity, and care, reviews are a critical opportunity to realign values with practice and reinvest in people’s growth.
So, should we still be doing annual reviews? Yes – but only if we’re willing to completely rethink how we do them.
When They’re Done Right, They Can Be Helpful
At TSNE, we still conduct annual reviews. Not because we love forms or tradition, but because when done with intention and care, they offer a structured moment to zoom out, reflect on the full picture, and realign.
When done right, they give us space to:
- Look at the full year, not just what happened last week or last month
- Name growth that might have gone unnoticed
- Document challenges and achievements across time and not just in isolated moments
- Reconnect day-to-day work with purpose and long-term goals
But here’s the truth: if this is the only time people hear real feedback, we’ve missed the mark. The review isn’t the goal. It’s just one tool. And tools only work when they’re used with skill, consistency, and context.
The Real Problem? It’s What Happens the Rest of the Year
When feedback only happens once a year, it opens the door to confusion, bias, and inequity because access to feedback isn’t equal. Some folks get coaching and affirmation often. Others get the annual review and little else. That’s not just poor management; that’s a systems issue. And it shows up in morale, retention, and trust.
How Do We Make Annual Reviews Work?
1. Fix the Foundation
Start by asking:
- Are job descriptions up to date and relevant?
- Are you evaluating impact (not just output) and alignment with values?
- Do you have organizational competencies as tools for evaluating?
- Is your framework equity-centered, with space to name and address bias?
- Are managers trained to recognize bias and give meaningful, consistent feedback?
- Are regular check-ins already happening?
If you answered no to these – pause. Don’t move forward with reviews until you’ve built the structure to support them. Otherwise, the review doesn’t measure performance. It just reproduces existing power dynamics.
To help, I’ve included a downloadable resource: 5 Essential Elements to Develop Meaningful and Equitable Annual Reviews
2. Stop Using Reviews as the First Conversation
If someone walks into a review without knowing how they’re doing, it’s not their fault. That’s on leadership. One or a few conversations a year isn’t feedback, it’s neglect. Build a culture where people hear where they stand — clearly, respectfully, and often.
3. Focus on the Whole Person
Performance is more than task completion. Are you paying attention to how someone:
- Supports their team?
- Shows up with care?
- Pushes for equity?
- Adapts during hard moments?
These things matter. And they’re often left out of traditional review models.
4. Make It a Dialogue, Not a Download
Performance reviews shouldn’t feel like a verdict. Invite reflection.
Start with an employee self-review. Let their voice be one key data point for your final assessment. Ask what felt hard, what support didn’t land, what helped them grow. Treat it as a two-way check-in.
5. Root It in Your Values
If your organization values equity, transparency, and growth, your review process should reflect that. Ask yourself:
- Are you holding people to consistent expectations across roles and teams?
- Are you honoring emotional labor and advocacy?
- Are you creating space for real feedback and accountability in every direction?
If not, you’re not evaluating performance; you’re reinforcing bias.
Final Thoughts
People don’t grow from paperwork. They grow through relationships. Through honest, ongoing dialogue. Through systems that reflect what we say and what we believe.
If we’re going to keep doing annual reviews, we need to make them count. Not as a checkbox. But as a moment to show people they’re seen, supported, and invested in.
That’s what leadership looks like. And that’s what our people deserve.