Mid-Year Reviews: How to Make Them Count for Your Organization and People

Has your company decided to switch from an annual performance review to mid-year evaluations?

Are you a manager or employer wondering how to navigate your new mid-year review process successfully?

Or maybe you need help setting everything up?

You have arrived at the right place.

From tips on preparing effectively to techniques for giving meaningful feedback, let's start demystifying this important yet sometimes daunting process.

Before that– did you know turnover reduces by 14.9% with proper feedback? This a perfect reminder of how the mid-year review can be a game changer when done right.

This intensive guide shows you how to approach mid-year reviews best. What you'll have by the end of it is a recipe for continued commitment from every one of your hires.

📈 What is a mid-year review?

A mid-year review is a formal assessment process that takes place around the middle of the year to evaluate: 

• employee performance; 
• progress towards goals; 
• professional development. 

A mid-year review aims to: 

• Create a feedback-sharing ritual.
• Look at employee performance data holistically, allowing everyone involved to understand better how their efforts impact the business's overall success.
• Assess the employee's alignment with the organization's values, culture, and expectations.
• Identify development areas related to behavior, teamwork, or communication (key for your skills gap analysis).
• Recognize employee achievements.
• Set expectations for the remainder of the year: Establish clear expectations for the employee's performance, goals, and development in the second half, ensuring that employees are on track to meet their annual objectives.
• Provide a platform for employees to voice any concerns or challenges they may be facing and work together with their leaders to find solutions or support.
• Facilitate open communication between employees and their managers.

True to its name, it typically takes place in the middle of a business year or financial cycle to allow you to evaluate your organization's stand and provide feedback to stakeholders on how you can improve.

By engaging in regular mid-year reviews, you can lay out a plan for success that ensures continued productivity and encourages all employees to maximize their potential.

👀 Why are mid-year reviews important?

"Businesses evolve and improve from our learning, so looking back is one of the keys to success in so many different ways." Melitta Campbell, Bestselling author and business coach.

Mid-year reviews allow your employees to reflect upon their progress over the year and strategically plan for the remainder of their goals. 

It also gives you an understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and successes so that you can provide resources and support. 

They're also great for looking back to see how a particular employee is doing. 

For example, suppose an employee has been with you for five years. In that case, you'd have ten reviews to look at if you've been conducting mid-reviews all along– making deciding on performance appraisals and promotions easy. 

Notable companies that use biannual performance reviews include Microsoft, Dell Technologies, Apple, Adobe, and Intel Corporation.

If performance reviews become a once-a-year event, any room for improvement you identify has to wait for the following year. 

The result could be that your employees will simply be learning slower, with little feedback to work with. Plus, they might be left to identify developmental goals on their own. 

💡 Share 14 examples of developmental goals and ways to achieve them with your employees.

From an organizational perspective, this state would translate into slower organizational progress. The long-term effect would be a less competitive business overall, with semi-motivated employees at the front of it. 

🪜 5 Steps to enabling mid-year performance reviews

Moving from annual performance reviews to a biannual system is a great way to keep track of progress and allow employees to set goals with shorter realization periods. 

Plus, a biannual review process also alleviates some of the stress associated with a looming annual review.

Here are a few steps we've detailed for more clarity. 

1. Establish performance criteria 

Consider the metrics you will measure for employee performance and improvement. These will serve as markers of progress. 

You'll ensure a fair approach that rewards hard work while holding employees accountable for their shortfalls.

Tip #1: Go through our excellent employee goal-setting guide to kick-start your review process. 

Tip #2: Make it obvious to your people that you take their formal mid-year review seriously and are following up on them.

2. Communicate performance expectations and ensure role clarity

By doing this, you explicitly set a standard that your team members are aware of. 

Role clarity is equally important. You need to align with your people on each team member's responsibilities, tasks, objectives, and critical success measures. 

Both ensure everyone is on the same page and moving forward. Once you've completed these two steps, mid-year performance reviews can take place to evaluate progress and level feedback for improvement effectively.

Tip: Read our articles on the vital elements of measuring performance and our comprehensive list of performance metrics before you hash out your performance expectations this year. 

3. Set goals 

Annual goals help employees prioritize their efforts and determine what metrics they should improve. 

Smaller goals make this more achievable by breaking it down into measurable little boxes your employees can check as they go.  

For example, let's say that a small business wanted to increase its revenue from $1.5 million to $2 million this year. 

Rather than having the goal of increasing revenue, it could set smaller goals throughout the year, such as: 

• Improving the sales process in quarter one. 
• Implementing a marketing plan for quarter two.
• Expanding into new markets for quarter three. 

Similarly, if an employee had the annual goal of increasing customer satisfaction by 10%, one potential strategy would be to set smaller monthly or quarterly goals. 

For example, the employee could decide that to reach their ultimate goal of 10%, they would need to increase customer satisfaction by 2% each month. 

4. Consider using software tools to ease your performance processes

Sending surveys, anonymizing the data and compiling spreadsheets, does it all sound like a huge hussle? Well, it is, and we’ve heard it time and time again from our clients. 

Software tools allow for continuous tracking of progress and goals, with little effort needed after setting up.

They are a comprehensive way to evaluate your workforce's capabilities and spot holes you might have missed while implementing ongoing feedback with a manual system.

5. Collect qualitative data, not just quantitative

Collecting qualitative data is essential for a well-rounded picture of your employee's skills, accomplishments, and potential areas for improvement. Qualitative data reveals your employee's understanding of their work and how they measure up against company performance standards.

While quantitative metrics are crucial to know the revenue generated or customer sales targets met, qualitative data evaluates an employee's critical thinking abilities and problem-solving strategies. 

This combination paints a clear picture of your employee's performance at multiple levels throughout the year rather than the occasional once-a-year snapshot that traditional reviews capture.

💡Preparing for mid-year performance reviews: 10 Tips for managers 

Mid-year performance reviews help manage teams and develop effective working relationships. Our pointers will help you conduct one smoothly.

1. Prepare early 

Analyze previous reviews to give your current results a broader context. A historical review would allow you to recognize successes and easily identify improvement areas.

You will be able to answer questions such as:

• Has this person improved since the last review?
• Have they achieved the goals they set out for themselves?

2. Check in on employee progress toward annual goals

Reviewing performance regularly allows you and your employees to openly discuss successes, challenges, or opportunities that surface throughout the year. 

These conversations also remind employees of role expectations and motivate them to work toward meeting those expectations.

3. Evaluate employee strengths & areas for improvement (But leave space for hearing from the employees themselves)

Mid-year reviews provide an excellent opportunity to assess employee strengths and identify resources they can leverage to create additional value. At the same time, this is an ideal moment to look at areas where employees need more support. 

When preparing for these important discussions, letting employees have their say is essential. 

Encourage them to think about what has gone well in their performance over the past six months and why that was. Then, ask about any changes or behaviors on your part that would help them continue to grow and develop throughout the rest of the year. 

4. Prepare constructive feedback

A mid-review is pointless if you don't provide your employees with actionable ways to improve, a.k.a constructive feedback. 

Tip: We recommend sharing feedback that is evaluative and developmental. 

Evaluative feedback looks at the performance of an employee or team so far. In contrast, developmental feedback focuses on plans for future improvement and growth. 

This combination is helpful for pinpointing opportunities for improvement, tracking progress, and maintaining a positive working relationship. By articulating thoughtfully and with respect, you will provide employees with the tools they need to succeed now and in the future.

5. Prepare some performance review questions and frame a development conversation

Developing specific questions tailored to the organization's goals is an excellent example of being prepared to have an engaging and efficient conversation in your mid-year review.

For example, suppose a particular goal is related to increasing sales performance. In that case, you could ask employees what strategies they have used in their role that have helped improve lead conversion rates or close more deals. 

As a second example, suppose a team aims to increase customer satisfaction scores for services delivered. In that case, ask about any changes in processes or workflows that have positively impacted customer experience. 

6. Create a meeting agenda (and share it) 

Create a meeting agenda that discusses:

• clear expectations for performance improvement;
• successes and challenges from the prior six months;
• ideas for meaningful professional development opportunities. 

Share the agenda beforehand to ensure everyone involved comes to the meeting prepared. 

By taking these extra steps in advance, mid-year reviews become a valuable tool for growth – instead of just a necessary formality.

7. Ask your employee what support they need from you 

Additional support could include an opportunity to discuss their progress over the past six months or clarify any performance goals they may need assistance on. 

8. Discuss whether you need to review the goals 

Clear, meaningful goals can provide a basis against which you can measure performance and employee progress. Therefore, it's essential to reassess your goals at periodic intervals to make sure they're still relevant, challenging, and achievable in the short term.

Taking the time to adjust goals ensures that: 

• The objectives remain realistic. 
• You can identify any obstacles before they become major issues and course correct.

Tip: Reviewing goals doesn't have to be done solely in preparation for a formal review.

Instead, it should become an ongoing process throughout the year to help your people focus on achieving long-term successes and completing day-to-day tasks.

9. (If necessary) Create a performance improvement plan

It helps employees stay organized and motivated throughout the year so that there are no surprises come review time. 

To make an effective plan, include specific goals or objectives that need to be achieved on or before a specified deadline. 

Identify both learning and personal development opportunities that can help ensure success. 

Employees should also develop methods of tracking progress and measuring success to stay on track and learn from mistakes – setting themselves up for optimum performance during mid-year reviews.

10. Decide on check-in meetings to follow up after the review 

Regular check-in meetings allow you to stay connected to your team and open a two-way avenue of communication that lets employees ask questions, discuss progress, and provide feedback. 

Check-ins should be scheduled at least every quarter to allow for updates on goals and expectations and to recognize any achievements or successes since the last meeting. 

A commitment to doing this will ensure that your employees feel supported in reaching their professional objectives, ultimately making the mid-year review process smoother and more informative.

📝 Mid-year performance review template

With our Mid-year performance review template, your people managers will streamline the performance review process and reduce the amount of manual work involved.

Use all the time you saved from the admin tasks to focus on other strategic tasks, such as creating resources enabling your employees to nail their performance targets.

Our template includes the following:

• agreements from the previous performance review;
• notes on overall performance;
• employee strengths;
• areas for improvement;
• questions to ask the employee during the mid-year performance review meeting;
• Looking ahead: goals for the rest of the following review period;
• A list of action items the employee needs to complete before the next review period;
• follow-up timeline.

👀 Mid-year performance review example

Title: Mid-Year Performance Review

🗓 Date: January 5, 2023

🧑‍💼 Employee name: Julia Christensen

💼 Position: Marketing Manager

📅 Review period: July 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022

📒 Agreements from the previous performance review:

• Set up a weekly check-in with team members: Jane has implemented weekly check-ins, which have helped improve team communication and collaboration.
• Complete microlearning course on leadership: Jane has made progress on this activity, completing several microlessons. She has also implemented several new leadership techniques, which have helped to improve her team's performance.

🔍 Overall performance

During the review period, Jane has consistently demonstrated strong leadership skills and has effectively managed the marketing team. 

She has successfully launched several campaigns, increasing sales and brand awareness. 

However, there have been some instances where Jane has struggled to meet deadlines, which has harmed the team's workflow.

🌟 Employee strengths

• Strong leadership skills
• Effective team management
• Successful campaign launches

📈 Areas for improvement

• Meeting deadlines
• Time management

❓Questions to ask Julia during the mid-year performance review meeting

• What are your goals for the rest of the year?
• What challenges have you faced during the review period, and how have you overcome them?
• Is there anything you would like to discuss or share with me during this meeting?

🎯 Suggested goals for the next review period (to be discussed with Julia during the meeting)

• Improve timeliness by setting and sticking to a weekly schedule.
• Develop a system for tracking and prioritizing tasks.
• Lead the team in developing and launching three new marketing campaigns.

✅ Proposed action items (to be agreed upon with Julia during the meeting)

• Review time management techniques with a fellow manager in the department.
• Continue the weekly check-in with team members to track progress on tasks and campaigns.
• Attend a time management workshop.
• Participate in 3 social learning sessions with fellow new managers focused on team performance and meeting deadlines.

🧭 Follow-up timeline

• Monthly check-ins: Julia and her manager will schedule a monthly check-in to discuss progress on goals, action items, and any challenges or concerns.
• Additional check-ins as needed: Julia and her manager may schedule subsequent check-ins to discuss progress on specific goals or action items.

Concluding remarks: Future outlook

Overall, Julia has made positive contributions to the marketing team and shown strong leadership skills. 

She will continue to lead the team effectively and drive successful campaigns by improving her timeliness and time management.

❓ 10 Questions managers should ask in a mid-year performance review

When preparing for these crucial conversations, managers should consider asking questions that expand on key behaviors, growth, opportunities, and purpose. 

Typical areas of discussion might include:

• goals and expectations met or exceeded over the past six months;
• next steps needed to reach long-term objectives;
• obstacles encountered and how the employee addressed them;
• necessary skills that the employee should develop going forward.

Here are some sample questions for your mid-year performance reviews:

• What have you enjoyed most about your role during the review period?
• What are some areas where you feel you have excelled?
• What are some areas where you could improve?
• What skills would you benefit from developing further? 
• What progress have you made against your goals since our last meeting? 
• What are your goals for the rest of the year?
• What challenges have you faced during the review period, and how have you overcome them?
• Is there anything you would like to discuss or share with me during this meeting?
• What areas do you need help with? 
• How can I support you? 

💻 How should you go about mid-year reviews with virtual employees?

When forming your mid-year review steps for virtual employees, consider asynchronous approaches that allow for thoughtful responses without placing too strict a timeline. 

The mid-year review is an important part of any employee's development process. But the switch to primarily virtual work environments might make Here are some practical tips for running meaningful mid-year reviews in virtual settings.

Allocate enough time for the review 

Mid-year reviews with virtual employees often require more time than in-person reviews, especially if communication occurs over video conferences. Therefore, blocking off enough time for a thorough conversation is essential. 

Making sure there's enough allocated time will allow you to focus on the review without interruption.

Prepare in advance to ensure the review will run smoothly

There are three steps to this:

1. Develop a checklist of items the review addresses (e.g., KPIs, action items on the development plan, etc.). 
2. Communicate expectations ahead of time.
3. Establishing a timeline to complete the review.

Investing in these efforts in advance can help ease some of the pressure and ensure the process runs smoothly when the day finally arrives.

Encourage open communication

Communication can be challenging for virtual employees, who cannot just drop in to chat with their supervisors.

Take the time for frequent check-ins to help understand what is going on in the lives of your virtual employees and how that may be affecting their work performance. 

Doing this can help you engage with your virtual employees, leaving everyone feeling part of a united team.

Be calm while guiding the conversation in an open and positive environment; emphasizing progress over criticism helps everyone stay on track. End on a note of motivation by giving your staff tangible goals for the rest of the year. 

➡️ Drive high performance in your workplace with Zavvy

Our 360 performance review software allows you to create efficient, secure, and organized processes for performance reviews that lead to meaningful insights and employee growth. 

Rather than examining each document, comment and review separately, our software organizes everything into one succinct and user-friendly interface, allowing you to identify insights relevant to your workflow and performance quickly.

You'll be able to translate this data into better strategic planning and address any employee challenges with our training or development solutions. 

Book a demo now.