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Effective and timely feedback during the performance appraisal period addressing employee performance on elements and standards is an essential component of a successful performance management program. Employees need to know in a timely manner how well they are performing. They need to be informed what they are doing well and if there are areas needing improvement. Feedback can come from many different sources: observation by managers and rating officials, measurement systems, feedback from peers, and input from customers, just to name a few. It will be up to rating officials to determine how best to gather the information, and from which sources, to

ensure an effective rating of the employees under their supervision.

When providing feedback, the following concepts should be kept in mind:

• Feedback works best when it relates to a specific goal, such as those established in the employees performance plan. Basing feedback on the employees performance against the elements and standards is critical to providing tangible, objective, and powerful feedback. Telling an employee that he/she is doing well because she exceeded her goal by ten (10) percent, for example, is more effective than simply saying, you're doing a good job.
• Employees should receive information about how they are doing in as timely a fashion as possible. If performance improvement is required, the sooner the employee is advised of the deficiency, the sooner he/she can take steps to correct the problem. Conversely, if a goal has been exceeded, the sooner the employee receives positive feedback, the greater the impact and sense of appreciation for the achievement.
• Feedback should be provided in a manner that will best help performance. This is not to say that feedback should be exaggerated or under-stated. On the contrary, feedback should be accurate, factual, and complete to most effectively reinforce what the employee has done well, and what the employee needs to do to improve his/her performance.

Part of the monitoring process includes conducting at least one formal progress review during each appraisal period at approximately mid-way through the rating cycle. The completion of this on the employees performance

appraisal plan and signed and dated by both the rating official and the employee. While only one progress review is required, rating officials are encouraged to frequently discuss performance with subordinate employees during the appraisal period. This is particularly critical in the case of an employee who is not performing at the fully successful level. In this case, it may be necessary to provide additional written criteria on performance expectations and/or set up regular feedback sessions with the employee. It is important to contact your servicing human resources office for advice and assistance before taking any action.

Some issues that may be discussed in a performance review:

• Communication
• Training Needs (formal, on-the-job, etc.)
• Sufficiency of skills and knowledge level or successful performance
• Status of work (challenging, fulfilling)
• Delegation of assignments
• Getting/giving regular feedback

For supervisors

• What could I do to help make your job easier or help you in any way
• Is your staff responding to assignments appropriately and in a timely fashion

Rating officials should document employee performance, both good and when improvement is needed, throughout the year. Doing this will allow the rating official to provide specific examples to the employee during progress reviews, during the rating of record, or at other times throughout the year.