We surveyed 1,500 U.S. office workers for their thoughts on performance reviews, and unsurprisingly, people aren't fans of them. What we did unearth though are interesting reactions and feelings about the process. Shift through the full report. Curious about how we've ditched the reviews for the Check-In? More on that here (https://adobe.ly/2j5NLUe) with resources to employ the Check-In for your org here: http://www.adobe.com/check-in.html

1. Performance Reviews Get
A Failing Grade

2. Methodology
WHO
Office workers
18+, Employed
Have been in current company at least 1 year
Have been through at least one performance review
• Millennials: 18 – 34 years old
• Gen X: 35 – 54 years old
• Boomers: 55+ years old
WHEN
Nov 28, 2016
through
Dec 6, 2016
HOW
20-minute online
quantitative survey
HOW MANY
U.S. (total sample): 1,500
U.S. Margin of Error: +/-2.5%
• Managers: 976
• Men: 750
• Women: 750
• Millennials: 513
• Gen X: 632
• Boomers: 355
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
2
METHODOLOGY

3. KEY FINDINGS
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE

4. Performance reviews are
time-consuming and outdated
Seventy-two percent of office workers and 88 percent of managers say
preparing for reviews is time-consuming. PAGE 10
On average, managers spend 17 hours per employee preparing for a
review. PAGE 11
Close to two-thirds of office workers (64%) and managers (62%) agree
reviews are outdated. PAGES 12, 13
More than half of office workers agree reviews have no impact on how
they do their job (59%) and are a needless HR requirement (58%). PAGE 12
Seventy-three percent of Millennial managers say the review process
negatively impacts their ability to do the rest of their job and 68 percent
say performance reviews are not effective. PAGE 13
Eighty-eight percent of office workers surveyed have a regularly scheduled, structured, written performance
review process at their current companies (PAGE 9). The results that follow pertain to this group.
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
4
KEY FINDINGS

5. Performance reviews are stressful
More than half of office workers agree that performance reviews
put them in competition with one another (57%) and feel their
manager plays favorites (61%). PAGE 12
Nearly six in 10 say performance reviews are stressful (58%)
and having their performance ranked against peers is upsetting
(52%). PAGE 12
As a result of a performance review, office workers have cried
(22%), looked for another job (37%) or quit (20%). PAGE 14
• Millennials are more likely than other generations to have cried
after a review, looked for another job or quit. PAGE 15
• Men are more likely than women to have cried, looked for
another job or quit. PAGE 16
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
5
KEY FINDINGS

6. More than four in 10 office workers (41%) would switch jobs to a company that didn’t
have a formal performance reviews even if pay and job level were the same. PAGE 17
• Men are more likely to switch jobs to a company with no formal performance
reviews (52% of men vs. 28% of women). PAGE 17
• Close to two thirds (61%) of Millennials would switch jobs to a company with no
formal performance reviews. PAGE 17
Office workers would switch to a
job with no performance reviews
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
6
KEY FINDINGS

7. Office workers want a change
More than half (55%) of office workers and two-thirds of (66%)
of managers wish that their companies would get rid of or
change its structured performance review process. PAGE 18
Sixty-eight percent of Millennials would get rid of the structured
performance review process. PAGE 18
Four in five office workers want feedback in the moment rather
than it being aggregated over a period of months. PAGE 19
When given the choice, six in 10 office workers want qualitative
feedback over numeric ratings. PAGE 20
Office workers believe companies that have abolished traditional
reviews would:
• be more flexible (46%)
• have happier (44%) and higher performing (39%) employees
• have a collaborative culture (38%) PAGE 21
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
7
KEY FINDINGS

8. DETAILED FINDINGS
RATING PERFORMANCE REVIEWS

9. Most office workers endure
performance reviews
Q8. Which of the following describe the performance review process at your current company? (Please select all that apply) (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,500)
Q9. How frequently does your performance review occur? (OFFICE WORKERS SELECTING FORMAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW COMPONENTS N=1,410)
*Structured performance reviews are defined as written reviews of an employee’s job performance relative to his/her goals which include formal processes (i.e. rankings, ratings, pay raises
are dependent on the review, requires in person conversation) and set frequency (i.e. annually, bi-annually, quarterly). See the ‘Sample Calculation’ section for more detailed responses.
STRUCTURE OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Among U.S. Office Workers Total – Showing % Who Go Through Structured Reviews
88%Have a structured performance review*
12%Do not have a structured performance review
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
9
DETAILED FINDINGS

10. Preparing for performance
reviews is time-consuming
PERCEPTION OF TIME SPENT WHEN PREPARING FOR PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing % Selecting
88%Managers
72%Office workers
Time-consuming*
Not time-consuming
Q14. How time-consuming do you find preparing for your own performance reviews to be (e.g. writing your accomplishments, providing peer feedback, preparing for the conversation, etc.)? (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,328)
Q21. As a manager, how time-consuming is the process to get ready for your employees’ performance reviews? (MANAGERS N=898)
*Showing combined responses for Time-consuming (very/somewhat time-consuming) and Not time-consuming (not very/not at all time-consuming)
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
10
DETAILED FINDINGS

11. On average, managers spend
more than two work days
preparing for each review
Q22. On average, how much time have you spent working on each employee’s performance review (e.g. collecting feedback, writing reviews, rating/ranking team, preparing for conversations, etc.) (MANAGERS N=898)
TIME SPENT PREPARING FOR EACH EMPLOYEE’S REVIEW
Among U.S. Managers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing Hours Selected
9–16 HOURS 1–8 HOURS17–24 HOURS25–32 HOURS33–40 HOURS
12%
40%
15%15%18%
On average, managers spend 17 hours per employee review.
Median of hours spent are 16 hours per employee review.
60% of managers spend more than 8 hours.
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
11
DETAILED FINDINGS

12. Office workers say reviews are outdated,
stressful and irrelevant
Q15. Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements. (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,328)
Performance reviews are a dated way to manage performance
64%
Managers often play favorites in the performance review process
61%
My performance review has no impact on how I do my job
59%
Performance reviews are a needless HR requirement
58%
I find performance reviews stressful
58%
Performance reviews put employees in competition with each other
57%
Having my performance ranked against my peers is upsetting
52%
PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS BY OFFICE WORKERS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing Top 2 Box (Strongly + Somewhat Agree)
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
12
DETAILED FINDINGS

13. 62% 61% 57%
71% 73% 68%
The performance
review process
is outdated
Performance
reviews are
not effective
The performance
review process
is outdated
The time I spend on
performance reviews
negatively impacts my
ability to do my job
Performance
reviews are
not effective
The time I spend on
performance reviews
negatively impacts my
ability to do my job
Managers find reviews unproductive
Q24. Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements. (MANAGERS N=898, MILL. MANAGERS, N=410, GEN X MANAGERS N=369, BABY BOOMER MANAGERS N=119)
PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS BY MANAGERS
Among U.S. Managers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing Top 2 Box (Strongly + Somewhat Agree)
PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS BY MILLENNIAL MANAGERS
Among U.S. Millennial Managers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing Top 2 Box (Strongly + Somewhat Agree)
GEN X
57%
BABY BOOMERS
46% GEN X
57%
BABY BOOMERS
34%
GEN X
51%
BABY BOOMERS
39%
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
13
DETAILED FINDINGS

14. Office workers have cried and quit
after their performance review
OFFICE WORKER REACTIONS AS A RESULT OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing % Selecting “Yes”
37%
52%
37% 37%
32%
22% 20%
Felt surprised
about the feed-
back you heard
Looked at job
openings at other
companies
Forgotten what
was said
Felt resentful
towards your
manager
Gotten angry
with your
manager
Cried Quit your job
Q16. As a result of a performance review, have you… (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,328)
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
14
DETAILED FINDINGS

15. Millennials are more likely
to have dramatic reactions
Q16. As a result of a performance review, have you… (MILL N=480, GEN X N=561, BABY BOOMERS N=287)
OFFICE WORKER REACTIONS AS A RESULT OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing % Selecting “Yes”
47%
36%
21%
34%
18%
9%
30%
19%
4%
Looked at job openings
at other companies
Cried Quit your job
Millennials
Gen X
Baby Boomers
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
15
DETAILED FINDINGS

16. Men are more likely to have strong
reactions than women
Q16. As a result of a performance review, have you… (MEN N=697, WOMEN N= 631)
OFFICE WORKER REACTIONS AS A RESULT OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing % Selecting “Yes”
43%
31%
25%
18%
28%
11%
Looked at job openings
at other companies
Cried Quit your job
Men
Women
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
16
DETAILED FINDINGS

17. People would switch jobs
to avoid formal performance reviews
Q19. Would you switch jobs to a company that didn’t have a formal performance reviews even if pay and job level were the same? (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,328)
WOULD SWITCH JOBS BECAUSE OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing % Selecting “Yes”
WOULD SWITCH JOBS BECAUSE OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing % Selecting “Yes”
(MILL N=480, GEN X N=561, BABY BOOMERS N=287, MEN N=697, WOMEN N= 631)
52%
28%
Men Women
61%
36%
15%
Millennials Gen X Baby Boomers
More than four in 10 U.S. office
workers would switch jobs to a
company that didn’t have formal
performance reviews
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
17
DETAILED FINDINGS

18. Millennials and managers especially
want a change
Q15. Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements. (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,328, MILL. N=480, GEN X N=561, BABY BOOMERS N=287) Q24. Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements. (MANAGERS N=898)
“I WISH MY COMPANY WOULD GET RID OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS”
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing Top 2 Box (Strongly + Somewhat Agree)
PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS BY MANAGERS
Among U.S. Managers with Structured Performance Reviews –
Showing Top 2 Box (Strongly + Somewhat Agree)
Two in threemanagers (66%) wish their company would
change its current performance review process
55%
68%
53%
36%
Total office workers Millennials Baby BoomersGen X
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
18
DETAILED FINDINGS

19. Office workers want feedback in the moment
Q17. From the following pairs which would you prefer MOST? (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,328)
PREFERENCE WITH REGARD TO PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing % Selecting
80%Feedback in the moment
20%Feedback that’s aggregated
over a period of months
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
19
DETAILED FINDINGS

20. The ideal performance review process
would be qualitative, not numeric
Q27. If you could create your ideal performance review, which of the following would you have as part of the process? (OFFICE WORKERS, N=1,328)
PREFERENCES ON IDEAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing % Selecting
60%Qualitative feedback
40%Numeric ratings
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
20
DETAILED FINDINGS

21. Office workers believe companies
that have eliminated traditional
reviews see big benefits
Q20. Some companies have eliminated formal performance reviews and have moved to using a more informal system of ongoing feedback between managers and their employees.
A company that does this would be more likely to… (Please select all that apply) (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,328)
PERCEPTIONS OF A COMPANY THAT DOES NOT HAVE A FORMAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW PROCESS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Structured Performance Reviews – Showing % Selecting Likelihood the Company would Be/Have
46% 44% 39% 38%
More
flexible
Happier
employees
Collaborative
culture
Higher
performing
employees
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
21
DETAILED FINDINGS

22. PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
SAMPLE CALCULATION

23. 45%
57%
45% 45%
39%
26% 23%
6%*
Requires an
in-person
conversation
Rates employees
with a score or label
(e.g. high/solid/low
performer)
Pay raises are tied
to the performance
review
Requires a
written form
Requires employees
to submit written
accomplishments
or give a self-rating
Ranks employees
performance
relative to how
peers performed
My company does
not have a structured
performance
review process
Requires peers/
colleagues to give
feedback on each
other’s performance
Most office workers experience
structured performance reviews
Q8. Which of the following describe the performance review process at your current company? (Please select all that apply) (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,500)
*These respondents were removed from the sample as their current company does not have structured performance reviews.
COMPONENTS OF PERFORMANCE REVIEW PROCESS
Among U.S. Office Workers Total – Showing % Selecting
23
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
SAMPLE CALCULATION

24. Most office workers go through structured
reviews with set frequency
Q9. How frequently does your performance review occur? (OFFICE WORKERS N=1,410)
*These respondents were removed from the sample of respondents with structured reviews, as the timing of their reviews did not have a set frequency.
FREQUENCY OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
Among U.S. Office Workers with Formal Performance Review Processes – Showing % Selecting
63%
25%
6% 6%*
Once a year
(annually)
Twice a year
(bi-annually)
The timing
is flexible
Four times a
year (quarterly)
24
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS GET A FAILING GRADE
SAMPLE CALCULATION