Performance Reviews: A Fair Feedback System

Performance review is not just an assessment of an employee’s results. It’s a comprehensive meeting that evaluates performance, progress on an individual development track, the quality of collaboration with colleagues and departments, as well as the level of engagement and motivation.

The main goal is to help the employee reach the required level of effectiveness through a conscious change in behavior and approach.

Cadence and format

• Frequency: every 3 months.
• Meeting duration: 1–1.5 hours.
• Recording results: must be documented in the system where the full interaction history is stored, for example, in Yandex Tracker.

Preparing for the meeting

Employee:

1. Lists the goals set and the actual results — both business-related and personal.
2. Records the difficulties and barriers that prevented the goals from being achieved.
3. Updates the current status on the individual development track.
4. Completes a self-assessment and enters all data into the ticket.

Manager:

1. Collects 360° feedback from colleagues the employee works with.
2. Checks the goals and results against each other.
3. Reviews completion of the individual development plan.
4. Reviews the ticket with the interaction history and evaluates the employee’s self-assessment.

How the meeting works

1. Review of the period just ended. We review the plan-vs.-actual results for the goals and note wins and misses.
2. Feedback. The manager shares a summary of feedback from colleagues—anonymously and to the point. If there are collaboration issues, we clarify the details and discuss ways to improve.
3. Corrective feedback. If needed, we identify growth areas. Work is a team sport, and collaboration within the team is critical.
4. Individual development track. We discuss where the employee is now and where they’re headed. Development is the foundation of motivation, retention, and growth—for both the person and the organization.
5. Period assessment. The manager assigns a subjective rating from “unsatisfactory” to “fantastic”.
6. Planning ahead. We set goals for the next period, define success criteria, and update the individual development plan.

After the meeting

1. The employee records the outcomes in the ticket.
2. The manager checks the accuracy and completeness of the notes and, if needed, provides clarifications.
3. After final approval, the manager marks OK — only if they fully agree with the wording.
4. Then calibration is conducted — a comparison of employees’ results against one another (within a function, department, and sometimes across different companies).
5. Based on calibration, decisions are made on job levels, bonuses, and incentives. The information is communicated individually.

About the rating system

The scale is relative, from –2 to 5.

• –2 — a critical situation; two such ratings in a row = termination.
• 0–1 — simply meeting plans.
• 2–3 — consistently good.
• 4–5 — breakthrough performance, results above expectations.

Yes, there is subjectivity, but calibration helps smooth it out. We always start with the needs of the business and the expectations for a specific employee. Over time, the picture becomes more precise.

Important to remember

• The impact of the system becomes visible after 6–12 months.
• The biggest risk is formality. A review must not become a box-checking exercise.
• We speak honestly, specifically, and without “could have been better”.
• We rely only on facts.
• Confidentiality is mandatory.
• In difficult cases, it is acceptable an anonymized discussion with other managers.
• No LLMs or canned responses — only genuine participation and personal involvement.
• A ticket’s history can last for years.
• When the manager changes, the next review includes both managersafter they sync in advance.
• The format is a dialogue, not a monologue. Both sides have equal standing in the discussion.