Some business leaders view the annual employee review process with a level of optimism typically reserved for root canals. Caroline Starner, Oakley’s global head of human resources, spoke to her executives about why they pursue a process that is most commonly initiated with the word “ugh.” The answers varied from legal obligation to necessity in rewarding pay increases. “The whole system is just very antiquated,” Starner says. “Why wait an entire year before giving feedback? What are you really evaluating? What value is this process adding to the business?”

Starner decided to ditch the forms and try something new: meaningful conversations between managers and employees. Simple. Authentic. A setting that encourages real-time, meaningful discussions about performance. She set a goal for these meaningful conversations to happen once a quarter instead of filling out a form full of questions annually—a year in business is ancient history.
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Caroline Starner, Global Head of Human Resources, Oakley