The use of AI assistance in performance reviews is a new practice for managers. We break down the pros, dos and don’ts.
Managers are under pressure. Ever increasing demands on their time, energy, EQ, and intellect mean that good managers are constantly seeking ways to optimize their time and improve their effectiveness. Many people are starting to use AI tools and beginning to ask questions like “Is it cheating to use AI assistance for performance reviews?”. In this article we’ll address the benefits, concerns, parallels, and importantly some best practices around using AI tools when drafting performance reviews.
The use of AI tools to assist in drafting performance reviews is a natural evolution in management practices, offering numerous benefits without compromising the integrity of the review process. Lets take a look at them.
Enhancing efficiency and productivity
One of the primary advantages of using AI assistance for performance reviews is the significant enhancement in efficiency and productivity. Managers often find themselves juggling multiple responsibilities, and the task of writing detailed performance reviews for each team member can be very time-consuming. Depending on the size of your team, performance reviews can easily consume 5-15+ hours of your time.
AI tools can rapidly generate initial drafts, allowing managers to focus their energy on refining and personalizing the content. This time-saving aspect enables managers to dedicate more attention to high-value tasks such as strategic planning and employee development, ultimately benefiting both the organization and individual team members.
Ensuring consistency and fairness
Another crucial benefit is the potential for increased consistency and fairness in the review process. AI-generated drafts can help maintain a uniform tone and structure across all reviews, reducing the risk of favoritism influencing the evaluations.
Additionally AI can assist with removing unconscious bias from performance reviews. Unconscious or ‘hidden’ bias refers to attitudes and patterns of perceptions that are held subconsciously and can be very ingrained. We all have them. Not dissimilar to stereotyping, these automatic associations can lead to assumptions that are not always accurate, and can have a detrimental impact in decision-making.
Unconscious bias influences thoughts and actions that can result in the creation of unfair advantages or disadvantages without the decision-maker’s awareness. Unconscious bias can be about someone’s ethnicity, gender, age, accent, sexual orientation, parental status, just to name a few. It unwittingly permeates workplaces, affecting decision-making processes, including recruitment, promotion, development and access to other opportunities.
The consistency of reviews and removal of bias ensures that all employees are assessed using similar criteria and language, promoting a more equitable workplace. Because everyone deserves a fair and bias-free assessment of their performance, achievements, capabilities, and potential.
Improving quality
Furthermore, AI tools can contribute to improving the quality and comprehensiveness of performance reviews. These advanced systems can suggest relevant performance metrics and competencies that managers might overlook, helping to create more thorough and well-rounded evaluations.
AI can also assist in identifying patterns in an employee’s performance that may not be immediately apparent to the manager, leading to more insightful and actionable feedback. If you work with someone everyday (or at least multiple times per week), it can be easy to miss trends, and hard to stand back far enough to be objective. AI can assist with a wider view of someone’s performance and suggest new and interesting ways to increase their growth and development.
Technology is always evolving
The integration of AI in performance reviews draws parallels with other technological advancements that have enhanced management practices over the years. Just as spreadsheet software revolutionized financial planning and data analysis, AI tools are transforming written communication tasks. Similarly, project management software has automated task tracking and reporting, much like how AI assists in compiling performance data.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have streamlined customer data collection and analysis, mirroring how AI can efficiently compile and process employee performance information. So you can see that there’s always been some new advancement that initially felt like cheating, but quickly became the standard tool for the job.
Addressing concerns about AI assistance for performance reviews
While some may express concerns that using AI for performance reviews could be impersonal, it’s important to recognize that AI-generated drafts serve as a starting point, not a final product. Managers still need to review, edit, and personalize the content to ensure it accurately reflects each employee’s unique contributions and areas for improvement. In fact, the use of AI can allow managers to spend more time on meaningful conversations with employees, as less time is spent on the initial drafting process.
Best practices for using AI in performance reviews
To maximize the benefits of AI in performance reviews while addressing potential concerns, managers should adhere to best practices. It’s crucial to use AI as a tool to augment, not replace, managerial judgment. Always review and personalize AI-generated content to ensure it accurately reflects each employee’s performance and aligns with the organization’s goals.
Using a purpose built tool (we recommend ReviewGenie) rather than a generic generative AI tool will ensure that the inputs (like attributes) and outputs (the structure, wording, and actions) align to best practice. So look beyond the basic tools for something that specializes in the art and science of great performance reviews. The last thing you want is for your performance review to be worded in a such a way that it looks like it’s been written by someone (or something) else.
Transparency about the use of AI in the review process can help maintain trust with employees. Additionally, managers should continue to provide regular feedback and have open discussions throughout the year, not just during formal review periods.
Conclusion and recommendation
The use of purpose-built AI-driven performance management tools (like ReviewGenie) for drafting performance reviews represents a natural progression in management technology. When used responsibly, these tools can enhance efficiency, consistency, and quality in the review process. By embracing this technology, managers can free up valuable time for more meaningful interactions with their team members, ultimately leading to better performance management and employee development.
As with any technological advancement, the key lies in leveraging AI as a supportive tool while maintaining the human touch that is essential in effective leadership and employee relations.
