Accenture have decided that for their 330,000 members of staff they will be, opting instead for more regular less formal contact and dialogue throughout the year.

This approach helps keep on top of set goals and objectives rather than waiting for a whole 12 months to see if they have been completed. It also gives the opportunity to constantly move with the business and employee needs in creating new ones.

It seems that the purpose of having an annual appraisal has been lost with it now being more of a chance to discuss pay than performance, skill and opportunity.

We’re not suggesting that you ditch annual appraisals, we think that they still have a place in performance management. They not only help set individual objectives but can help identify company ones too but it is just as important to have regular reviews with your staff.

Don’t leave it until the appraisal meeting to have a discussion about something that could have been dealt with and resolved 6 months ago.

Be fair with your scoring, some managers in your business may score harder than others for the same performance.

It might seem daunting and more time consuming to have more regular discussions but they needn’t be formal affairs, the whole ideal is for it to create a more instant, easy, faster paced approach that eases the review process not necessarily replaces it.