4 Ways to Reduce Bias in Performance Reviews

An Informational Guide for L&D Professionals by Infopro Learning

Performance reviews hold so much power on the growth, engagement, and retention of the employees that the leaders in the corporate landscape need to operate in today. Nevertheless, the significance of these evaluations is overshadowed by the fact that they are prone to bias. As a result, the objectivity and the fairness of talent development will be lost. With that said, while it is a well-known fact that more diverse workforces in companies are likely to perform better even up to 35% according to a report by McKinsey & Company, the biases in the performance management could be a major obstacle to the realization of such diversity internally.

For Learning and Development (L&D) professionals, the creation of a just and equal culture is core. In order to unlock the potential of each and every employee, it is vital to eliminate bias from performance reviews. The article presents four main strategies to remove bias, and for this task, the expertise and innovative solutions offered by a market leader in the field of corporate training and performance transformation, Infopro Learning, will be fully utilized.

1. Standardize Evaluation Criteria

It is a well-established fact that the use of standardized, fair, and consistent evaluation criteria is one of the most successful ways to reduce bias in performance reviews. Evaluation processes which are irrelevant are incomplete and are the main reason for performance reviews that are subjective and the most unreliable type of evaluations.

Why It Matters:A ship that is not set right in the harbor is in danger during the storm.

A study by Harvard Business Review found that women receive 22% more comments about their personality than men in performance evaluations, indicating the presence of gender bias. Standardization of the review process to the greatest extent possible reduces such imbalances.

How to Implement:

• Build role-specific competencies and KPIs consistent with managerial goals.

• Get the managers trained in the use of behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS).

• Persuade employees to use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) for measuring the performance.

Infopro Learning provides bespoke leadership development and competency mapping programs to organizations that help in establishing performance frameworks that are unambiguous and free of bias. Their technology-enabled performance management solutions ensure that every review is grounded in objective evidence rather than being based on subjective interpretation.

2. Invest in Bias Awareness Training for Managers

Unconscious bias training is a must-have tool as it helps L&D practitioners make performance evaluations fair. Managers often have unconscious or implicit biases related to gender, race, age, or even personality that can skew their judgment of an employee's performance unknowingly.

Why It Matters: Deloitte conducted a survey and found that 68% of those who were biased at work reported that their performance and engagement levels went down. With performance evaluations dictated by bias, the organization's staff can get discouraged and even leave the business.

How to Implement:

• Unbiasedness can be generated by organizing explicit sessions on unconscious bias on a regular basis.

• Illustrate the practice by using real-life performance review problems to build the participants' awareness.

• Give them some time to think about and to challenge their first impressions during the reflective sessions.

Infopro Learning is an organization that creates deep learning encounters by utilizing simulations and gamification to improve efficiency and participation during prejudice training and their microlearning modules mainly target behavior change reinforcement with time.

Example:

We collaborated with Infopro Learning in training over 500 mid-level managers in a global firm to get rid of the bias. After six months of training, we saw a 23% increase in the perception of employees' fairness in performance evaluations through surveys the company internally conducted.

3. Use 360-Degree Feedback

Relying just on a manager's assessment represents only one perspective, is limited and can easily perpetuate confirmation bias and recency bias. However, there is a 360-degree feedback system that captures viewpoints from colleagues, subordinates, and other relevant parties to form an objective picture of an employee's performance.

Why It Matters:

Gartner's study reveals that companies that used 360-degree feedback are 12% more capable to increase high levels of employee engagement and trust in the performance appraisal process.

How to Implement:

• Design a template for gathering feedback that will guide the contributors in their work.

• Make sure that team members provide constructive and unbiased feedback by training them.

• Utilize feedback tools to directly connect with performance management tools for easier and more efficient administration.

Infopro Learning, with their performance consulting services, can certainly aid you in creating and putting into operation such feedback methods as 360-degree that align with your company's organizational structure. Through the use of their analytic dashboards, you can even have a clear view of the learning and development professionals about the patterns of bias and performance gaps that exist, which in turn helps them to establish their decisions based on the available data.

4. Embrace the Latest Innovations and the Power of Number Crunching

Humans have the tendency to make mistakes, however, by using AI-driven performance management software and analytics we can reduce bias considerably. These applications can unveil trends and exceptions in performance assessments, suggesting that the bias is systemic.

Why It Matters:

Based on a report by PwC, a vast 70% of the employers are convinced that AI tools are indispensable for implementing fair HR practices particularly for performance evaluations.

How to Implement:

• Apply machine learning-based instruments for the removal of personal information from feedback during calibration sessions.

• Check data from the evaluation of the performance of the employees to identify which gender ethnicity or department has certain kinds of issues over time.

• Send automated prompts to ensure feedback collection is done fairly and evenly.

Their platforms offer skill-acquisition tracking but are also equipped to bring up issues with the ratings that are a sign of implicit biases when present, as an example of Infopro Learning, which, through the use of cutting edge analytics, integrates these into their Managed Learning Services (MLS) offerings.

Final Thoughts: Unbiased Evaluations Are Instruments of High-Performance Culture

For L&D professionals, biased-free performance reviews are not only a matter of fair play but are also part of creating high-performance, inclusive teams. The self-belief that their work is evaluated in an impartial manner is the main factor responsible for employees' motivation, engagement, and loyalty witnessing a notable increment.

Companies that give priority to fair review processes are well-positioned to draw from deep talent reservoirs and retain employees longer. Infopro Learning, as the established player in the industry, provides companies with innovative talent management technologies, bias training, and performance consulting services to get the fair and just treatment of their workers firmly in the center of their talent practices and therefore be fully empowered.

• By working with standardized criteria, both fairness and subjectivity are at a manageable level in the process.

• Bias training helps people realize their discriminatory habits and motivates them to change their behavior.

• 360-degree feedback brings in diverse views and rectifies the equilibrium of the evaluations.

• With the help of technology and analytics, performance insights have become more factual and integrity-based.

Statistic for your Mind

“Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have financial returns above industry medians.” ― McKinsey & Company