IFDF Funeral Profession 2023 Series - A Rewarding Employee Review Process

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How to Create an Appreciative and

Rewarding Employee Review Process

By Colette Kemp

As an independent funeral home owner or manager, you probably wear multiple hats.While your first priority lies with meeting with families and caring for their loved ones, your next highest priority is caring for your team.  

Part of that responsibility is ensuring that they receive feedback and growth opportunities on a regular basis.

Employee reviews can be one of the most important tools in managing a successful small business. A good employee review should be a constructive and encouraging experience, not just a one-way report card.

When done correctly, employee reviews can be a motivating and rewarding experience that helps build trust and rapport between the employee and the employer.

In this blog post, we will discuss tips on making employee reviews appreciative and rewarding. We will discuss the importance of setting clear goals, focusing on positive feedback, and providing an opportunity for employees to share their feedback and ideas.

By following these tips, employers can create a positive review experience that will benefit both the employee and the funeral home.

Evaluating Employee Performance

Employee reviews should be a positive and rewarding experience for both the employee and the manager. Making the reviews an appreciation and learning experience for the employee is essential.

The manager should focus on the employee’s successes, praising and recognizing their accomplishments. Managers should provide constructive feedback on areas that need improvement positively.

During the review, managers should also give employees the opportunity to provide feedback on theirperformance, goals, and objectives.

Finally, the manager should provide resources to help employees reach their goals, such as additional training or mentoring. With these steps in place, employee reviews can be an effective and rewarding experience.

Bonus Tip: While it’s most common to conduct annual reviews, consider renaming these meetings  and calling them “Employee Development Meetings.” You could also perform these meetings quarterly. More frequent meetings can be beneficial as they provide a coaching environment and align with an open-door management policy. Less experienced employees will benefit greatly from this.

Start by Asking Employees to Self-Evaluate

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Employee reviews should not be an intimidating process; rather, they should be both rewarding and productive.

A great way to make the process as appreciative and rewarding as possible is to encourage employees to self-evaluate. This could include asking employees to fill out a survey or questionnaire that allows them to reflect on their own performance and accomplishments.  

It’s also helpful to ask employees to provide positive feedback on their colleagues, giving them an opportunity to recognize the good work of their peers.

Finally, taking the time to listen to employees’ perspectives and ideas can help foster a culture of appreciation and recognition, which can ultimately make employee reviews more rewarding and productive.

How to Show Appreciation to Employees

Employees thrive on appreciation and recognition for a job well done. Showing appreciation to employees during their performance reviews is essential to providing a positive working environment and helps to motivate them to continue to do their best.

The best way to make employee reviews appreciative and rewarding is to ensure that the feedback is specific and focused on the positives. Rather than focusing on negative aspects, employers should focus on the employee’s strengths and accomplishments.

Additionally, when providing feedback, it is important to be constructive and give actionable advice for how the employee can improve. Finally, it is also important to recognize the employee’s accomplishments and offer rewards for hard work.

This can be a bonus, additional vacation time, or an opportunity for advancement. By providing an appreciative and rewarding performance review, employers can ensure that their employees feel valued and motivated to continue to strive for excellence.

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