By Addy Smith
Let’s be honest: calendar year-based performance reviews, when everyone goes through a formal appraisal December or January of each year, have been a workplace staple for decades. They’re predictable, structured, and supposedly keep everyone accountable. But let’s take a step back and ask ourselves—do they actually work? Or are we all just trudging through an outdated process because “that’s the way it’s always been done”?
Our opinion? it’s the latter.
Here’s why it’s time to break up with calendar year reviews and explore something better.
1. Memories Don’t Work Like Spreadsheets
Think back to January of this year. Can you clearly recall all the amazing things you accomplished? Probably not. Now imagine your manager trying to do the same for every team member. See the problem?
Calendar year reviews rely on memory, and even for the most diligent of managers, who writes everything down, our brains aren’t unbiased and objective. Recent accomplishments always overshadow earlier ones, leaving a good chunk of the year’s contributions undervalued or forgotten.
2. One Size Doesn’t Fit All
People grow and change at different paces. Tying everyone’s progress to a fixed calendar is like expecting flowers to bloom on the same day every spring. Some projects span multiple years, while others wrap up in a few weeks. Why cram these diverse timelines into a rigid 12-month box?
Employees should be evaluated based on their unique goals and growth trajectories, not an arbitrary date on the calendar.
3. Feedback Delayed Is Feedback Denied
People thrive on timely, constructive feedback. It keeps them motivated and allows them to make adjustments as they go. Annual reviews turn feedback into a once-a-year event when it should be an ongoing conversation.
4. It Creates More Work for Managers
Doing your reviews all at once, during often the busiest time of the year, can leave managers scrambling to write thoughtful evaluations for a dozen people. It’s stressful, time-consuming, and often feels performative rather than productive. If the process causes more anxiety than improvement, why are we still doing it?
What to Do Instead: Hire-Based Reviews
A better alternative is tying performance reviews to an employee’s hire date rather than the calendar year. Here’s why this approach works:
- Personalized Feedback Cycles: Hire-based reviews ensure that feedback aligns with each employee’s specific timeline. For example, a review six months after they join allows for tailored discussions about their onboarding, early contributions, and areas for growth. After a year, you can shift the focus to long-term goals and achievements.
- Less Bottleneck for Managers By spreading reviews throughout the year, managers can give more thoughtful, focused attention to each employee. No more December crunch time or trying to remember who did what eight months ago.
- Continuous Growth: Hire-based reviews promote a culture of regular feedback. Employees get timely insights into their performance and clear direction for improvement when it matters most
- Fairer Evaluations: Because hire-based reviews are tailored to an employee’s unique journey, they’re inherently more equitable. Everyone gets the same opportunity for a thoughtful, personalized review, regardless of when they joined.
Bonus Tips for Smarter Reviews
- Add More Checkpoints: Don’t wait six or twelve months to provide feedback. Quick monthly or quarterly check-ins can supplement more formal reviews.
- Use Modern Tools: Performance management platforms like Lattice, 15Five, or CultureAmp make tracking goals, feedback, and reviews easy and intuitive.
- Focus on Development: Shift the conversation from “what you did” to “where you’re going.” Use reviews to set meaningful goals and align them with the company’s vision.
The Bottom Line
Calendar year performance reviews are a relic of a slower, less agile workplace. Today’s work environment calls for something smarter, more flexible, and better suited to individual growth. By switching to hire-based reviews—and supplementing them with regular feedback—you’ll create a system that’s fairer, more impactful, and way less stressful for everyone involved.
So, why wait? Stop cramming everything into December and start building a performance review system that works year-round. Your team will thank you.
Need help revamping your review process? Reach out today to see how we can support you.