We Fixed the Performance Review—And Broke Feedback

Let’s be honest: the traditional performance review had it coming. It was bureaucratic, backward-looking, and often more about ratings than relationships. So we scrapped it. But in the rush to be more human, we may have gone too far.

In many organizations today, we’ve traded rigid structure for comforting vagueness. Managers are encouraged to “check in” and “coach,” but the hard conversations? They’re often sidestepped. Underperformance lingers, high performers get overburdened, and feedback becomes a feel-good ritual that doesn’t move the needle.

The pendulum has swung—from fear-based to feedback-lite. And neither is doing the job.

The good news: some companies are figuring out how to get it right. Adobe, Microsoft, and Deloitte have found a middle path. They’ve built **forcing functions**—deliberate, system-level nudges that make it harder to avoid the real conversations. They’ve kept the humanity but brought back the clarity. And in each case, HR is not just recommending a better conversation—they’re engineering it into the system.

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**Adobe: No Ratings, Still Accountable**

Adobe ditched ratings and introduced “Check-ins.” But here’s the twist: they didn’t leave it to chance.

**The forcing function:** Regular check-ins are required, not optional. HR provides templates, conversation starters, and training. More importantly, HR reviews manager compliance, looks at participation rates, and flags gaps to leadership. **Calibration sessions** serve as a second layer: leaders are expected to bring forward performance narratives. If a struggling employee hasn’t been coached, it’s visible.

**The HR role:** Equip managers with the right tools, review data monthly, and escalate inconsistencies. HR partners are expected to coach any manager who avoids tough conversations—and reinforce feedback expectations in leadership forums.

**Documentation:** Managers are expected to record key outcomes from check-ins using internal templates or systems. These notes become critical inputs during calibration sessions and provide a traceable thread of feedback activity.

**The insight:** Structure doesn’t have to mean rigidity. It can mean rhythm. And rhythm builds trust.

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**Microsoft: From Scorekeeping to Sensemaking**

Microsoft replaced stack ranking with “Connect” conversations—regular discussions about impact, growth, and learning. But they didn’t stop at a nice idea.

**The forcing function:** Managers are expected to complete Connects quarterly, and HR tracks completion rates, quality of input, and alignment with business outcomes. Talent reviews cross-reference feedback given and feedback received. If performance concerns are raised without prior feedback, leaders are asked: why didn’t this person know?

**The HR role:** HR business partners embed within teams to observe trends, audit feedback frequency, and work with leadership to improve depth and honesty. Tools include a shared dashboard, training simulations, and debrief sessions post-review cycles.

**Documentation:** Connect conversations are logged in Microsoft’s HR performance system. These entries inform talent reviews and provide traceability across development cycles.

**The insight:** Feedback that’s compassionate but vague is still unkind. Clarity is kindness.

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**Deloitte: Performance Management for Humans (and Calendars)**

Deloitte realized its old performance system took 2 million hours a year. So they simplified. Now, managers complete **quarterly snapshots**—four forward-looking questions. Combine that with weekly check-ins, and you’ve got a cadence that’s human—and hard to ignore.

**The forcing function:** Snapshots are mandatory and tied to people planning and promotion decisions. HR runs reports to identify which managers haven’t submitted them or where patterns suggest superficial feedback. Weekly check-ins are guided by structured templates that prompt both performance and development questions.

**The HR role:** HR runs quarterly calibration sessions and facilitates check-in audits. If a manager consistently fails to give meaningful feedback, they are flagged for coaching—and in some cases, their own performance is questioned. Templates, manager training, and reporting tools are continuously updated to support the system.

**Documentation:** Quarterly snapshots are formally submitted in Deloitte’s HR system. Weekly check-ins are optionally documented using email summaries, shared team platforms, or HR-provided templates.

**The insight:** Make the right thing the easy thing.

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**What We Can Learn**

Across these companies, the pattern is clear. They didn’t just tell managers to have better conversations. They designed systems that made the right conversations the default—and they backed it up with HR accountability.

If you’re in HR or leadership, here’s the cheat sheet:

1. **Build a rhythm.** Feedback isn’t a moment—it’s a muscle. Make it frequent, expected, and easy to deliver.
2. **Calibrate often.** Performance truths surface when leaders align. Use calibrations to spotlight missing or misaligned feedback.
3. **Make HR the engine.** HR should not only design systems—but run diagnostics, review compliance, and coach gaps. If feedback isn’t happening, HR should be the first to know—and act.

The future of performance isn’t more ratings. It’s more honesty—with heart.

Because the real risk isn’t that people get too much feedback. It’s that they don’t get the feedback that matters, when it matters most.