Let’s be honest. When you hear the words “performance review”, what’s your first reaction? For a lot of managers I work with, it sits somewhere between “we should probably be doing those” and “I’d rather be anywhere else”.
Some have had bad experiences where the meeting has gone sideways, turned into a pay discussion, or felt like a tick-the-box exercise. Others avoid them altogether because they think it will open a can of worms they’re not ready for.
So here’s the reality. Performance reviews are not the problem. Doing them in isolation is.
Over the past few months, I’ve been working with managers on a more practical approach. We still do performance reviews, but we call them Review and Progress Sessions, or RAPS. It is the same concept, just modernised and done properly. But even more importantly, we pair them with regular one-on-ones, because you cannot have one without the other. More on that soon.
What are RAPS?
At their core, RAPS are planned conversations where you stop, look back, and assess performance. It is your chance as a manager to step back and take stock, while also giving your employee the opportunity to reflect on how they feel they are going.
A simple way to think about RAPS are that they answer three key questions:
- What’s been going well?
- Where are the gaps?
- What needs to improve?
Done well, RAPS give clarity. They help your team understand what is expected, where they stand, and what good looks like. They also give you the opportunity to recognise strong performers, and to address issues early, before they become bigger problems.
Where RAPS go wrong
Where things tend to fall over is not in the meeting itself, but in how often they are done. Disappointingly, these game-changing conversations only happen once or twice a year. As a result, RAPS can start to feel forced, reactive, and uncomfortable for everyone involved, because there has been very little conversation leading up to them.
If the only time you talk about performance is in a formal review, everything builds up over time. Small issues sit there too long, good work goes unnoticed, and by the time you finally sit down for the review, it feels like a big deal.
That is when you tend to see awkward conversations emerge; unspoken frustrations or the classic approach of “let’s just get this over with aye?” At that point, it is no longer a performance system, it is damage control. You’re missing something.
The Missing Piece
The missing piece is what happens in between those formal conversations, and this is where one-on-ones come in.
A one-on-one is a regular catch-up with each team member that focuses on their development, support, and day-to-day performance. It is where the real conversations happen and where you keep things on track before they get out of hand. In practical terms, it’s where you:
- pick up issues early,
- coach your people,
- build trust and rapport, and
- keep performance moving in the right direction.
It also requires a shift in approach. If RAPS are about looking back, one-on-ones are about looking forward. In a RAPS, the manager generally leads the conversation. In a one-on-one, the employee should be doing most of the talking. Your role is to listen, ask good questions, and understand what is really going on for them.
When these conversations are happening regularly, something important changes. By the time you get to a RAPS, there are no surprises.
Keeping one-on-ones simple
One-on-ones are often overcomplicated when, in reality, they work best when they are simple and consistent.
A good starting point is 30 minutes once a fortnight or 60 minutes once a month. Turn up regularly and create a space where your team member feels comfortable talking openly. That means keeping the conversation private, letting them lead, and focusing on support rather than judgement.
At the beginning, it can feel a bit awkward, and some staff may not immediately see the value. This is normal, but stick with it as it will get easier. Over time, trust builds, communication improves, and performance becomes more consistent.
A different approach to RAPS
RAPS, on the other hand, are your formal checkpoint, and need a more structured approach. They should be planned, prepared, and based on real examples rather than general comments or gut feel.
Good RAPS should:
- reflect what has already been discussed throughout the year,
- include specific examples of performance,
- be a genuine two-way conversation, and
- clearly set expectations and goals moving forward.
If you find yourself relying on memory or trying to pull everything together at the last minute, that is often a sign that the one-on-ones are not doing their job. When the process is working properly, RAPS should feel like a summary, not a shock.
Using RAPS and one-on-ones together
If you want to grow your team and lift performance, it is not enough to focus on performance reviews alone. The real impact comes from what happens in between.
A good way to think about it is this:
- RAPS are your formal checkpoints.
- One-on-ones are your ongoing conversations, and the fuel that keeps everything moving.
You need both working together. If you only do RAPS, it will feel forced and reactive. If you only do one-on-ones, you lose structure and accountability. Consistency builds trust, and trust is what ultimately drives performance. It is not about doing these conversations perfectly, it is about showing up regularly and meaning it.
If you would like practical guidance on how to confidently run RAPS and one-on-ones in your business, please get in touch on 027 530 9986.
Note: This article is not intended to be a replacement for legal advice.
