Module 3/4 30 min
Fair reviews, calibration and low performance
Step 1 / 4·Five biases that distort every review
0/4 steps done
Learning objectives — after this module you will:
- Recognise and reduce rating biases
- Run an effective calibration session
- Handle low performance fairly and with documentation
Learn ~8 min
Five biases that distort every review
Know what skews ratings and how to reduce it.
Biases and countermeasures
| Bias | How it shows | How to reduce it |
|---|---|---|
| Recency | Only the last two months remembered | Record incidents across the whole year |
| Halo | Strong in one area so rated high on everything | Rate each criterion separately before concluding |
| Central tendency | Almost everyone gets 'meets expectations' to play safe | Require evidence for every rating level |
| Similar-to-me | Rating people with a similar style higher | Group calibration; compare against criteria, not impressions |
| Contrast | Rated high/low because of the person reviewed just before | Rate against the STANDARD, never person against person |
The cheapest, most effective fix
Ask managers to record 1–2 specific examples per employee per month (both good and needing improvement). It costs 10 minutes a month, but by year end they have a full year of evidence rather than two months of memory — solving the most common bias outright.
Key takeaway: Five main biases; recording incidents throughout the year is the cheapest and most effective countermeasure.