What are Performance Reviews?
Performance reviews are structured evaluations where a manager and an employee discuss the employee’s work, progress, strengths and improvement areas over a specific period.
A performance review is a formal conversation that answers:
- How well did you perform?
- Where did you excel?
- Where can you improve?
- What support do you need?
- What goals should you focus on next?
Why Do Performance Reviews Matter?
At WisdmLabs, we believe performance reviews are not just about assessment- they are about growth, clarity and connection. In a remote-first environment, feedback becomes even more essential for keeping communication open, aligning expectations and ensuring people feel supported and inspired.
Giving and receiving feedback can feel uncomfortable at times and that’s natural. However, when feedback is delayed or avoided, it slows personal progress, weakens team trust and limits overall performance.
To prevent this, feedback at WisdmLabs is treated as a continuous and structured practice. It provides timely performance-related insights and serves as a foundational element of our overall review process.
How is Performance measured?
We measure performance using clearly defined KRAs (Key Result Areas) and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), which provide a structured and objective framework for evaluating individual contributions.
What are Performance cycles?
At the start of every quarter (and during onboarding for new employees), the Manager and the Employee define KRAs and KPIs through a collaborative process:
- Key Result Areas (KRAs):
The core responsibilities or outcome zones of a role — what success looks like. - Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
The measurable metrics or success signals used to evaluate progress within each KRA.
Together, KRAs and KPIs serve as the foundation of every review conversation.
- KRAs answer: “What should I achieve?”
- KPIs answer: “How will we measure it?”
At WisdmLabs, each employee’s KRAs are aligned with departmental objectives, which in turn are linked to the organisation’s goals through a top-down approach. Typically, each role has 3–5 clearly defined KRAs that reflect both core responsibilities and measurable impact.
Examples by department include:
- Business Development: Revenue targets, acquiring new clients, upselling existing clients, and forming strategic partnerships.
- Marketing: Driving website traffic, generating quality leads, and supporting brand awareness initiatives.
- Quality Assurance (QA): Ensuring rigorous testing and defect-free product delivery.
- Customer Support: Resolving queries within agreed TATs while maintaining high customer satisfaction.
Review Framework
This document outlines how performance is reviewed through multiple structured touchpoints throughout the employee lifecycle:
| Review Type | Frequency | Purpose |
| 30-60-90 Day Reviews (New Employees) | Within the first 3 months | Assess onboarding success, role clarity, and early performance. Identify training or mentorship needs. |
| Monthly 1:1 Check-ins | As per need | Informal conversations between HR, employee and manager to discuss wins, challenges and support required |
| Quarterly Reviews | Every 3 months | Structured review of goals, progress, and feedback. Helps track alignment with team KRAs and career goals. Usually, Team Leads do this review. |
| Half-yearly Review | 6 months(mid Dec to mid Jan) | Assess growth trajectory and identify upskilling opportunities. Realignment of goals if business priorities have shifted. Conducted by HR |
| Yearly Review | 12 months (June-July) | Comprehensive evaluation covering results, behaviors, and impact. Forms the basis for promotions, rewards, and growth discussions. |
All reviews can be conducted virtually via Google Meet or equivalent tools to ensure equal participation for remote team members.
Review Process
- Self-Assessment:
Employees summarize achievements, challenges and learning needs for each review cycle. - Manager Feedback:
Managers provide balanced feedback – focusing on deliverables, collaboration, communication and ownership. - Feedback Discussion:
A dedicated 1:1 feedback discussion follows each structured review to recognize achievements, discuss areas of growth, and align on next steps. HR partners with managers to support effective feedback delivery and ensures the process remains fair, transparent and aligned with organizational practices.
New Employee Review
For all new joiners, performance is reviewed at 30, 60 and 90 days to establish clear expectations and evaluate progress during the probation period. Managers provide monthly feedback and ratings, while HR facilitates the review process, ensures proper documentation, and supports managers in making fair and consistent confirmation decisions.
Where performance consistently falls below expectations, HR will work with the manager to assess the situation and confirmation may not be recommended. Employees meeting expectations may be confirmed, subject to specific conditions or improvement plans where required, while those consistently exceeding expectations may be confirmed upon completion of the probation period.
Documentation
All reviews and 1:1 notes are maintained in the designated HR Portal Keka under Feedback.
Guiding Principles
- Transparency: Employees always know what’s expected and how performance is assessed.
- Empathy & Fairness: Reviews are objective, developmental, and location-neutral.
- Consistency: Regular check-ins ensure no surprises at appraisal time.
- Action-Focused: Every review concludes with at least one growth or learning action.