December brings mulled wine, Christmas songs on loop, and office debates about the party venue i.e. “ Is there parking?”
But it also marks a critical time for many businesses in Malta: annual performance reviews.
Traditionally, these reviews focus on productivity and KPIs.
But here’s the key: companies that include employee engagement into their reviews see higher talent retention and attraction rates.
Why? Because they show employees they’re more than just a number—and that matters.
After over a decade of helping businesses recruit top talent, I’ve seen firsthand that asking the right questions during reviews can create alignment between your company’s goals and your employees’ ambitions.
When that alignment happens, people feel seen and supported, and they stay.
Are you ready to show employees they matter?
Most employers say: “You’re not just a number here.”
But are you delivering on that? If not, it can impact both your attraction & retention efforts.
Here are 3 key questions to inspire you to make your annual reviews more engaging and human :
1. What is one resource/tool that would make your job easier?
When I speak with professionals looking for a career move, many are frustrated by the lack of resources – and some of them are incredibly small – like having an accounts software in place.
By understanding what they need, you can provide them with solutions that actually make a difference and reduce their job frustration which ultimately leads to them leaving.
2. What would you like to do more of next year?
Again, many people leave because the most meaningful parts of their role are diminished by: poor workload distribution, mundane tasks, management by crisis, etc.
By understanding this, it will help you incorporate more high-value-focused work in their day-to-day, tap into their expertise, and increase job satisfaction.
3. How do you see your profession evolving, and what support do you need to keep pace?
If you want to engage people long-term, preparing them for the future is key.
For example, many finance professionals ready for more Senior Level roles, are interested in business analytics and they see it as an integral part of their future readiness. As such, access to training for business analytics software that they can use, will be key to their development
This will help you develop meaningful training & career development plans that are aligned with the employee’s vision, rather than a standard, blanket approach.
And since I am a big fan of sustainability, you can recycle these questions and incorporate them as part of your interview process to help you better understand the candidate’s expectations and needs.
Will you incorporate these questions in your performance reviews?
I am Fran, founder, headhunter & talent advisor of FM Search & I help businesses hire the right people and improve their recruitment processes to attract more of the right people.
If you are a business based in Malta and you are tired of being just “another client” in a long list of jobs to be filled and you find recruitment challenging, let’s change that – connect with on Linkedin or e-mail fran@fmsearch.eu to set up a meeting.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice .
