As we prepare for review season, we at Reflektive have been doing some research and discovered that there is a disturbing lack of resources online about how to give office dogs their performance reviews.

Dogs–like humans–are very sensitive, which is why giving them performance feedback delicately and positively is crucial to their engagement and productivity.

SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Guide to One-on-Ones

Studies show that dogs have a positive impact on an organization’s culture and collaboration, so it is important to highlight ways your office dog can improve their performance in order to create a better work environment.

This article will guide you through key ways to assess and give feedback to your office dog based on their performance this cycle.

Assess Their Goal Progress

Disclaimer: This step is operating under the assumption that you set up a few OKRs with your office dog to make sure clear expectations are set before going into performance reviews, but if you did not – just skip this part and be sure to set goals in the future.

You must measure your dog’s performance against their goals and what they accomplished. Since not all office dogs are the same, measuring against goals is a great way to reduce bias and unfairness in the review process.

For instance, how many new friends did your office dog make? Was their general excitement and cheerriness up to office standards? Did they minimize the number of in-office accidents from last quarter? Try to quantify their progress using numbers and figures.

Look Back on Real-Time Feedback Discussions

Ideally, you should be engaging in real-time feedback discussions with your office dog. The best time to do this is during weekly 1×1 meetings, but real-time feedback platforms can also help keep track of the feedback, even if you can only communicate your feedback to the dog verbally.

As the dog’s manager, it is your responsibility to document performance throughout the review cycle so that your information is organized and backed by data come time for the formal review.

How responsive was the office dog to feedback? And, did they improve based on said feedback? Both of these are good questions to keep in mind during this step. In case you need more guidance, please reference this article written by Reflektive CEO, Rajeev Behera, on 4 Essential Attributes of Performance Review Questions That Work.

Provide Recognition for Achievements

Recognition is proven to be one of the best ways to keep humans and dogs alike engaged in their work. Why did you spend all that time using treats and food to motivate and train your dog? Because that’s how they learned. The workplace is very similar.

After measuring goal progress and taking inventory of feedback discussions, it is important to take the time to give praise and thanks for all of your office dog’s hard work throughout the cycle. Because after all, no matter what, they’ll always be a good dog.

Be sure to be specific and intentional in your recognition in order to motivate and inspire your office dog to keep up the good work. Avoid vague statements, and describe exactly which behaviors and accomplishments made an impact.

The New Yorker

How to Frame Improvement Discussions

If you are on the yearly review cycle, your office dog might not be aware that improvements are necessary, so here’s how to approach the conversation once you’ve made it clear this conversation is necessary.

You will want to speak with clear and firm intentions. Last year, we wrote a great article on how to give constructive feedback, so check it out here in order to ensure your feedback is received well.

Example feedback: “Bodie, your disruptive behavior during the leadership meeting was distracting and inappropriate. In the future, I would appreciate if you could focus on your patience and be more productive while I am occupied.”

Above all, be sure to assure the dog that there is room for improvement in all aspects of their performance and that you are committed on working with them so that they can reach their full potential. Additionally, keep in mind that in order to ensure future positive performance, feedback needs to be constant.

If you are currently using annual reviews to review your office dog, consider switching to Reflektive’s Real-Time Feedback and review platform in order to increase your office dog’s engagement and productivity.

Finally, if their performance is causing your office to update their dog policy from “friendly” to “prohibited,” you will want to be clear about which behaviors caused this change so their future can still be bright elsewhere, should they decide to make a move.

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