Manager Guide - Delivering the Impact Review

Performance review feedback is crucial for any organization’s talent management strategy. It helps teammates understand their strengths and identify areas for improvement, increasing their job satisfaction and motivation. Additionally, it enables managers to identify top performers, provide targeted training opportunities, and address performance issues proactively.

Performance review feedback fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the organization, promoting growth and development for all teammates. By providing constructive feedback, teammates can improve their skills, increase their productivity, and contribute to the overall success of the team and organization.

Preparing to deliver impact reviews

Impact reviews will be delivered synchronously in a 1:1 between the Manager and their direct report.

Each Manager is responsible for scheduling a 30 - 60 minute meeting with each Teammate to deliver their review packet, along with any corresponding promotion, compensation increases and/or equity increases.

Checklist: before the impact review conversation

  1. Schedule a 30-60 minute 1:1

  2. Add their final score to the impact review packet in Lattice

  3. Send a Slack message to your direct report:

    “Hi [Teammate Name] - I just sent you a calendar invite to walk through your impact review. I’m looking forward to discussing your self-review, along with the feedback that you received from me and your peers. Before the meeting, please review about our impact review process to set the stage for a meaningful conversation. Looking forward to it!

    Agenda:

    • Overview of Impact Review Process
    • Alignment on performance: We will discuss your strengths, your development areas, and your impact review score. I will answer your questions and gather your perspective on your performance.
    • Discuss future development: We will work together to plan ways in which you can meet development and career aspirations moving forward.

  4. Review each Teammate’s full review packet

  • Here are instructions on how to access the Teammate review packet

  1. Review the promo/merit letter, if applicable, to ensure accuracy before sharing. Make sure the compensation is correct! Reach out to your People Partner. if you have any access issues or notice any errors.

  2. Review the equity refresh letter, if applicable, to ensure accuracy before sharing. Reach out to your People Partner. if you have any access issues or notice any errors.

  3. Review Manager Guide: Delivering Performance Feedback and Having Difficult Conversations

  4. Review the Manager FAQ, where we’ve tried to anticipate any and all questions you may receive from a Teammate

  5. Prepare talking points for your 1-1

  • Each review conversation will be different, and we expect all Managers to spend time in advance of the 1:1 preparing for the conversation. The written impact review will support the conversation, but thinking through these questions in advance will help you arrive prepared for an impactful discussion.

    • What questions do you anticipate each Teammate might bring?
    • What accomplishments do you want to be sure to highlight?
    • How will you share growth opportunities clearly and in a way that is actionable?

  • For more on giving feedback to your direct reports in a clear, concise way, check out our page on Teammate Development.

Delivering the impact review

You’ll meet 1:1 with each of your direct reports to deliver the results of our impact review and calibration sessions.

During these meetings, you’ll cover the following with each Teammate:

  1. Overview of our impact review process

  2. Deliver the impact review, including sharing overall score (please leverage the visual linked here).

  3. Click here to see Career Frameworks

  4. Share compensation increase (if any)

    1. Review supporting detail about how the compensation increase was determined
    2. Review answer the question “how often is my compensation reviewed”
      1. Review supporting detail on how to answer the question “why is my increase less than the rate of inflation”

  5. Celebrate promotion (if any)

  6. Have a forward-looking discussion: review your vision for your Team over the next 6-months, how the Teammate fits into that work, and longer-term (1+ year) exploration of Teammate’s career growth priorities and objectives. Discuss what you need to see from them to maintain, or improve their score. 3. If your Teammate is scored as “not meeting high bar” you will have a clear performance conversation. Read more about [navigating performance conversations.

  7. Leave 10-minutes to answer any questions from the Teammate.

Talking points for each topic listed above (overview of process, impact review read-through, compensation increase, and promotion, as well as discussing career growth) may be found in more detail at the bottom of this page.

Following up on the impact review session

Immediately following the 1:1, please:

  1. Share the impact review packet with the Teammate in Lattice
  2. Follow up via Slack message to the Teammate and your People Partner informing them that you’ve shared the review packet and also share promo/compensation letters, if applicable.
  • The People Team will send each manager a folder in Google Drive with their team’s merit letters. It is very important that you review each one for accuracy before sending to the teammate.
    1. Sample Slack message for $ merit increase ONLY

      [Teammate name], congratulations again on your well deserved [promotion OR merit increase]! [Insert kind words]. We’re so excited to recognize and reward you for all your incredible work you did in the last review cycle. You can find your merit letter here (insert PDF). Carly & [People Partner name] are also included on this message to answer any questions you may have. Congratulations again!

    2. Sample Slack message for $ merit increase AND equity refresh

      [Teammate name], congratulations again on your well deserved [promotion OR merit increase]! [Insert kind words]. We’re so excited to recognize and reward you for all your incredible work you did in the last review cycle. I’ve attached your merit letter (insert PDF) and your equity refresh letter (insert PDF) . Carly & [People Partner name] are also included on this message to answer any questions you may have. Congratulations again!

    3. Sample Slack message for No $ merit increase, no promo, no equity refresh

      [Teammate name], thank you again for meeting today and for the incredible work you did in the last review cycle. Please let me know if you have any issues accessing your Lattice review packet. Carly & [People Partner name] are also included on this message to answer any questions you may have. Congratulations again!

    4. Sample Slack message for No $ merit increase, YES equity refresh

      [Teammate name], thank you again for meeting today and for the incredible work you did in the last review cycle. To recognize you for your performance, we are pleased to present you with an equity refresh, outlined here (insert PDF) . Carly & [People Partner name] are also included on this message to answer any questions you may have. Congratulations again!

    5. Sample Slack message for “Not Meeting High Bar” Teammates”:

      Hi [Teammate name] - thank you for our conversation today. I know receiving feedback is never easy, but I believe in you and am excited to work with you to improve. [Feel free to insert specifics on where you need to see improvement/feel free to be firm if you need to see immediate turn around in certain areas]. Please let me know if you have any questions as you read through your impact review packet, which has been shared via Lattice, and I look forward to talking about the ways in which I can support your growth in our next 1:1. I’m also looping in [People Partner name], who is here to help you as well.

It’s not uncommon for questions to arise as you deliver the impact review to Teammates. Make a note of any questions or follow up needed, and commit to circling back. If unsure of an answer to a question, please contact your People Partner.

Feedback and career growth conversations are ongoing, and not limited to our twice-yearly impact review cycles. We expect all Managers to provide continuous feedback, so incorporating feedback given and received during an impact review into regular 1:1s presents a great opportunity to support Teammates making meaningful contributions to the Sourcegraph team, and to intentionally invest in their career development.

Additional resources

Overview of our impact review process

Keep this brief by sharing our handbook page about the impact review cycle asynchronously prior to the meeting.

Share with the teammate:

  • Our impact review process includes 360 review feedback from you (in the form of a self evaluation), and your peers, in addition to the review I’ve written, which we’ll go over today
  • Part of the review process is a values/performance rating. We’ll discuss it today, but more information can be found in the handbook
  • I’ve met with my peers, my manager and the people team to calibrate ratings across the organization and ensure we’re maintaining a fair and equitable performance bar
  • If applicable: we’ve also made compensation and promotion decisions as part of this process
  • Once we’re done with our meeting, I’ll share your review packet with you in Lattice (and compensation/promotion information, if applicable)
  • if applicable: you will receive your compensation increase at the end of April/early May, but it will be backdated to Sep 1.
  • We will conduct this process every 6 months.

Deliver the impact review

Next, screen share the Teammate’s review packet in Lattice and give a summary of the review. (Ensure that you are NOT sharing the Manager Version of the review)

Highlight what went well with supporting examples, and areas for growth and improvement. Acknowledge where 360 feedback supports your review. Highlight specific examples of work in each section. Regularly pause for questions. This is a discussion - be open to feedback from the Teammate, but also do not debate.

At the conclusion of the review read through, share the Teammate’s calibrated performance/value score.

Discussing the performance/value score

Best practices for delivering feedback:

  • Be specific.
  • No suprises.
  • Be an active listener, and ask open ended questions.
  • Don’t be defensive.

What not to do we expect Managers to be confident in the score that they’re providing to the teammate. We make it clear at all points during the calibration process that we do not force a distribution, and all managers have signed off on all final scores. At no point should you say the following:

  • I wanted to give you a 1 but my Manager/the people team/someone else made me give you a 2
  • I fought really hard to get you a 1 but [someone] wouldn’t let me
  • I wanted to give you a 1 but due to budget reasons I couldn’t
  • Anything else that would suggest you, as the manager, aren’t 100% confident in their final score

How to have a career growth conversation**

The conclusion of the impact review is a great time to revisit on-going career growth conversations. Approach career growth with open-ended questions and curiosity. For more guidance on how to conduct meaningful career conversations, check out our Teammate Development page.

Communicating with Teammates on PTO or leave of absence

Communicate reviews and compensation increases or promotions upon each Teammate’s return from PTO or leave of absence. We highly recommend scheduling time with each Teammate now, for when they return.

Communicating with Teammates who were too new to participate in this cycle

Our impact review cycles are great times to catch up with all teammates on their career growth and aspirations. We recommend briefly acknowledging the impact review cycle in the next 1:1 you have with Teammates who are too new to Sourcegraph to have participated in this cycle. Give them a brief overview of the process, and let them know they’ll be reviewed early next year.

FAQ

We’ve included some anticipated frequently asked questions below you may encounter when delivering the impact review and/or compensation results. If a Teammate asks a question and you’re not sure how to respond, let them know you’ll follow up, and reach out to your People Partner for assistance.

Our Compensation at Sourcegraph page also includes FAQs you may encounter during conversations with Teammates..

Q: How often does Sourcegraph provide merit increases?

  • A: We evaluate compensation twice yearly, aligned with the Impact Review Cycles. Compensation at Sourcegraph is designed to reward high performance. Our Teammates who are meeting or exceeding our high bar can expect to typically receive an increase at least once per year. High performance during a period may result in more frequent increases. Additionally, we regularly evaluate the external job market and may issue market increases to remain competitive. You can read more about our anticipated corresponding compensation increase % for each impact review score. Please note that these are estimates and we reserve the right to change these at any time.

Q: How do I know if I’m eligible for a merit increase?

  • A: You can read about merit eligibility HERE. Teammates can receive increases 2x per year for exceptional performance (a Skill or Values-based performance rating of “1”), but the expectation is that Teammates receive a comp review 1x per year.

Q: How do I know if I’m eligible for a promotion?

  • A: The following criteria support promotions:
    • A Teammate is already performing at the next level or job scope prior to promotion.
    • The business need exists for the role to increase in job scope, or capacity requirements show additional headcount at a higher job scope is required (IC5+ and M4+).
    • The promotion decision is occurring at a justified and fair rate.

Q: Why is my performance rating not in my review?

  • A: Managers, you may reach out to your People Partner to re-open the Lattice review and add the performance rating in Question 1.

Q: Inflation and the Consumer Price Index increased significantly in the past year. Why doesn’t my merit increase match increased inflation/CPI numbers?

Q: Where can I learn more about Compensation at Sourcegraph?

A: Information about compensation at Sourcegraph is published in the handbook, and includes a set of compensation-specific FAQs.

Q: How do I access my promo/comp change letter?

A: Your manager will share your promo/comp change letter with you. It will be uploaded to your Bamboo profile in May. Your compensation increase will also be reflected in your Bamboo profile starting in May.

Q: When will my compensation and/or promotion go into effect?

A: the first of the month that the feedback delivery takes place.

Q: When will I be able to see my compensation and/or promotion in Bamboo?

A: ~the first of the month the month after it goes into effect.

Q: I disagree with my Impact Review rating. What should I do?

A: You should discuss your feedback with your Manager and People Partner. Your leadership team and People Partner will review your feedback and communicate a resolution/outcome to you.

Q: How can I see all compensation ranges?

A: You can access all compensation ranges in Assemble.

Q: Why did some compensation ranges go down?

A: We re-run compensation ranges every 6-months, and our ranges move as the market moves. This means that sometimes ranges decrease. We never decrease Teammate’s compensation as a result.