Workplace advice: Here are the benefits, risks, and how managers should proceed.
On a Friday afternoon, a manager stares at his screen and does the math. Six employees plus six overdue performance reviews. An entire weekend gone.of 2,000 HR professionals cited by the Society for Human Resource Management, 13% of employers report using AI in their performance review process, and that figure likely understates informal use by managers experimenting on their own.
If you’re a manager flirting with AI’s seductive promise — faster drafts, smoother prose, less emotional strain — you might be tempted. But pause first. Yes, AI can help. It also creates risks that many managers haven’t thought through.Drafting a polished review from scratch can eat hours, even if you’ve taken notes all year long. If you funnel those into AI software, you’ll be rewarded with a polished draft within minutes. Managers who struggle with “how to say it” can use AI to turn fragmented notes into structured feedback, clarified expectations and clearly defined next steps. Clearer language means feedback that’s more likely to drive improvement.Some managers even use AI-powered voice simulations to practice delivering difficult feedback. Rehearsing with a chatbot helps them evaluate their tone, anticipate employee reactions and practice different responses.AI doesn’t know your employees. Unless you provide detailed observations, AI can create generic employee fiction that sounds good but isn’t. What happens if an employee asks you what one of the comments you borrowed from an AI template means? Will you be able to give a concrete answer or only a vague generality? Your organization uses performance reviews to decide wages, bonuses, promotions and layoffs. What happens if your fast AI work results in factual errors slipping in? Think that won’t happen? AI focuses on fluent writing and can easily generate praise or criticism that lacks accuracy. McKinsey’sAI wording often comes across as impersonal and generic. Sophisticated employees may catch the scent of AI when they read their reviews. If your employee suspects a robot wrote their performance review, you have a bigger problem than grammar.Or, what happens if you draft a performance review using an AI template and later fire or lay off the employee with the review as a crucial piece of documentation? The plaintiff attorney shows the court or jury that you’ve done a “cut and paste” from an AI template. Managers who use AI risk breaching an employee’s confidentiality concerning health accommodations or private situations. That information can be retained, incorporated into training models, or vulnerable in a security breach.If you plan to use AI as a tool, start with your own draft. Write the facts first. The more detailed and factual your notes, the better the result. Detail specific achievements, performance standards, missed targets and detailed, improvement-oriented information. Use AI to edit or refine clarity, not to invent substance. Avoid picking and choosing from AI-generated documents offering “samples.” AI needs to reflect what you provide, not invent substance. A performance review needs to be employee-centered, with references to actual performance, team dynamics and forward-looking goals aligned with your department’s or organization’s strategy.name signing the review, not Claude’s. Performance reviews shape careers. They influence pay, promotion and morale. AI may give you back your weekend. Just make sure it doesn’t take away your judgment or your credibility.Lynne Curry writes a weekly column on workplace issues. She is author of “Navigating Conflict,” “Managing for Accountability,” “Beating the Workplace Bully, and “Solutions.” Submit questions at workplacecoachblog.com/ask-a-coach or follow her at workplacecoachblog.com, lynnecurryauthor.com or lynnewriter10.substack.com.Kuwait shoots down 3 US jets in friendly fire during attack by Iran; crews surviveDear Annie: Can you miss the window for finding friends in a new place?
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