Performance reviews are often met with groans and anxiety, but they don’t have to be a dreaded part of organizational life. Jay Jones and Payten Kirby, leads of talent and employee experience at SHRM, share how employers, managers, and employees can all improve the performance review process together. Learn the importance of building on existing strengths and making thoughtful adjustments to areas that cause frustration or disengagement. Plus, explore practical ways to ease tension around performance reviews, and how they can drive ongoing success and strengthen workplace culture.
Episode Guests
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Jay Jones
Jay Jones brings over a decade of broad HR experience, including employee relations, performance management, training, and career development. As a Lead, Talent & Employee Experience at SHRM, he serves as a trusted advisor to people managers and employees throughout the employee lifecycle. He is a critical part of the Talent Management Employee Experience and broader HR team, supporting talent recruitment, retention, and employee engagement solutions that enable an agile, engaged, and inclusive workplace.
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Payten Kirby
Payten Kirby is a passionate people strategist with a focus on creating meaningful, future-ready employee experiences. With a background spanning talent acquisition, performance management, talent development, organizational transformation, and culture design, Payten partners with leaders to build systems that unlock individual potential and drive business impact. Known for blending strategic thinking with empathy and creativity, she brings a human-centered approach to evolving the workplace. Payten has led initiatives across industries including healthcare, government contracting, and non-profit to shape talent frameworks, foster cross-functional collaboration, and champion inclusive, values-aligned cultures.
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