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For historical context, you can review our old system here: Performance Reviews (OLD system - until 2024)

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Reflections are stored in Notion here: ‣

Jump to: 📝 Process

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We ask all teammates to give and receive feedback regularly so we can improve consistently. The purpose of performance conversations is alignment between teammates and managers on job scope and expectations, overall performance, and growth track.

This is also our system for organizing promotions; managers reflect on teammate contributions and impact, and then calibrate their recommendations for promotions with fellow managers, and with department heads. (See more about our career framework, and promotions.)

In 2024, we took on the task of improving our system of Performance Reviews. After some discussion during Collaboration Week, we decided to “burn down” the old system and try something new and a bit unusual.

This system is in active development, and is subject to change as we test and learn. 🧠

Table of contents:

Some context:

At Buffer, we believe in regular conversations between managers and teammates on the subject of performance. (In years past, we went through seasons of not having any form of performance management, and ultimately decided to prioritize this conversation as part of regular work and life at Buffer because they added significant value.) In these conversations, the goals are alignment, understanding, and personal growth.

Why do we have a system for performance? Here are some of the benefits of regular performance conversations:

• Serve company performance, support teammates’ growth, and live by our value of Improving Consistently: we are striving to be a close knit, high-performing team, and regular feedback is a part of that.
• Psychological safety for teammates: Bufferoos have expressed that we feel higher psychological safety when we have high trust and open dialogue, and “know where we stand” with our managers. Higher psychological safety means work is more fun, and we get more done as a team.
• Support salary formula logistics: We have an organized and transparent salary system, and teammate leveling (promotions) are a part of that system.
• Lastly, for legal purposes: This isn’t hugely motivating for us but it is a small factor; it’s helpful for us to keep a record of performance conversations in the rare case when we part ways with a teammate.

Why we changed from the old system:

For many years until 2024, we approached performance management in a fairly standard corporate way; we did Performance Reviews twice per year. There’s more context into the decision to move away from that system in this Campsite post, but here is the TL;DR: