Serena knew that her year-end review was due soon. But there'd been no information about it on the company intranet. Or through any of their other internal comms channels. Plus, her manager hadn't booked a meeting or even mentioned it. So she pushed it to the back of her mind.

She focused, instead, on the same day-to-day tasks that she'd carried out for the past few years. She was hoping her year-end appraisal would be a chance to discuss a way for her to progress out of her current role. Or at least lead to some new and more challenging opportunities. She tried to remember what goals (if any!) she'd been assigned in her previous review. And how they related to the organization's vision. But it had been almost a year since she'd sat down with her manager, and there'd been no mention of them since.

Colleagues she knew in other departments had been promoted or given greater responsibilities over the years. Serena wasn't sure why she was overlooked. She always worked hard and got her job done, but she had no idea how her performance compared with others in her team.

Serena's review came and went, with little warning. And so did Serena. Deflated and demoralized by another ill-planned and poorly delivered annual performance assessment meeting, she accepted an offer from their competitor company. Not alone, many of her colleagues followed in her footsteps. The result? Let's just say the company outlook wasn't looking great.

A year-end review carries a lot of weight. More than a one-off meeting, it's the culmination of a year's worth of performance management. And it takes time, training, the right tools, and a consistent, considered, and clear approach to get it right. Nail all of that, and retention rates start to soar. Treat it as a tick-box exercise, and they'll sink (by as much as 14.9%, according to data by Gallup).

HR professionals are key to all of this. But you'll struggle to find any resources that reflect this. This guide fills that gap. From reviewing processes for year-end reviews to setting standards, it offers a detailed overview of everything HR teams need to consider throughout the year.