We're a month into the new year, which means two things: The days are getting longer and your annual performance review is probably approaching. According to a new survey by Adobe, 88 percent of U.S. office workers have a regularly scheduled, structured, and written performance review process at their current organization. And one in four of them said they would gladly switch jobs to a company that didn't have that formal review process in place, even at the same pay and job level.

What's not to like?

One of the main reasons employees don't find traditional performance reviews useful is because they see them as a waste of time. According to the survey, almost 60 percent of workers say that their performance review has no impact on how they do their job and instead puts them in competition with their colleagues, giving their manager the opportunity to play favorites. This lack of trust in the performance-review process leads to negative reactions once the reviews are given. And these reactions are strongest among the men in the study: Men are more likely to cry after a performance review (25 percent), look for another job (43 percent), or even outright quit (28 percent).

So what's the alternative?

Today's increasingly connected world breeds an expectation of instantaneous feedback and that's where the traditional performance review falls short. Instead of waiting until the standard review time, 80 percent of employees in the study said they want feedback "in the moment" to help them improve in their jobs. More timely feedback allows both employees and managers to address issues, problems, or opportunities in the moment, leading to more engagement from employees and more trust from managers. Almost half of the employees surveyed said they feel companies that have ditched traditional performance reviews are more likely to be flexible, have happier employees, and to have a more collaborative culture.

What can you do?

While you're not likely to waltz into your boss' office and change the company culture overnight, you can make small changes to create your own more motivational review process. Open the lines of communication with your manager and have more frequent conversations about your performance so you can make adjustments throughout the year. And remember to accept the feedback you get in these conversations instead of getting defensive. Use it as an opportunity to improve.

The formal review process is still a fixture at most organizations, although more forward-thinking companies, like Google and Adobe, are moving to a process focused on two-way dialogue. On behalf of the 88 percent of us still stuck with the old system, we hope that catches on.

After you review your performance with your boss, try out a tool to find out if you're really being paid enough for your work, and be sure to check out Convene's Annual Salary Survey.

About PCMA 

PCMA educates, inspires and listens, creating meaningful experiences where passion, purpose and commerce come together. We are the world's largest community for Business Events Strategists, providing senior-level education, networking, and market intelligence for the global business events industry. Our mission is to drive social and economic progress through business events. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 17 chapters throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico with members in more than 40 countries and regional offices in Latin America, Europe and Singapore. Visit us at pcma.org. 

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