By Steve Saah, Executive Director of Finance and Accounting Permanent Placement, Robert HalfThe year-end performance review season may already feel like a distant memory, but the insight gained during those discussions remains relevant and valuable—including for managers. Finance and accounting leaders have an opportunity to turn that information into meaningful action across the organization, from improving how work gets done to strengthening employee engagement and development.Shifting labor dynamics underscore the importance of building on the connections managers made with employees during the performance review season. Research from Robert Half found that nearly 4 in 10 employed U.S. workers plan to look for a new job in the first half of 2026. So, even amid economic uncertainty and a cooler labor market, many professionals are still reassessing priorities, evaluating career paths, and thinking critically about whether they feel supported and satisfied in their job.Many finance and accounting professionals are waiting for the busy season pass before deciding to make a move. That’s why now is an ideal time to set up new-year check-ins with staff. These short, structured conversations aren’t meant to be a rehash of the performance review. Rather, they can help confirm that feedback and suggestions shared by both sides during the process have been clearly understood, and that both the employee and employer are taking concrete steps to apply or enable change.See these 9 strategies for helping staff manage stress during the accounting busy season.
How finance leaders can extend the value of performance review season all year long
Use new-year check-ins to convert feedback into action
Performance reviews address what happened in the past, and how to use those learnings to chart a path forward. New-year check-ins are almost exclusively focused on what happens next. These brief discussions should center on three key questions:What supported strong performance last year, and how can that momentum continue?Where did bottlenecks, workload spikes or communication gaps slow things down?Which 2-3 priorities matter most in the first quarter or half of 2026?Addressing these questions can help employees understand where to concentrate their time—and what can wait—when competing requests inevitably arise. Finance leaders can tailor follow-ups based on need, using one-on-one conversations to reset individual expectations or team sessions to reinforce how the group works together during close, forecasting and other recurring cycles.Done well, these conversations can help reduce uncertainty, reveal emerging signs of burnout, increase employee morale, and help teams meet upcoming demands and challenges more confidently.Get tips for managing employee burnout in finance and accounting.
Pair performance review season follow-ups with intentional career conversations
During performance reviews and follow-ups, employees may have questions about their long-term prospects for professional development and advancement in the organization. Because these topics are so critical for retention, many finance leaders schedule separate career conversations with employees to discuss them in depth.Career conversations allow employees to reflect on what energizes them, where they want to stretch and how they want to build new capabilities. Leaders can explore employees’ interest in upskilling or continuing education, as well as opportunities for increasing visibility or ownership—whether that’s leading workstreams, collaborating more closely with business partners, or leading high-profile projects.These career-focused discussions can also help finance and accounting leaders spot emerging leaders earlier and align leadership development and formal succession planning efforts accordingly. Just as important, the combination of performance reviews, new-year check-ins and career conversations can reinforce that the organization is invested in employees’ growth and success.
Build year-round check-ins into the rhythm of work
Ongoing communication with staff throughout the year is crucial for keeping employees connected and supported. As finance teams move through monthly close, quarterly reporting and shifting business demands, regular check-ins—even brief ones—can give employees a chance to confirm or reset priorities, raise concerns early and align on expectations before issues snowball.For leaders, these conversations provide a real-time view of workload patterns and pressure points. They often surface recurring obstacles, like technology limitations, unclear ownership or resource constraints. Over time, that steady connection between managers and staff can enhance retention and engagement by reducing surprises and helping team members feel seen, heard and supported.When process changes or the addition of permanent staff aren’t enough to relieve pressure on teams, finance and accounting leaders can look to contract talent to provide targeted support for as long as needed. These highly skilled resources can help stabilize workloads, bridge short-term gaps or move critical initiatives forward without overextending core staff and undermining their work-life balance.Learn how to make year-end reconciliation agile with contract finance and accounting talent.
Use recognition to help motivate teams and set the bar higher for performance
Employee recognition is another form of feedback, and it can be a powerful motivator, especially at the start of a new year. Call out specific contributions that make the work better for the team or the business, such as improving a close step, building a cleaner forecast model or strengthening documentation. Highlighting the achievement and underscoring its impact reinforces what strong performance looks like in practice—and encourages others to repeat those behaviors.Recognition is even more effective when it’s paired with shared commitments. So, before wrapping up a performance review follow-up or other check-in with a team member, agree on a short list of steps to revisit together later. That might include one commitment from the employee (e.g., taking ownership of a process) and one commitment from management (e.g., escalating a resource need). These commitments help turn recognition into follow-through and keep priorities in focus.Organizations that get the most value from performance review season treat it as the beginning of an onoing, ever evolving process throughout the year. New-year follow-ups, forward-looking career conversations and regular check-ins can help ensure feedback turns into action—and positive change. When recognition and expectations are reinforced throughout the year, and employees’ preferences and goals are kept top of mind, formal reviews become less about surprises and more about progress.As finance leaders put insights from the year-end review cycle to work, they may need to refine talent strategies, address known obstacles that slow workflows—such as outdated technology—and improve staffing capacity. Even small changes applied now can deliver outsized benefits as the year unfolds. And when the next performance review season arrives, managers and employees will be well positioned to build on a shared record of achievement and existing momentum, rather than starting from scratch.Follow Steve Saah on LinkedIn.
