The usefulness of performance reviews is open to debate.

Some people think they are one-sided, ungrounded, and too sugarcoated. Others believe they are an invaluable tool in employee development.

Here are three ways to make your reviews more of the latter and less of the former:

Reduce subjectivity

Try to incorporate several viewpoints. Ask peers, direct reports, and more senior managers for input.

When possible, compare the employee's performance to that of her peers to get a more objective assessment.