Rethinking Performance Reviews | The Handbook Podcast

Rethinking performance, pay reviews & career growth with Zoe Blogg

Zoe Elizabeth Blogg Guest

Are performance reviews a waste of time—or your agency’s secret weapon?

Too often, agencies treat performance management as a checkbox exercise, bogged down with vague feedback and awkward salary conversations. But Zoe Elizabeth Blogg, Operations Director at Reboot Online, has built a system that actually works.

From structured performance reviews to proactive (quarterly!) salary reviews, Zoe’s created a process that keeps teams engaged, managers confident, and top talent sticking around—all in a fully remote, four-day workweek agency.

In this conversation, Zoe breaks down how to make performance management meaningful and scalable.

Here’s what we dive into:

Why performance reviews fail—and how to make them useful (without the admin burden)
Why Reboot runs salary reviews four times a year—without turning them into negotiation battles
The key to training new managers so they lead with confidence, not confusion
How Reboot creates equally rewarding career growth paths for both individual contributors and managers.

Plus, Zoe shares impressive details on her line manager playbook, and structured career pathways.

Key Takeaways:

Performance reviews should drive growth, not just check a box. Too many agencies treat reviews as routine admin, but when done right, they create clear goals, improve engagement, and boost retention.
Regular salary reviews keep things transparent and help retain top talent. At Reboot, checking in on salaries every quarter means employees aren’t left wondering about their growth, and it reduces the risk of unexpected resignations. It also keeps people motivated by giving them a clear path forward. For the business, it spreads out pay increases over the year, making budgeting easier and avoiding big, sudden cost jumps.
Management shouldn’t be the only path to promotion. Many agencies assume that career growth means moving into a management role, even when someone’s strengths lie elsewhere. But when individual contributors have a clear path to advance, without taking on management responsibilities, they stay motivated, perform at a higher level, and contribute more to the agency’s success.
Clarity in career progression reduces turnover. Employees need to see a clear path forward. Structured career frameworks—like Reboot’s level-based system—help agencies retain talent by removing uncertainty.
Training managers properly prevents costly mistakes. New managers often struggle without training. A structured playbook, external courses, and dedicated coaching help them lead with confidence.
Performance management should be light but impactful. A twice-yearly review cycle, combined with continuous feedback, ensures employees are always working toward growth—without overwhelming managers.
Separating salary reviews from performance reviews makes both better. Salary conversations can derail performance discussions. Handling them separately ensures productive reviews and fair, data-driven compensation decisions.