Performance reviews are the corporate world’s necessary evil—dreaded by most, loved by few. They’re awkward, stressful, and often a minefield of tough feedback. Yet Garner, a 300-person health tech company offering employee benefits, is leaning hard into the process with a twist: making every review visible to all staff. Six years into this experiment, the company claims it’s boosting accountability and fostering a bolder, more open work culture.
“We call it radical candor with high standards,” says Valentina Gissin, Garner’s chief people officer, in an interview with Fortune. “Our goal is to set people up to do their best work, and that hinges on courageous communication.” It’s a sharp departure from the norm in an HR landscape where performance reviews are notoriously loathed—only 2% of Fortune 500 HR chiefs think their systems actually motivate workers, per a 2024 Gallup study. Other firms have ditched tradition altogether: Accenture axed annual reviews in 2016 for real-time feedback, while Yahoo swapped biannual evaluations for regular check-ins in 2022.
Garner’s approach is more audacious. Twice a year, employees dive into a 360-degree review process. Anyone who’s been with the company a few months can participate, picking colleagues to evaluate them—subject to a manager’s approval to nix bias. Staff can also review anyone else, from peers to top brass. Gissin’s team screens every submission for appropriateness but insists they’ve never censored a word. Once finalized, the reviews go live for all to see.
For employees, it’s a jolt from the typical hush-hush review culture. “The first time, I was nervous—didn’t know what to expect,” admits Madison Frye, a senior product manager with three years at Garner. “But the feedback’s never blindsided me—it lines up with what I hear day-to-day.” She says the transparency has pushed her to seek input from colleagues year-round, not just during review season. Others, like senior account manager Megan Cunningham, relish peeking at leadership’s reviews. “Seeing how senior leaders give and take feedback—it’s a window into their priorities,” she says. “It’s transparency beyond another all-hands meeting.”
Not everyone’s sold. Critics argue public 360 reviews could backfire. Carolyn Troyan, CEO of HR consultancy Leadership360, warns that employees might soften critiques, fearing fallout on a coworker’s pay or prospects. She adds that most people—managers included—lack training in delivering constructive feedback, and airing it company-wide risks sparking tension. “Feedback’s great, but publishing it? That might erode trust, especially if it’s a surprise,” Troyan says. “Even in a solid culture, it’s a tightrope—one misstep could be chaos.”
Gissin concedes not every Garner employee loves the spotlight. “Sure, some wish certain comments stayed private,” she admits. But she’s unwavering on the upside: “The net gain is a team trained to see feedback as growth, not a personal jab—it’s how we thrive individually and collectively.” The process, she argues, reflects Garner’s year-round ethos of openness.
As companies grapple with how to rethink performance management, Garner’s gamble stands out. It’s a high-stakes bid to turn a workplace chore into a culture cornerstone—one that’s either a blueprint for the future or a cautionary tale in the making.