Statista

For Statista, performance management is both a sensitive and strategically important topic. As soon as discussions involve performance, compensation, career development, or hierarchy, uncertainty can quickly arise. That makes clear communication, consistent processes, and transparent criteria even more important.

The goal is to ensure employees understand what is expected of them, how they can develop, and what the next steps in their career path could look like. At the same time, HR needs strong support from across the organisation, especially from senior leadership and the C-level team.

The biggest challenges:

• Creating a shared understanding of performance

• Making performance reviews fair and transparent

• Guiding managers and employees through the process

• Connecting development, compensation, and career paths more effectively

• Establishing clear review standards across the organization

Statista runs two formal review cycles each year, typically in April and October. The entire process runs through Personio Performance & Development and follows a clearly defined structure. This helps ensure that ratings are understood and applied consistently across teams.

The process includes:

• biannual review cycles

• calibration rounds before annual reviews

• a standardized rating system

• automated reminders through Personio

• clear timelines for annual reviews

• reusable cycles for future review periods

This reduces manual effort and gives the HR team more time for communication, calibration, manager support, and analysis. Additional communication from senior management reinforces that the topic is supported across the organization, not just by HR.

“I’m a big fan of running the process twice a year because it enables more continuous feedback — especially in situations where feedback does not always happen naturally in day-to-day work, mentions Kim Kristin Eggers, Head of People Operations.

After each review cycle, the HR team analyzes the results. The focus is not only on individual ratings, but also on patterns across teams and the wider organization.

Ratings at both the upper and lower ends of the scale are particularly relevant, as are ratings close to either end. Lower ratings can indicate that action should have been taken earlier. Very high ratings may suggest that employees are ready for their next development step. "A three is actually a very good rating," mentions Kim. "If someone fulfills everything that is expected of them, that is essentially the ideal situation."

At Statista, the data supports decisions in areas such as:

• promotion planning

• compensation development

• career paths

• succession and development planning

• workforce planning

• supporting managers with people decisions

After the analysis, the responsible stakeholders support managers in interpreting results and defining appropriate next steps.

To keep the process running reliably, clear responsibilities are essential. One dedicated person within the HR team oversees the process, while additional admins provide support. The biggest challenge is often not the technology itself, but consistently following up on open feedback.

Alongside performance management, Statista is also exploring how AI is changing HR work. The focus is not only on saving time, but also on reducing manual tasks and allowing teams to use their capacity more effectively.

In the performance context, Statista has already worked with a bot that compares strengths and development areas with the company’s internal ways of working. This reduces coordination effort and provides more clarity.

Trust remains essential. When AI changes roles, processes, and ways of working, organizations need open conversations about opportunities, concerns, and expectations.