Dealing with Performance Appraisals

Dealing with Performance Appraisals
 
 

It’s that time of year again 
Unfortunately, many companies view performance appraisals, or reviews, as a tedious annual or semi-annual event, where a manager tells his/her subordinate what s/he did well and what s/he didn’t do well. This attitude defeats the purpose of any performance appraisal. If this is your goal, don’t bother – save your time and your employee’s time. As a supervisor, you should be giving your team feedback on a regular basis and not waiting for a ‘chance’ to do so. 
 

A performance appraisal session should be viewed as a golden opportunity for you and your subordinate(s) to review the past year, with its achievements, problems, and progress. The review should cover goals and skills of the past year, future goals, strengths and weaknesses and recommendations for development. This is also a chance for you to discuss with them issues pertaining to their job, such as what kind of training they may need, how you can help them develop as professionals, and set new goals for the coming year. Whether s/he is entitled to a promotion, raise or other forms of compensation should also be addressed. And if they are not, this is also the time to tell them. 
 

The most favorable type of appraisal focuses on goal achievement, work quality and quantity, and also takes into consideration characteristics, behavior, traits and skills. A typical scale would be: Exceptional, Very Good, On Target, Average, Needs Improvement. Based on this scale, about 85% of employees should fall under On Target, as an overall rating.
 
Planning for the appraisal meeting is crucial. Before the meeting between you and the employee, review the goals and plans you set during the last appraisal: 
 
How well did this employee perform? 
How did s/he work with his/her team? 
Did you see initiative? 
Are there areas of development? 
How are his/her communication skills? 

Filling out a performance appraisal for each employee on your own before the actual meeting is the ideal way to go. This gives you a chance to review the employee’s achievements, and take notes on any topic of discussion you want to raise.
 

Also, taking into consideration the input of the employee is important- a performance appraisal session is not a one-sided conversation. Always make sure you give the employee an empty appraisal form, and have them appraise their performance for the past year. And give them enough time to think about it and fill it in. The input your subordinate will bring to the session will be a decisive factor in its success. 
 

Besides the appraisal that you fill out on your own, create a checklist of things you want to discuss with each team member. This will be unique for each team member. The checklist may include topics as the following: 
 
All significant projects the employee was involved in 
Achievements - Problems and why you think these problems occurred 
View of future projects and how they can be handled to avoid these problems 
Team interaction and interpersonal skills 
Client relations (if applicable) 
Skills that need development 
Training 
Has this person’s job changed in anyway? Would they like it to change in anyway? How and why? 
A possible promotion/raise? Why you think they deserve a promotion/raise? Why does s/he think s/he deserves a promotion? 
 

The list can go on. And, the final outcome is usually a blend of your appraisal, the employee’s self- appraisal, and the resulting discussion .
 

And don’t forget, as the boss you should also be appraising yourself in the process, in relation to each employee, since your interaction with and support of them is a factor of considerable significance in their output. 
 

Conducting a meaningful performance review is not an easy matter. It requires planning, practice and skill. And, a large success factor of the next round of appraisals rests on this year’s- how seriously you take the outcome will determine how seriously your subordinate takes you and the next appraisal. Remember that both you and your employee(s) are on the same side, contrary to some beliefs. Success prevails on both when something goes well, as does trouble when something goes wrong.