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.
Appraisals are like school reports. You know they're coming and you always dread them - unless you're a SWOT. Most of us are aware of the areas in which we need to pull our socks up, but suddenly trying to improve just before the deadline isn't ever going to fool your line manager.
Preparation is what you have to do it. Yet it's often the case that the appraise will prepare brilliantly, and the manager doesn't. Appraisee should look at their last review notes, and collate any "well done you" emails from suppliers, clients or co-workers as ammo. At the same time they should be prepared to be honest about weak points. "And you should do pre-work on your emotions too," suggests Judi James, workplace expert and author of Body Talk at Work. Managers should always start with positive feedback and be kind, look at the whole person and think of it as a collaborative session. And don't forget to book a follow-up - and stick to the agreed actions.
Take responsibility: "You can no longer trust your employer to look after you," cautions Peter Ryding, chairman of Video Arts. "It is your responsibility to make sure that you are constantly re-employable and you should see your performance review as an opportunity to drive your career forward
Look forward: "The manager should spend only about 30% of the time discussing the past and 70% talking about future performance Spending too long on stuff that has already happened makes the tone sound like a telling-off, when the objective of an appraisal is to raise performance in future
Have a long-term plan: By looking at your career as a whole, you should think of where you want to be in five years' time or more, regardless of whether or not you will be with the same employer. During your review, you can request training and say that you want to gain further qualifications or experience, even if you plan to take this knowledge elsewhere later.
Don't spring surprises - You screwed up last summer," and have been waiting until the end of the year to reprimand the employee. This is ancient bad practice
Keep focused: It's so tempting to get bogged down by a specific issue if there's something you need to get sorted today. Always keep the big picture in mind.
Questions that you can ask during appraisal [/b]
What should I continue to do?
What should I stop doing?
What should I start to do?
What can I do to deliver the most value to our organization?
What criteria should I satisfy to move onto the next level in this organization?
What can I do to make you more successful?
How will my role align to company direction in the future?
Stupid thing not to be done during an appraisal
Spending more time on performance appraisal than performance PLANNING, or ongoing performance communication.
Comparing employees with each other
Forgetting appraisal is about improvement, not blame.
Thinking a rating form is an objective, impartial tool.
Cancelling or postponing appraisal meetings.
Measuring or appraising the trivial.
Surprising employees during appraisal.
Appraisals are like school reports. You know they're coming and you always dread them - unless you're a SWOT. Most of us are aware of the areas in which we need to pull our socks up, but suddenly trying to improve just before the deadline isn't ever going to fool your line manager.
Preparation is what you have to do it. Yet it's often the case that the appraise will prepare brilliantly, and the manager doesn't. Appraisee should look at their last review notes, and collate any "well done you" emails from suppliers, clients or co-workers as ammo. At the same time they should be prepared to be honest about weak points. "And you should do pre-work on your emotions too," suggests Judi James, workplace expert and author of Body Talk at Work. Managers should always start with positive feedback and be kind, look at the whole person and think of it as a collaborative session. And don't forget to book a follow-up - and stick to the agreed actions.
Take responsibility: "You can no longer trust your employer to look after you," cautions Peter Ryding, chairman of Video Arts. "It is your responsibility to make sure that you are constantly re-employable and you should see your performance review as an opportunity to drive your career forward
Look forward: "The manager should spend only about 30% of the time discussing the past and 70% talking about future performance Spending too long on stuff that has already happened makes the tone sound like a telling-off, when the objective of an appraisal is to raise performance in future
Have a long-term plan: By looking at your career as a whole, you should think of where you want to be in five years' time or more, regardless of whether or not you will be with the same employer. During your review, you can request training and say that you want to gain further qualifications or experience, even if you plan to take this knowledge elsewhere later.
Don't spring surprises - You screwed up last summer," and have been waiting until the end of the year to reprimand the employee. This is ancient bad practice
Keep focused: It's so tempting to get bogged down by a specific issue if there's something you need to get sorted today. Always keep the big picture in mind.
Questions that you can ask during appraisal [/b]
What should I continue to do?
What should I stop doing?
What should I start to do?
What can I do to deliver the most value to our organization?
What criteria should I satisfy to move onto the next level in this organization?
What can I do to make you more successful?
How will my role align to company direction in the future?
Stupid thing not to be done during an appraisal
Spending more time on performance appraisal than performance PLANNING, or ongoing performance communication.
Comparing employees with each other
Forgetting appraisal is about improvement, not blame.
Thinking a rating form is an objective, impartial tool.
Cancelling or postponing appraisal meetings.
Measuring or appraising the trivial.
Surprising employees during appraisal.