How do you measure up? Get more out of the employee appraisal process

What do you think of appraisals?

On a scale of 0-10, how well do you manage the performance of your people?

What do your staff think of the appraisal process?

One participant at a workshop recently said there was a “corporate groan” when appraisal time came round. I bet the staff felt the same too!

Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not against appraising performance. It’s just that I sometimes wonder whether we end up creating something which hinders, rather than supports, the key objectives I suspect we all want to achieve?

Often a performance appraisal process consists of the manager writing his opinions of a staff member’s performance on a document supplied by HR. The member of staff writes their own version, and a kind of “negotiation” then takes place.  The appraisal usually reflects what the manager can remember, and often the emphasis is on the “gaps” or weaknesses, and how they can be improved.

Now, I don’t know about you – but if people focus mostly on my weaknesses, it kind of feels de-motivating! And did you know research shows we humans become far more motivated and engaged if the ratio of praise to criticsm is at least two to one?

The biggest problem? I think it’s waiting for the appraisal to discuss performance. Performance is going on every day. The best managers have a routine which encourages discussion and reflection on performance regularly and consistently. They build feedback into their daily/weekly routine. They share and feedback regularly what’s going well not just any underperformance they see, and they show they are willing to receive feedback too! They don’t wait for the formal appraisal to discuss performance. They are skilled at giving and receiving feedback.

The bottom line is, there should be no surprises in a performance appraisal.

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We’ve some tips to help you feel more confident about giving feedback in some of our earlier articles, and for lots more information to help you with appraisals and the people side of management
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these great resources:

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Related posts:

1. What successful sales, employee motivation and radio have in common!
2. Four Secrets to Pain Free Employee Performance Review
3. What’s Your Management Style?