Is that what you feel about performance appraisals? Do you want to
quickly get over with the appraisal and get on with your work? I guess
this is extreme reaction – but, I have heard these words often. Or like
me, do you love appraisal time? If you are leaning towards -‘let’s get
this over with’… read on – I hope this post can change your outlook. If
not, still read on – you can add some pointers :)
Performance appraisals are dreaded by many employees and some managers! Top question from HR seems to be -
• How can I get my employees to see that Performance appraisal is good for them?
It is a bit worrying that HR need to convince employees that performance appraisal is helpful for the employees - it gives them a direction. It gives them a place in the big plan of the company. It gives a chance to celebrate what was good and understand and rectify what was not.
What is a performance appraisal?
Measuring and evaluating performance is central to determining the success of any organisation. The organisation’s performance is measured by reaching out to the individual who make up the organisation. This evaluation helps managers to understand key strengths and weaknesses in a team and to form strategies for training, development and job changes.
• Performance appraisal is NOT just about the past. It is what you can use past examples for future objectives
• Performance appraisal is NOT just about ratings. It is also about qualitative feedback that you can decide to implement or not.
• Performance appraisal is NOT just about the individual. It is about the individual performance aligning to organisation objectives
• Performance appraisal is NOT about manager giving a rating. It is about the individual rating self and manager discussing and asking right questions.
Ensure performance appraisal includes a discussion about your development and the exact measures you need to take to achieve your KPIs and demonstrating company values on the way. This could be internal/external training, networking, shadowing or even… blogging! As an employee, it is your responsibility to lead the discussion. Your manager is a facilitator helping you achieve your best.
Few common complaints about Performance Appraisal and the ways you can deal with them:
1) It happens once in a year and I am expected to remember what I’ve done and prove it
a. No, you are not expected to remember – you are expected to take note of it when it happens and use it during your review.
b. If you want the appraisal more often – talk to your manager. Perhaps your manager can accommodate a review every two months? This also depends on the type of work that you do.
2) My current manager does not know what I am up to
a. Get a review from the people who know. 360 feedback is a wonderful process to get feedback from multiple sources. Use it to your advantage
b. Make sure you get feedback from a manager before changing roles/jobs.
3) My manager does not remember everything
a. No manager has the gift of remembering everything about every one of his/her direct reports.
b. Help your manager – save anything you think can help in your appraisal – keep a log, keep emails and where possible, inform your manager as and when it happens without waiting for the annual appraisal
4) Biased reviews
a. Human nature plays a big part in the appraisals in spite of the advancement of technology. After all, if we are rated by machines without any personal touch, we might as well be machines ourselves!
b. If you feel there is any bias, discuss with your manager. Show examples why you think a particular rating is incorrect. Use facts instead of emotions.
5) (And rarely…Ahem...) People I ask for feedback give too much positive feedback! Perhaps they are worried to give me negative feedback and how can I improve if I don’t know what to focus on
a. Encourage reviewers to give you constructive feedback – this is for the good of everyone
b. Use anonymous reviews if you can – if the reviewer does not have to divulge the name, they can be a bit more independent with their review
c. Develop an organisational culture to share good and bad feedback as and when it happens – this can add real value and the employee can have a chance to show they used feedback in their next review
Performance appraisal is what you make of it – if you think it will be boring – it will be. But, if used correctly, it is a powerful process for employees, managers and organisations.
Think of a game - Isn't it more fun to play to certain objectives? Isn't it more fun to be in multi-player games? Clearly all games 'with friends' are popular because of this concept. Why isn't it fun if it is at work? Define the objectives in a way that you would enjoy achieving them. Define the plan in a way you would enjoy playing the work game. Performance appraisal is that time where you can choose your path in the organisation (or atleast make your manager aware of the path you want to take). Gamification of Performance Management is such an interesting and extensive area - perhaps later...
What do you think about performance appraisals?
Performance appraisals are dreaded by many employees and some managers! Top question from HR seems to be -
• How can I get my employees to see that Performance appraisal is good for them?
It is a bit worrying that HR need to convince employees that performance appraisal is helpful for the employees - it gives them a direction. It gives them a place in the big plan of the company. It gives a chance to celebrate what was good and understand and rectify what was not.
What is a performance appraisal?
Measuring and evaluating performance is central to determining the success of any organisation. The organisation’s performance is measured by reaching out to the individual who make up the organisation. This evaluation helps managers to understand key strengths and weaknesses in a team and to form strategies for training, development and job changes.
• Performance appraisal is NOT just about the past. It is what you can use past examples for future objectives
• Performance appraisal is NOT just about ratings. It is also about qualitative feedback that you can decide to implement or not.
• Performance appraisal is NOT just about the individual. It is about the individual performance aligning to organisation objectives
• Performance appraisal is NOT about manager giving a rating. It is about the individual rating self and manager discussing and asking right questions.
Ensure performance appraisal includes a discussion about your development and the exact measures you need to take to achieve your KPIs and demonstrating company values on the way. This could be internal/external training, networking, shadowing or even… blogging! As an employee, it is your responsibility to lead the discussion. Your manager is a facilitator helping you achieve your best.
Few common complaints about Performance Appraisal and the ways you can deal with them:
1) It happens once in a year and I am expected to remember what I’ve done and prove it
a. No, you are not expected to remember – you are expected to take note of it when it happens and use it during your review.
b. If you want the appraisal more often – talk to your manager. Perhaps your manager can accommodate a review every two months? This also depends on the type of work that you do.
2) My current manager does not know what I am up to
a. Get a review from the people who know. 360 feedback is a wonderful process to get feedback from multiple sources. Use it to your advantage
b. Make sure you get feedback from a manager before changing roles/jobs.
3) My manager does not remember everything
a. No manager has the gift of remembering everything about every one of his/her direct reports.
b. Help your manager – save anything you think can help in your appraisal – keep a log, keep emails and where possible, inform your manager as and when it happens without waiting for the annual appraisal
4) Biased reviews
a. Human nature plays a big part in the appraisals in spite of the advancement of technology. After all, if we are rated by machines without any personal touch, we might as well be machines ourselves!
b. If you feel there is any bias, discuss with your manager. Show examples why you think a particular rating is incorrect. Use facts instead of emotions.
5) (And rarely…Ahem...) People I ask for feedback give too much positive feedback! Perhaps they are worried to give me negative feedback and how can I improve if I don’t know what to focus on
a. Encourage reviewers to give you constructive feedback – this is for the good of everyone
b. Use anonymous reviews if you can – if the reviewer does not have to divulge the name, they can be a bit more independent with their review
c. Develop an organisational culture to share good and bad feedback as and when it happens – this can add real value and the employee can have a chance to show they used feedback in their next review
Performance appraisal is what you make of it – if you think it will be boring – it will be. But, if used correctly, it is a powerful process for employees, managers and organisations.
Think of a game - Isn't it more fun to play to certain objectives? Isn't it more fun to be in multi-player games? Clearly all games 'with friends' are popular because of this concept. Why isn't it fun if it is at work? Define the objectives in a way that you would enjoy achieving them. Define the plan in a way you would enjoy playing the work game. Performance appraisal is that time where you can choose your path in the organisation (or atleast make your manager aware of the path you want to take). Gamification of Performance Management is such an interesting and extensive area - perhaps later...
What do you think about performance appraisals?
