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Top 10 Tips for Performance Appraisals
Tip #1: Don't forget about performance planning. Many managers spend more time on the actual performance appraisal of an employee than they do on the initial performance planning and ongoing performance communication. This is a mistake and will always lead to a poor appraisal interaction. The performance appraisal is merely the end of an ongoing process. More attention should be given to employee development and preventing performance problems rather than merely evaluating at the end of the year. This will also make the appraisal easier to give and more comfortable for the employee to receive. And, it will also greatly reduce if not eliminate surprises.
Tip #2: Don't compare employees with each other. While it is always appropriate to compare the end results achieved of employees with one another, take care to not compare employees to or against one another. This can and often does create bad feelings, poor morale, and an environment of unhealthy competition.
Tip #3: Don't forget that appraisal is about assessment. The purpose of an appraisal is to provide an accurate assessment of performance, not to place blame. By assessing performance accurately, both parties, manager and employee, can work in an environment of trust and confidence. This is critical to merit based pay and employee driven development and improvement.
Tip #4: Don't forget that ratings are subjective. It is common to use a rating system such as 1-5 when appraising employees. Ratings are an effective way to apply a subjective assessment based upon a wide variety of criteria. However, ratings are not real in the sense that if two or more people rate the same employee, the likelihood of everyone agreeing is very small. Seek to fairly apply the rating system, but don't let the final, subjective, grade personify or label the employee being rated.
Tip #5: Appraisals are for performance improvement not salary administration. Many people use the appraisal process to administer salaries. This is incorrect. The appraisal process is for performance improvement, not salary administration. Of course, appraisals are a key input into salary administration, but if an employee is at the maximum salary for a position you should not stop conducting performance appraisals for that employee.
Tip #6: Accurately assessing staff. Sometimes managers are over confident in their belief that they can accurately assess their staff, even when they hardly ever work with or even see their direct employees. Most managers are not in a position to consistently monitor or oversee performance. Hence, the appraisal process needs to be a two way working relationship and partnership between manager and employee.
Tip #7: Don't postpone appraisal meetings. Many managers delay or even cancel appraisal meetings. Sometimes this is because the manager is not ready to give the appraisal. Other times it is because something came up and the manager is all too eager to avoid or delay an activity that they are not that keen to do. Postponing appraisals is disrespectful. If managers are not willing to commit to the process and do a good job, then they shouldn't be managers.
Tip #8: If necessary, appraise the trivial. Many human resource experts advocate measuring only the big things, not the trivial. Others suggest that often times measuring a few of the trivial aspects to one's performance is just a critical as the key goals and objectives. Behaviors such as being late for key meetings, letting the phone always go to voicemail, not replying to emails, dress, manner of speech, attitude, and many others are expected areas of performance whether they are in the performance plan or not.
Tip #9: No surprises, never. The performance appraisal should never be a surprise. By discussing performance throughout the year, both parties should be well aware of the end results achieved and how those end results will be appraised. Talk to staff continuously. When end results are exceptional, take time to formally acknowledge that. When they are poor, do the same. Generally speaking, managers should provide a regular, once a quarter, interim assessment of performance. These interim assessments help to ensure an effective manager/employee discourse, an accurate final appraisal, and a no surprises along the way.
Tip #10: Don't treat all employees the same. Do all employees need to be treated the same? Of course not. By way of policy, treat different employees differently. For example, if you have a rating scale of 1 through 4 where 1 is outstanding performance and 4 is marginal performance, you might consider having an interim review policy that provides more rigor for marginal employees and less for outstanding employees. Marginal performers need and should receive a quarterly interim assessment. Outstanding employees may only need a mid-year assessment. Ensure common sense, fair, and practical treatment of all those being appraised. Don't just go through the motions; appraisals are and need to be an effective tool for building high performance employees.
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