Performance Appraisals

It’s time to conduct Annual Reviews!  Are you as the manager feeling anxious, nervous, and edgy?  There are few managers who like to conduct annual performance reviews.  An annual review is difficult to compile and if done haphazardly can cause many issues and put the company and management at risk.  Conversely, if done appropriately, they can help inspire, motivate and develop employees’ skills. 

Why do most managers dread conducting performance reviews?  It could be for a host of reasons but more than likely is due to the fact that there was a lack of preparation in putting the appraisal together.  If a manager has been diligent throughout the year in performance management and goal-setting the annual review is the “final report card” for the year. All employees have the right to know how they are doing and how they are perceived by the company.  Sadly many annual reviews are the only appraisal that happens.  Annual reviews should never be a surprise; they are simply a synopsis of the progress reports that were shared with employees throughout the year.

There is “old school” thinking that annual reviews are done solely for the purpose of documenting poor performance.  This should not be the case!  The purpose of an annual review should be to recap the year’s progress and carried out with the intent of improving an employee’s skill sets, productivity and loyalty to the company. Your employee should know what was expected in their position and updated on progress throughout the year by regular “progress reports”.  The final review will  be the final benchmark for the past year and a plan for the upcoming year.  Hopefully this annual review will offer you as the manager many opportunities to praise them for a job well done!  However, If they were not meeting goals, they should have clarity as to where they fell short and a plan to not only meet but exceed their goals moving forward.

I do not want to understate the enormity of an annual review.  First of all, it is a YEAR's WORK!  It should have a number of areas that are clearly documented citing past accomplishment.  A poorly conducted review is one that is similar to other members of the team.  It is done without emotion, without clear documentation and more than likely is a "boilerplate".  It has little if anything to do with the employee and their work in the past year.  If you ever receive a review that lacks personality, you should let your supervisor know.  It is a lot of work to put everything together that goes into the finished product, after all, it is supposed to reflect an entire 12 months of work!.  Here are a few ideas to help you and your employee “look forward” to their annual review:

• Be clear as far as expectations ~ If an employee does not know what is expected, how can you measure his progress?  Work on goals as a continuum with regular updates throughout the year.
• Document ~ Keep a folder updated for each employee on successes throughout the year.  Do not commit these to memory when it comes time to put the annual review together.  Anytime, something good happens, make sure to note it and have it in your folder.  This way, updates are documented
• Incorporate company culture/core values ~ when appropriate, look to tie into the company culture to recognize the employee going “above and beyond” the expectations of the job.  For instance the willingness to help others or teamwork should be noted in the review.
• Be Honest ~  Ensure that you are fair and consistent in your approach to reviews.  If the employee did an excellent job, they need to see it in writing!  Weak performers also need to be reminded that their performance is not up to standard and needs improvement. 
• Enhance further skill development ~ assessing strength and development areas opens up more opportunity for skill set enrichment.  Gain insights through listening and together come up with a mutual plan to improve in specific areas.
• Always have someone above you review the appraisal ~ the purpose for this extra step is to make sure that what you are documenting is clear, concise and accurate. The value of a 2^nd opinion is strongly recommended to minimize any chance of bias or misinterpretations in the review.

 

Always focus on BEHAVIOR and not personality