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Appraisals, also known as Staff Development Reviews (SDRs) are a great tool for self-development and communication between manager and employee.
Of course, these are yearly deals, so anything which needs to be discussed between these appointments should be done ad hoc, via a quick meeting in the office booths or around the boardroom table. Overall however, a yearly appraisals allows both sides to discuss progress, give honest feedback, and to identify any potential training needs or extra responsibility requested.
Appraisals are often given a bad reputation - employees sometimes see them as an opportunity to be lectured about what they’re doing wrong, whilst managers assume them to be a waste of time. Both sides of that view are totally incorrect.
Appraisals are supposed to be positive, self-development tools and far from a waste of time - that potential and development is passed on to the business via extra productivity!
Check out this infographic which talks about how to conduct a quality appraisal.
Source - https://engagedly.com/a-newbie-hrs-guide-to-great-performance-review-infographic/
One very useful way to organise the appraisal discussion and keep everything on track is to use a pre-appraisal questionnaire.
The name of this tool is quite misleading because it’s not actually a questionnaire per se, but a series of questions which helps the employee to think about their performance, any training they’d like to request and where they see themselves in a few months and a few years. This is a document which is circulated prior to the meeting, usually when the meeting date has been set.
The pre-appraisal questionnaire isn’t for the manager to see, but rather gives the employee prompts to identify the main points for discussion. The manager will therefore use the questions on the form to structure the discussion around.
It’s very easy for a discussion such as this to go off track. It can also be difficult to actually get the most out of it if the employee doesn’t know what to say, or is worried that if they say the wrong thing, they’re going to be judged for it. The whole point of an appraisal is to have an open and honest conversation about the performance of the employee and to identify how they would like to move forwards in their career. It isn’t supposed to be a lecturing session or a list of things they’re doing wrong, it is supposed to be a conversation about how they can move forward with their career, and how the employer can support them in doing that.
Of course, appraisals are a great opportunity to give general feedback, but it works both ways too - the employee can give feedback about things they want to mention, perhaps they think their office chair isn’t supportive enough, or maybe they feel that more team meetings are needed to keep everyone up to date. This is an opportunity for both sides to be honest and open, without anyone viewing it as direct criticism.
The pre-appraisal questionnaire is therefore the ideal way to calm any nerves before the meeting takes place. The employee will be able to think about what they want to say and that takes the onus away from them in the moment. It’s very easy to not be able to think of what you want to say when someone fires a direct question at you! Having time to think beforehand gives a better outcome, rather than simply saying whatever comes to mind, in order to answer the question.
The employee also sees the type of questions and the kind of discussion that is expected, Again, this takes away any nerves and helps them see that the conversation is intended to be positive, and nothing to worry about.