Performance Appraisals

4. The Appraisal Meeting

Appraisals should allow employee and manager to express their views freely and frankly. (See Assertiveness.) The eight steps outlined below should help you achieve this.

4.1 Explain the agenda (your plan) for the meeting, and what you hope to achieve.

• Put the employee at his or her ease.
• Start on a positive note by praising the employee's work in general.

4.2 Ask the employee to talk you through the self-assessment (see 2), focusing on the areas which you have identified as being the most important - typically the key objectives.

• Employees tend to be over-critical of their own performance. They also identify problems you were not even aware of. This makes your role much easier. You can focus on helping the employee to find the solutions, rather than having to point out all the weaknesses and problems.

4.3 Add your own views about the employee's performance.

• Take every opportunity to acknowledge achievements and hard work.
• Be clear about which areas of performance need improvement.

4.4 Discuss the problem areas and come up with solutions together.

• Ask the employee to explain why the problem has occurred. Then ask the employee to suggest a solution, which may match your own ideas.
• Look beyond the symptoms to the root of the problem. For example, a problem might stem from lack of confidence, lack of training, or something not even related to work.

4.5 Review the employee's long-term career plans, if these have changed.

• This may unearth new problems or opportunities. For example, you may realise that the employee is looking for another job - in which case you need to either persuade him or her to stay, or make plans for what will happen when the employee goes.

4.6 Consider the employee's training needs.

4.7 Discuss and agree a new set of key objectives for the next period (see 5).

• Decide when the next appraisal - or interim meeting - will be.

4.8 Discuss any ideas for improving the effectiveness of the performance appraisal process.

• The employee may feel that the process has been unfair in some way.