appraisal do sand dont s
TRANSCRIPT
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APPRAISAL dos and donts
SUGGESTIONS for supervisors and managers
Do Dont
J udge an employees performance againststandards defined in the work plan
Compare one employees performanceagainst anothers
Base appraisals on verifiable results produced andon first-hand observations
Base appraisals on hearsay and third-handreports
Focus on the employees performance, on whatthe employee has actually achieved
Dwell on the employees personality andperceptions about how outside factorsmight be influencing the employeesperformance
Give the employee a rating based on performanceduring the past year
Give the employee a high rating asmotivation to improve performance
Refer, in the appraisal document, to issues thathave been addressed when they occurred duringthe year
Save up issues for the end-of-yearappraisal rather than confront them whenthey occur
Have a structure worked out for conducting theappraisal discussion; know what you want theemployee to understand and to do when thediscussion is over
Go into the appraisal discussion with onlythe completed appraisal document but noplan for conducting the discussion; assumethat you will wing it
Be familiar with the information in the appraisaldocument before the discussion
Go into the appraisal discussion cold, nothaving refreshed your recollection of theemployees performance
Set a time and place to meet with the employeeseveral days in advance
Drop in on the employee without advancenotice and say, Lets do your appraisalnow.
Signal the importance of the discussion byconducting it when scheduled, not allowing other
things to take priority
Repeatedly postpone the appraisaldiscussion as other things come up
Allot sufficient time for the appraisal discussionAssume the meeting will only take a fewminutes
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Do Dont
If you expect the discussion to be difficult, conductit on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday
If you expect the discussion to be difficult,conduct it on a Monday when the employeeif fresh from the weekend or on Friday sothe employee has the weekend to becomemore frustrated with you
Conduct the discussion in a quiet and privateplace where distractions and interruptions will bekept to a minimum
Conduct the discussion in a crowded coffeeshop or public area
Be on time for the discussion, thus symbolicallycommunicating its importance to the employee
Show up late for the discussion, thus lettingthe employee know that there are manyother things you consider more importantthan talking about the employeesperformance
Turn your cell phone or pager off; put your officephone on forward on do not answer it during thediscussion
Take every call that comes in during thediscussion, thus giving yourself a breather
Sit at a table with the employee Sit at a big desk and have the employee sitopposite you in a small chair
Make eye contact with the employee; be attentivewhen the employee is talking
Act like you do not really care about whatthe employee has to say
Get the employee to talk Dominate the conversation
Stay on task Let the conversation stray into topics notrelated to the employees performance
Be concise and make good use of the time allottedfor the discussion
Let the discussion drag on after theimportant points have been covered
Discuss actions and events that occurred acrossthe entire year under review
Harp on a single incident
Take notes on significant comments and reflectback what the employee has said
Try to remember the employees significantcomments without taking notes onlyschool kids take notes
Ask probing questions when you do notunderstand what the employee has said or touncover workplace issues the employee hashinted at
Avoid digging deeper into important issues,asking about issues the employee hasalluded to indirectly, or otherwise stirringup trouble
Clarify the distinctions between exceeding,meeting, and not meeting expectations
Keep it a guessing game as to what theemployee has to do to meet or to exceedexpectations
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Do Dont
If performance needs to improve, problem-solvewith the employee to uncover the cause and helpthe employee work out a solution
If performance needs to improve, just tellthe employee to improve; or, give theemployee a corrective action plan you havedesigned
Deal with minor performance deficienciesinformally, but make note of what you discussedand what the employee agreed to do
Escalate every minor performancedeficiency to the level of a corrective actionplan
When improvement is needed, explain how failureto improve affects the work unit and higher levelgoals
Explain the need to improve performanceby saying, Because this is the standard, orBecause I told you to
If the employee becomes emotional, suggestwaiting a few minutes before resuming thediscussion
If the employee becomes emotional, eitherforge on or call off the meeting
If the employee becomes angry and actsinappropriately (e.g., shouting, pounding the desk,leaving the room), wait calmly and resume theconversation after the employee is finishedventing
If the employee becomes angry, talk louder,shake your finger, and scowl
Listen to the employees career goals andschedule a separate meeting so that sufficientattention can be devoted to discussing them
Ignore the employees career goals
To close, summarize the important points madeduring the discussion and any actions agreed to
After the details of the appraisal have beencovered, stand up to signal the discussionis over
Have the employee review and sign the appraisaldocument and provide comments, if appropriate
Ask the employee to sign the appraisaldocument with allowing time to read it
Ask the employee to sign the appraisal documentto indicate that the appraisal has been discussed
Ask the employee to sign the appraisaldocument without explaining the meaning
of the signature
Let the employee know what will happen to theappraisal document; give the employee a copy ofthe document
Submit the appraisal document withoutexplaining to the employee where it goesafter the discussion or without giving theemployee a copy
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APPRAISAL dos and donts for employees
Do Dont
Ask questions before the appraisal discussion to
make sure you know how the performancemanagement process works
Be in the dark as to how the performancemanagement process works
Review your work plan prior to the appraisaldiscussion so you will know the performanceexpectations your supervisor will be focusing on
Show up for the appraisal discussion with afuzzy recollection of your past yearsperformance expectations
Document your own performance prior to thediscussion, comparing what you actually achievedto the expectations defined in your work plan
Leave it up to your supervisor to documentyour performance over the past year
Prepare a list of changes and improvements youhave made during the year
Assume that your supervisor remembers orhas documented the important results youhave achieved during the year
Make a list of issues you want to cover during theappraisal discussion, such as barriers you areencountering in your work and ideas forimprovements
Assume that your supervisor knows theproblems you face in your job or has nointerest in helping you overcome them
Plan to discuss the current status of issues youaddressed with your supervisor during the year,
including barriers to your work and yoursuggestions for improvement
Save up problems concerning barriers toyour work until the appraisal discussion so
you will have excuses when your supervisoris critical of your performance
If, prior to the appraisal discussion, you are askedto give your supervisor information about yourachievements, provide concise, objectiveinformation
If you are asked to give your supervisorinformation about your achievements, do sogrudgingly while complaining about havingto do your supervisors job for him or her
Once the appraisal discussion begins, speak up
and make sure you help to make it truly adiscussion, not a lecture from your supervisor
Be passive and unresponsive, listening andnodding your head in agreement with
everything the supervisor says
Stay focused on discussing performanceGo off on tangents, change the subject orengage in gossip
Express yourself clearly and concisely Try to get in as many words as you can
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Do Dont
Ask for clarification if your supervisor brings up anarea for improvement that you dont agree with or
dont understand
Become defensive and emotional if yoursupervisor is critical of some aspect of your
performance
Actively engage in problem solving with yoursupervisor
Expect your supervisor to have a solution toevery problem
Be open to changing the way you do things and totaking on different responsibilities
Resist making any changes
Ask your supervisor for ideas on how to makeimprovements
Be afraid to learn how you can improve
Use the appraisal discussion to learn somethingnew about the business and to get to know yoursupervisor better
Dont raise any questions or offer anysuggestions so the discussion can becompleted as quickly as possible
If your supervisor has difficulty clarifyingexpectations or justifying a rating, help yoursupervisor by providing relevant information andexamples
If your supervisor has difficulty justifyingratings on your appraisal, keep quiet andmaybe your supervisor will get in trouble forpoor documentation
Ask questions to better understand yourperformance expectations and how actualperformance has been evaluated this time and will
be evaluated in the next cycle
Keep yourself in the dark about what isexpected of you and how your performancehas been and will be appraised
Get clarification, before leaving the discussion, onthe key points brought out during the discussionand on any actions you or your supervisor havecommitted to
Avoid summarizing what has beendiscussed and what actions have beensuggested in order to avoid having to doextra work or to change your routine
Regard the appraisal form as an imperfect butnecessary summary of your performance relativeto expectations over the course of the year
Get hung up on the design of the appraisalform and how it is filled out
Sign the appraisal after the appraisal discussionhas been completed your signature providesdocumentation that your supervisor has held thediscussion with you
Refuse to sign the appraisal because youdisagree with it or are angry with yoursupervisor your signature does notindicate agreement with the appraisal orendorsement of your supervisor
Used with permission from North Carolina Office of State Personnel