Five Tips on Giving Staff Appraisals

If you are a manager in an organisation of any size then it is likely that you will give appraisals for your people at least once a year. Many managers approach these interviews with dread but, if they are done well, they should help you and the employee. Here are some hints and tips to make the task easier and more effective:

1. Ask the Empoyee to Assess Themself. Rather than launching straight into your appraisal why not start by asking the employee to give their appraisal of their performance in the preceding period? You will find that most people are quite accurate in their assessment of their performance and are aware of their achievements and shortfalls. Some are quite hard on themselves. Occasionally you get someone who plays games with you and claims they are wonderful when they know they are not - or worse someone who has a blind spot about their weaknesses. You have to show these people the evidence of any underperformance. However, for most employees, having them start the interview with their self-assessment gives you common ground and makes your job easier.

2. No Surprises. If you have been doing your job properly as a manager then there should be no surprises in the annual appraisal. If the person did things well during the year then you should have praised them there and then. If they missed objectives or showed serious shortcomings then you should have reviewed these at the time and agreed plans for improvement. If the employee is surprised by your appraisal at the end of the period that shows that your communication has not been as good as it should have been.

3. Prepare a Sandwich. Start your assessment of the employee with some praise for the good things they have achieved. If you have identified problems or improvement areas then introduce them after the initial phase. End the interview on a positive note where you point out that overall they are a valuable member of the team and that they can do even better if they follow the agreed actions. So put the problem areas in the middle of two slices of positive praise. The employee should leave the meeting freshly motivated and with a clear picture of what they need to do to succeed in the future.

4. Be Specific. If you are going to criticise any aspect of the employee's performance then do not be vague; be specific. Give evidence and examples. Then explain what an improved performance would look like. E.g. do not just say, 'your teamwork skills are poor.' Go on to give some examples of where they could have helped the team more. Ask for their reaction. If they become defensive try to avoid an argument. The specific examples here should help. Try to agree a positive action plan for future improvement.

5. Seek Agreement. At each stage of the meeting you should seek agreement - on strengths, weaknesses, issues and action plans. The appraisal should be a dialogue. You should spend about 70% of the time talking about the past and some 30% of the time about the future. You should discuss how the employee can improve and grow; how they can take on new challenges and responsibilies.

The appraisal should be an honest and open assessment of what has happened in the preceding period and an agreed action plan for the future. If done properly it is helpful and motivational for both manager and employee.

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