Performance Review

It’s unusual for someone to refuse to sign the form and refuse to put any comments in the section earmarked for them. Start by asking why, and explain the purpose for the signature: ‘‘I’m surprised, George, that you are refusing to sign the form and also refusing to indicate any reason in the space set [...]

Here are the steps to wrap up a performance appraisal discussion effectively: Briefly summarize the entire conversation (review your core message). Discuss two or three areas of strength to be continued and enhanced. Review the most important area for immediate improvement. Explain the most important developmental need. Handle administrative mechanics. Schedule planning meeting. Congratulate (offer [...]

Ideally, the discussion about compensation and the discussion about performance should be separate talks. If it’s possible, the performance appraisal meeting should focus entirely on the individual’s performance with discussion of compensation reserved until a later time. However, if performance and compensation must be discussed in the same meeting, begin with the compensation change. Then [...]

No manager should begin a performance appraisal discussion without a box of tissues handy. Crying is one of the most common ways in which a flight reaction displays itself. An employee’s involuntary crying makes a difficult situation even more challenging. In this case, simply pull out the box of tissues, slide it over to the [...]

Defensive reactions come in two forms: fight and flight. Fight responses show up as angry rejections of what the appraiser has said or written. The individual may deny the accuracy of the appraiser’s information or blame others for problems and shortcomings. Nonverbal indicators of fight reactions are usually clear: The person may pound the desk [...]

For example, the employee who is silent, or makes excuses, or turns the conversation around so that we are caught up in irrelevancies? Silences, excuses, and irrelevancies are the three most common discussion difficulties that arise in the course of discussing a performance evaluation. You can overcome each of these by keeping firmly in control [...]

Listen to determine the source of the disagreement. Is it a matter of fact? (You wrote that the employee received a customer satisfaction score of seventy-nine, but the employee says that his score was eighty-three.) Or is it a matter of judgment? (You wrote that the employee’s customer service skills were unsatisfactory, but she feels [...]

The employee I’m about to review is an unsatisfactory performer and the appraisal tells it like it is. How should I start the meeting? Get right to the point. As soon as the person arrives for the appraisal discussion, say, ‘‘Come in, George, sit down. I have some bad news for you. (Pause.) I have [...]

You can’t. Don’t try. Consider what the goal of a performance appraisal discussion is— and what it’s not. The goal is not to gain agreement. If you gain agreement, that’s fine, but it’s unlikely if the appraiser has evaluated the individual’s performance against tough-minded, demanding standards. In fact, the lower the appraisal rating, the less [...]

Psychologists tell us that there are only four feelings: glad, sad, mad, and scared. All other feelings are variations on these four. Glad is the feeling you’re likely to encounter when you’ve given Tommy a great review. He did a great job; the performance appraisal reflects it. He’s glad and it shows. Sad is more [...]

It’s easy to discuss the performance appraisal when the individual and I are in agreement. But what do I do when we disagree about something important? Even when the manager and the individual agree about the quality of the individual’s performance in one of the areas assessed in the appraisal, there are still some useful [...]

How do I start the appraisal discussion with an individual who has a great deal of experience and has worked for the company much longer than I have? The process is essentially the same as it is with anyone else. The fact that a subordinate is older—or younger, or a different religion, or a different [...]

The best way to put the individual at ease is to eliminate small talk and get right to the point. Here are some suggestions that will help you make the opening seconds of the meeting productive and comfortable: Welcome the individual. Describe the meeting’s importance to you. Provide the overall time frame for the meeting. [...]

Before I sit down to conduct an appraisal discussion with an individual, is it appropriate to talk with others to get some insights into what I might expect? Yes. Once you have prepared the individual’s performance appraisal and are getting ready for the discussion, there are several sources of information and assistance that can help [...]

Here’s a quick assessment tool to help you effectively prepare for the performance-review meeting: Pre-Meeting Activities Checklist Gather information and materials. Choose a convenient time. Pick an appropriate place. Consider facilities and room arrangement. Determine the agenda. Give the individual a copy of the appraisal to read in advance of the meeting. Arrange for work [...]

Just as the manager has responsibilities, so too does the individual. There are six primary ones: 1. Discuss the achievements list you wrote. 2. Discuss what you achieved against your development plan. 3. Compare your assessment of your own performance with that of your appraiser. 4. Seek clarification for any assessments or examples that are [...]

The manager has seven primary responsibilities: 1. Review the agenda and time frame for meeting. 2. Review and discuss the performance appraisal you wrote and the individual’s achievements list. 3. Listen and respond appropriately to the individual’s perceptions and feedback. 4. Discuss your assessment of the individual’s performance against objectives over the entire cycle, especially: [...]

Performance review is the final phase of an effective performance management system. It involves the individual and the manager discussing the performance appraisal document that the manager has created. The performance management process both ends and begins anew with the performance review meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, the individual’s past year’s performance is [...]