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Best Practices For Employee Performance Appraisal

Overview

	Staff should be told about good/poor performance when it happens; the performance review should not contain
	“new” information
	Managers should consult with others in the organisation about the performance of their staff (anyone who might
	have relevant information)
	Employees should be aware of how their performance will be assessed before the review
	Goals need to be difficult enough as to be challenging but “simple” enough to be seen as attainable
	Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time sensitive
	The employee should take an active part in goal setting
	Ensure that the employee’s goals align with organisational objectives
	Have an open mind about employee’s future goals

Preparation

	Be aware of the organisation’s objectives and strategic plan for the coming year
	Be aware of the employee’s major accomplishments in the past year
	Be aware of the employee’s development efforts in the past year
	Be aware of whether or how fully the action plan agreed on at the last review was carried out
	Take time to consider if the employee had the opportunity/time to take on more, show initiative or was overworked
	Refresh your memory about the professional aspirations of this employee
	Be aware of the formal training initiatives planned by the organisation for the upcoming year
	Be aware of the organisation’s human resources strategic plan for the upcoming year
	Be aware of any major obstacles that may have prevented the employee from achieving objectives
	Anticipate problems which may occur during the meeting and develop a strategy for dealing with them
	Ensure that the employee has ample time to prepare for the meeting
	Do not let the last appraisal you did influence your thinking on the current one
	Get assistance from colleagues when your relationship with the employee threatens your objectivity
	A performance appraisal meeting should be a two way process. Be clear about your expectation that the employee
	participate fully.
	Be clear about whether you are evaluating an employee compared to his/her colleagues or against a pre-
	determined standard. Be consistent.

Manager Review

	Avoid asking questions which can be answered with 1 word (closed questions)
	e.g. of a closed question: “Do you find your work challenging?”
	e.g. of an open question: “Tell me about the aspects of your work that you find challenging.”
	Try to decide ahead of time how long the review will last (ideally between 45 and 90 minutes) and attempt to stick to
	that decision
	Do not try to deal with more than 2 or 3 performance problems at the review

For each performance problem:

	State the behaviour in specific terms (e.g. “Your work is not submitted on time.”)
	Give at least 2 specific examples of that behaviour (e.g. “I received the XYZ report 3 days late in January and a week
	late in May.”)
	State the effect that the behaviour has on quality of work, on customers, on colleagues, etc. (e.g. “When the XYZ
	report is late, the projections which the CFO needs are late. This may result in poor financial decisions.”)
	Be clear about what the required performance should look like (e.g. “In order to get the projections to the CFO on
	time, I need the XYZ report on the 5th of every month.”)
	Obtain the employee’s opinion/comments (e.g. “What would you like to say about this matter?”)
	Decide together how the necessary change will occur (e.g. Perhaps the employee needs to rethink his/her work
	priorities, with the manager’s help)
	Ensure the employee’s commitment to change (e.g. “Do you agree that the XYZ report will be submitted by the 5th
	of every month from now on?”)
	Agree to follow up on progress (e.g. “Let’s meet in two weeks to see if you’re running up against any obstacles to
	the plan.”)
	Comment on the performance/behaviour, not the behaviour
	e.g. on the person: “You seem a bit distracted lately.”
	e.g. on the behaviour: “You are producing less than usual.”
	Give specific examples of what was done well if you’d like to see that performance/behaviour repeated
	Ensure your assessment covers the entire period, not just recent events
	Avoid being unduly influenced (either positively or negatively) by 1 event even if significant
	If the employee reacts in a highly emotional manner during the review, try working through it before deciding to end
	the meeting. If terminating the meeting seems like the best alternative, be sure to schedule another meeting within
	several days.
	Be sure to set follow up meetings to monitor the employee’s action plan and objectives
	Do not permit any outside interruptions during the meeting
	Do not criticize an employee for something they had no control over e.g. taking a long time to complete an
	assignment because computers were not functioning properly

Employee Review

	Keep a record of both positive and negative aspects of your performance. Include specific examples
	Ensure you are familiar with how your performance will be measured
	When developing goals, ensure they are compatible with the organisation’s goals
	Consider what the organisation and your manager can do to help improve your performance. Be prepared to
	discuss
	In addition to considering where your strengths and opportunities for improvement lay, think of how you can make
	changes
	When commenting on your manager’s ability to help you perform well, speak only of behaviours, not of him/her as
	a person
	e.g. of a person: “You don’t seem interested in my professional development.”
	e.g. of behaviour: “I believe I would have progressed further this year, if you had spent more time with me.