Appraisal Skills workshop



MAINTAINING OBJECTIVITY IN ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

There are TWO Main Challenges when assessing performance:

← Defining the degrees of competence, rating staff over a multi-point scale i.e. obtaining a fair, honest, objective ‘picture’ of performance.

← Ensuring that the appraisee sees the same ‘picture’ of performance that the appraising manager sees.

By their nature, appraisals are subjective – they are an opinion of how someone has performed. It relies on the judgement of the individual team leader/ manager.

This is a fundamental point about the assessment of competencies. If a staff member feels that they have been rated unfairly, it can damage the credibility of the whole appraisal system. Part of our role in appraisal interviewing is to help them see our justification for the rating with examples of behaviour to justify the rating.

Possible questions to consider when assessing performance:

• How does the performance of this skill fit into the overall process?

• Has the team member consistently carried out this skill on a number of occasions, over a period of time, to the standard required?

• Can you think of specific behaviours you have observed that demonstrate this skill?

• Can they consistently achieve the skill to the speed and accuracy required?

• How important is this skill demonstrated to the overall performance of the job?

To minimise subjectivity in assessing performance:

• Be specific about success and failures – e.g. avoid comments such as: “You’re just not tough enough” or you’re too slap dash in your paperwork”. Point out specific examples of where they don’t meet the standard required

• Keep on-going notes on behaviours of each person during the year – the positives as well as any negatives. Appraisal preparation becomes a lot easier when all the evidence has been collected on an on-going basis

• Think through the range of behaviours you would expect of a really competent performer. Think about your ‘best’ person – what is it that makes them a high performer? This becomes your benchmark

• An ‘A’ rating means that there is nothing else the person could do (or stop doing) to improve their performance. If there is something then they may be a ‘B’ rating

• Discuss your staff member’s performance with other Managers/ Team Leaders at your level (and your boss), and see how they would judge the performance, to try to ‘level out’ the standards

• Be consistent with standards throughout the year – beware of moving the goal posts or having favourites

• Recognise when standards have slipped and reassert them quickly

• Beware of assessing ‘one off’ behaviours (such as the Waiting/Rating exercise), where they might just be having an off-day. Look for patterns of behaviour wherever possible

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“If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.”

DONALD H. RUMSFELD

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

GENERAL S. PATTON

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL

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