Preparing for a performance appraisal

Often misused by employers and employees, performance evaluations or appraisals are intended to be growth opportunities. They are supposed to motivate the employee by providing direction, vision, and encouragement. Unfortunately, evaluations have often come to be recognized as opportunities to earn wage increases or for supervisors to communicate important items with the employee.

The first step in preparing for an effective evaluation is for an employee to approach the meeting with the employee in a positive frame of mind. He or she should view it as a chance to discuss ways to grow or fine tune skills. It is also important to take the time to write down important questions or concerns that you want to address. One thing to keep in mind is that in effective organizations, the employee evaluation meeting is not the time to discuss issues or grievances that had up until then been ignored or avoided. Some managers and employees mistakenly use it as a time to address key topics of communication. Communication should be an ongoing process in organizations.

Obviously, as the employee, you have less control over the nature of the employee appraisal process. Ideally, as an employee, you should not be surprised by things mentioned during the appraisal. It should be a reinforcement of strengths and concerns that have been previously addressed. The supervisor hopefully will offer praise of your strengths as well as discussion of areas of weakness. The best case scenario for the appraisal includes a comparison of your performance to established goals that you and your employer have for you in your position. This should be the assessment component of the evaluation. The motivating part should be raising or reshaping future goals to provide a measure of effectiveness for future evaluation.

From an employee’s standpoint, evaluations should not be viewed as an opportunity to air grievances. Questions or concerns should be addressed in a similar ongoing and less formal process. The best work environments include open communication and a clear and consistent understanding of work requirements. The performance appraisal should only reinforce what has been going on and help provide direction and vision for what is to come.