Who has time for appraisals?

Appraisals are often seen as a waste of time or the last thing on the to do list. However, they are potentially one of the most effective people management tools you have as an employer.

You are able to use them to review your employees performance and communicate in a constructive way. It provides the perfect opportunity for both you and your employees to voice any concerns, raise any issues and also offer praise in order to keep your workforce motivated and engaged.

It is important to have appraisals on a regular basis, and in order for them to be an effective use of time it is important that you prepare. Have a look at previous appraisals and also consider any objectives that you want to set. It is important that these objectives are clearly set out and explained. It is also advised that you provide the employee with a copy of their pervious appraisal, so that they are able to monitor their own progress.

You should base the objectives that you set on the employee’s job role, description, and objectives relevant to their role. Keep the objectives to a specific period and make sure that they are reasonable.

Make sure you take notes during the meeting, this allow you to make a clear record of everything that is discussed and agreed. You may have a set appraisal form or you can use your People Manager’s Diary. These notes can prove to be invaluable if you ever want to take action on the back of an appraisal, this way an employee cannot make a challenge based on the claim that they were not aware of what was expected.

If your business does not currently have an appraisal scheme in place, we would advise that you introduce one. Decide when they will take place, who will conduct them and also any forms that you will need in order to conduct them. You must also work out how you will be rating the employee’s progress. You must make sure the process is transparent and that you communicate it’s introduction to your team. Providing those conducting the appraisals with training will be imperative so that you are able to get the best results out of the process.

Want help with getting an appraisal scheme in place? Want to find out more? Call us on 0115 870 0150 or email masa@yourhrlawyer.co.uk