As the summer heatwave has given way to a more autumnal feel in the air, our minds are turning to the end of the year – looking back over all that has been achieved in 2022, as well as tying up loose ends and planning for next year.
Are you looking at employee appraisals as part of your end of year review and as a way of preparing some goals for the year ahead? Here are a few tips to help you and your managers make the most of the appraisal process.
How to set up objectives that are ‘SMART’
You might be familiar already with the principles of SMART objectives. Here, we’ve shown an example:
By setting tangible goals, your employees will have something to work towards. It is proven that by understanding how their role supports the organisation achieve its goals, staff are more likely to experience a higher level of job satisfaction. It gives them a purpose to come to work and deliver their best. Another recurring theme in employee engagement surveys is setting objectives that feel achievable and linked to your company goals and values. When people see the bigger picture, they also see that they are an essential part of the business and its future plans. When feedback is balanced with what works well and performance is praised, people are more likely to accept the ‘what could work better’ part of the feedback, making the conversation less difficult if there are some concerns about the individual’s quality or quantity of input. Ensuring contributions are noticed and acknowledged all year round (not just once a year) will increase motivation at work. It helps to ensure objectives are agreed by the member of staff before being they are finalised, building buy-in and commitment.
Establishing encouragement as the cornerstone
By offering praise and thanks for work done well, coupled with examples of successes, individuals are more likely to listen openly to the feedback that needs to be delivered. Where improvement is needed, try to frame this through any additional training or support that can be offered to aid development – stick to the facts and evidence you have at your disposal; this could be customer feedback, peer feedback, kudos, complaints, target data, etc. – evidenced-based feedback prevents discussion spiralling quickly into perceived direct criticism and helps keep the discussion constructive.
Making feedback regular
Try to encourage a regular two-way feedback process, rather than keeping it as an annual performance review. Depending on the nature of the work, regular 121s can be held weekly, fortnightly, monthly or quarterly. The end-of-year appraisal shouldn’t be the first time someone hears about any issues about their work. In many respects, regular feedback gives your employees the opportunity to adjust what they do, learn through a positive experience and recalibrate what they need to deliver, so it is done right. It is a major part of any learning & development and a great contributor to job satisfaction.
Give your employees the opportunity to speak to their managers on an ad-hoc basis and have informal and formal catch ups when they need it, to give them an opportunity to raise any training needs or issues as and when they crop up.
Documenting the discussion
Make sure you keep a record of the discussion and any outcomes and objectives. Give people plenty of time to prepare for their next meeting if they need to fill out a self-assessment form. If you have access to a HR system, you may be able to store documents and notes under the employee’s profile, giving easy access to the notes as a point of reference.
Seeking refresher training
If you are carrying out 121s and appraisals, you may already have had some form of formal performance management training to equip you with the skills needed to manage an appraisal confidently. Upskilling managers so they feel at ease handling feedback discussions, even when there may be challenging conversations required, will ensure everyone benefits from the 121/appraisal process.
We offer comprehensive training to help managers deliver appraisals and 1-2-1 meetings most effectively, based on real-life discussions and current best practice. This can include skills like active listening, so employees feel heard, and how to handle difficult conversations with confidence. Get in touch for more information.
