Appraisals – That’s two hours of my life I won’t get back

I appreciate that it’s a slightly strange thing to say, but I quite enjoyed having my annual appraisal meeting. I can talk under water so chatting about myself for a few hours didn’t seem like a chore at all. On reflection I was probably quite lucky in that I had managers who delivered great appraisals. In my last job before I started my business I had my appraisal in the pub with a glass of Pinot and a bag of beef McCoy’s – what’s not to like?!

I speak to many managers and employees when we are out and about delivering our appraisals course. Sadly, many of the experiences they encounter aren’t as positive as mine. Just the sheer mention of the ‘A’ word sets them off into a frenzy. Here are the top 5 typical comments that we hear:

1) That’s 2 hours of my life I won’t get back.
2) It’s just a pointless tick box exercise.
3) I just copy and paste last year’s appraisal notes. (I have to take my inhaler after hearing this)
4) What’s the point? Nothing happens as a result anyway. There’s no budget.
5) I just nod in all the right places. It’s a case of let’s get in and let’s get out.

These comments aren’t that unusual. The alarming thing is though that they were all made by managers!

The PU View

As a manager, it’s you that creates either the positive or negative appraisal culture within your team. If your team aren’t switched on to the whole appraisal process then maybe you need to take a look at yourself. If you are visibly and verbally negative about the whole process then how can you expect your team to be upbeat about it?

My managers of the past were positive. They were enthusiastic about wanting to listen and chat about my past year’s performance, areas for personal development, what lay ahead in the next one and of course in return, I was receptive – maybe the wine helped?!

In many cases, comments like the ones above are made because management don’t like the appraisal forms or the process that goes with it. Instead of pumping all of your energy into criticising the process why not make some suggestions around how it could be improved? Better still, why not ask your team for their suggestions?

Think about the five typical comments above. How many have you heard yourself saying? How many have you heard your team saying? Maybe it’s time to change how you view appraisals and in turn change the appraisal culture within your team.

Book Recommendation 

Delivering appraisals is all about giving honest feedback.  To learn more about how to do this there’s no better book than; Radical Candor by Kim Scott