Appraisals are here for the long run – get used to them
Most of us, if we’re being honest, find appraisals boring and unhelpful.Accordingtoarecent survey, 55 per cent of workers wish companies would completely ditch or at least change the way performance reviews are structured. Whatisanappraisal?Appraisals have come to be seen as an important way for companies to measure the performance of staff.Whateveryoumightthink of them, appraisals are a good opportunity to reflect on your pastandthinkaboutyourfuture – and they can be absolutely essential for anyone wanting to build a successful career. How do they work? There are differenttypesofappraisals,but they all boil down to the same thing, more or less. For some employees, it seems they are a particularlypainfulexperience, with22percentadmittingthey werereducedtotearsafterabad appraisal, and 20 per cent felt theneedtoquittheirjobfollowing a stressful review.
As employees, most of us aregoingtobeinvolvedinthem whetherwelikeitornot–soyou mightaswellgetthemostoutof yours.Here’ssometipsfordoing just that.
Dependingonyouremployer, you’ll probably have annual, bi-annual or quarterly appraisals – although if your job is target-driven, such as telesales, they may even be monthly. What happens during the appraisal? You’ll sit down with your line manager and have a performance development review – which is exactly as it says on the tin. After you and your boss discuss how you’ve been performing, you will talk about existinggoalsandobjectivesand set new ones. These goals and objectives will be in line with the overall business model of the company, but there should be a personal element, too.
That means it shouldn’t be just about increasing the productivity and profit of the organisation you work for – it should also help boost your job satisfaction. How should you prepare? Preparation is key. Your boss may or may not have done his homework, but be sure you’ve done yours. Arrive at your appraisal armed with evidence of yoursuccess.Youcandothisby askingforfeedbackthroughout the year, learning from it, and taking note of it.