While no one really enjoys the appraisal process, I’m going to take a chance here and suggest something a bit different - why not have monthly or semi-regular appraisal meetings with each of your employees?

Before you start throwing your hands up and calling me crazy, let me explain. There are quite a few benefits that, as a manager, you can achieve by having more frequent appraisals and, in the end, your major annual appraisal will go much smoother. Here are a few reasons to consider.

• The more frequently you sit down with each member of your team the more you’ll understand exactly where is is in the grand scheme of things. You’ll have a better understanding of his goals, strengths, weaknesses, and limitations and will be able to adjust his tasks to focus on this strengths.
• Having frequent meetings will give you the opportunity to identify potential problem areas, giving you the ability to make changes before those problems have a negative impact on the team’s overall work and progress.
• Your team members will be more likely to ask for needed help if you open the door and give them an opportunity during which they feel comfortable.
• You will have the opportunity to work together to set realistic training and development goals.
• Your employees won’t be as nervous or scared about their appraisal meetings because they won’t be as formal and the frequency will make them more comfortable with the entire process.
• Frequent reviews will give your team members a better opportunity to prepare for their large annual appraisal, saving time in preparation.
• The more frequently you work with your team members the more accurate your notes about individual performance will be.

Why not consider a more frequent appraisal process? I think that by implementing regular meetings you’ll find that your employees are not only happier and more receptive to the process but will feel as though you care a bit more about their successes and development paths.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Leadership Development

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

We’ve spoken in the past about the wide variet of appraisal processes available for managers to choose from. One that I’ve always found interesting is the 360 Degree Appraisal process.

The 360 degree appraisal process is a process in which individuals who work closely with an employee are allowed to participate by providing feedback about the employee in question. They are often given questionnaires that they can either complete by naming themselves or anonymously. These employees are expected to honestly rate their experiences with their team members in terms of behaviour, attitude, job skills, and overall ability to complete tasks.

In some instances, only those working within the same team are asked to complete a 360 degree appraisal. In a company where one team may report to another, however, it is important to get feedback on an employee’s experiences with different types of people. Therefore it is important to include not only an employee’s peers but his up-line managers, subordinates, staff from other departments, and sometimes even outside customers or vendors.

You should include a wide variety in the 360 degree appraisal. Failure to do so will really limit the results you get and short changes the potential this type of process can really have on your ability to judge an individual’s overall performance.

Before implementing a 360 degree appraisal within your organisation you must train your employees as to the importance of fair and nondiscriminatory appraisals. If you receive surveys that make derogatory comments about a person’s age, gender, or ethnicity you find you are not learning much about the employee himself but instead about the dynamic of the workplace within which you all work. It’s valuable information to have but would be unfair to include these types of derogatory critiques in a person’s annual review.

Putting together a good 360 degree appraisal system will take quite a bit of time and effort but you’ll find it worth the effort in the end. Remember, you’re the manager and the ultimate decision regarding a person’s appraisal is up to you. In the end, though, it’s always nice to have additional feedback to consider.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

As a manager you’ll find that conducting performance evaluations is one of the most difficult parts of your job. What you mightnot always realise, though, is that someone-somewhere- is preparing to evaluate your performance as a manager as well.

So what criteria are used to evaluage the performance of a manager? Consider the following:

• Are you skilled in all three of the management roles we’ve been discussing - interpersonal, informational, and decision making?
• Are you able to set and achieve goals on your own?
• Are you an inspiring and effective leader?
• Do you and your team make your customers happy?
• Do you make efficient use of the resources and talents that have been made available to you?
• Are you capable of taking advantage of the diversity found within your work group?
• Are you ethical in your decision making process?

If you can answer YES to all of the questions above than you’re doing a pretty good job. If not, you’ll need to take a step back and determine why the answer was NO. Are there things you need to change about the way you interact with your employees? Should you be more controlling or give your team more free reign? Your ability to answer these questions and then respond to them will determine your success as a manager. Good luck!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Courses

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Performance appraisal time is, obviously, one of the most dreaded times of the year for both managers and employees alike. Your employees will likely spend hours before their appraisal meetings agonizing over whether or not they’ve really done a good job and worrying about what you will say. You, on the other hand, will spend hours preparing reports and worrying about how NOT to offend your employee during the appraisal process.

Such is life.

In order to make sure your appraisal process remains fair, consider the following tips:

• Make sure your employees all receive information regarding the performance standards you expect as soon as they accept their positions. If an employee has a handbook in writing (and signs to prove he received it) he will really have no excuse for “not knowing” what was expected of him.
• I know your first instinct is to be a friend or “the good guy” but don’t forget to document ever single disciplinary measure formally and give your employee a copy of the report. Having these reports in writing will be to your advantage should the employee in question suddenly become a liability.
• Do you have an employee who isn’t as productive as he could be? Don’t wait a full year to appraise him. Have an interim appraisal and reiterate what is expected of him. If he does not improve you will have supporting documentation when/if you have to give a negative appraisal later on.
• Make sure your employees have a chance to review and comment on their appraisals, especially if they are negative. Give them a day or two to sign the appraisal and get it back to you with any additional questions after the initial appraisal.

The performance appraisal process will run smoothly if you work as ethically as possible. Don’t give your employees a reason to feel attacked and they’ll eventually appreciate your role in the process.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

While the performance appraisal process isn’t exactly a favourite amongst managers, it is helpful to know that there are several different types of performance appraisal strategies to choose from. Knowing there are options available should give you the flexibility to find the right type of appraisal method for each department or even specific employee within your organisation. Here are a few different types of appraisal methods:

• The 360-Degree Appraisal - This method of appraisal involves allowing other employees to fill out a questionnaire detailing their experiences with a specific employee. The feedback of peers can be reviewed by the manager and considered during the appraisal.

• General Performance Appraisal - This appraisal method involves ongoing communication between the manager and employee throughout the entire year. At the end of the year you’ll determine whether the pre-set goals and objectives were met, provide feedback, and set new goals.

• Technological/Administrative Performance Appraisal - The technological or administrative performance appraisal focuses more on technical skill than anything else because these employees have specialized tasks. They’re judged on specific skills, the amount of work they produce/complete, and a variety of other tasks.

• Manager Performance Appraisal - Managers must go through the appraisal process as well. This type of appraisal usually covers both job skill as well as human resource skill, as most managers usually have clients to keep happy as well as a team to keep organised. Most often a manager appraisal will include feedback from team members, usually obtained anonymously.

• Employee Self-Assessment - This type of appraisal is one of the most dreaded by employees as no one seems to enjoy rating themselves. Most often the self-assessment is compared to an assessment completed by the manager and then discussion regarding the differences follows.

• Project Evaluation Review - A project evaluation review is a great project management tool. Instead of waiting until the end of the year an employee or team is reviewed at the end of each project. This gives them the tools necessary to make adjustments for the next project.

• Sales Performance Appraisal - Sales performance appraisals are often the easiest to conduct but the most painful. A salesperson is simply judged on his results versus his set goals and salesmen are often held to their financial goals more than any other section of the organisation. A manager and salesperson must discuss ways to achieve their goals or changes that need to be made to make them reachable yet still realistic.

There are a myriad of different appraisal types and we’ll go over each in more detail in the future. Simply walk away today with the understanding that there is no “out of the box” appraisal process you can apply to every member of your organisation. They’re all individuals and have to be appraised as such as well!

Thanks again,

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”