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”

Completing employee appraisals is a daunting task. I don’t think you’ll find a manager anywhere who disagrees. Often times, however, we worry so much about our end of the appraisal process that we forget how difficult and anxious it makes our employees. One of the best things you can do as a manager is to give your team members and employees the tools they need to prepare for their own appraisals before they happen.

Here are a few things you can do to help your employees prepare in advance for their appraisals:

Set Expectations

Let your employees know what to expect during the appraisal process. Let them know that the appraisal process involves both the employee and the management team. Your employees should know that they are expected to be prepared at the time of the appraisal – with a clear understanding of his or her job description, ideas concerning his or her strengths and weaknesses, and with ideas concerning his or her projected career path.

Alleviate Fears

Make sure your employees understand that the appraisal process was not created to criticize or put-down his or her performance. Nothing that happens during the review should be a surprise. If you have a problem with your employee’s performance you should have addressed it already, and in the review you should review whether or not the changes you have discussed need to occur. Your employees should understand that their viewpoints will be heard, respected, and taken into consideration.

Self-Evaluations

As tedious as they may seem, having an employee complete a self-evaluation form prior to an appraisal will give you great insight as to what he or she thinks of his job. A good employee should be able to honestly evaluate himself and write out his ideas concerning strengths and weaknesses in certain areas. I can always tell which employees are confident and which are not (or which are terrified of the review process) by the way they complete their self-evaluation forms. Use these forms as a guide when planning your physical meeting.

Remember, the appraisal process should be looked upon as a tool for growth, not as an opportunity to chastise, punish, or discourage employees. Keep the experience as positive as possible and you’re employees will thank you later with their hard work and dedication!

Thanks again,

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

When an employee is struggling, do you offer tips and advice? What about when you assign a team member a new project? Do you just hand it to him and let him figure out the instructions on his own? Coaching your employees is a fine art, and if you do so incorrectly you’ll be left with a rather ugly mess in your lap at the end of the day.

Today I offer three quick tips for effective leadership and coaching of your employees:

1. Ask lots of questions. Asking questions allows you to judge the skill levels of your employees but should be done tactfully so as not to embarrass someone who doesn’t know an answer. Ask open ended questions as opposed to yes or no questions. Yes or no questions almost always lead to disaster, as no one wants to answer “no” and risk sounding silly.

2. Are you offering constructive criticism? Stop before you criticize. Are you going to formulate a critique based on the fact that your employee is doing something incorrectly, or is it simply not the way you would accomplish the task? Even if your employee is doing something wrong you can’t just dive in and rip a project apart. You need to formulate a plan for constructively pointing out his errors while offering tips for correction or a more effective strategy. In short, no yelling, grumbling, or making people feel bad.

3. Remember that everyone is different. It has been scientifically proven that there are a number of different learning styles. Some people need to hear instructions, while others are better reading them. Others may need to experience a task first-hand in order to remember how to accomplish it. Keep in mind that you can’t use the same coaching strategy for each employee. You’re going to have to get to know each of your team members individually in order to determine which method of coaching will work best.

Keeping these things in mind as you coach will enable you to make a better connection with your employees. When you are able to connect with them, you’ll find that jobs will get done faster and with fewer errors.

Thanks again,

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

As a manager, one of the most dreaded tasks you’re going to have to complete is an employee performance appraisal. They happen at least annually, and are more often if you have a new employee or if you have had to place one on probation. No one, manager or employee, enjoys the appraisal process.

Even still, it’s important to understand the logistics of how the appraisal process works. Your organisation’s human resource department should have already taken care of the legalities behind the creation of the review process and is most likely responsible for giving you the formal paperwork for completion. It’s now up to you to complete the actual review. Here are a few things to keep in mind during the process.

Don’t spring a last minute meeting on your employee. It will likely take you a considerable amount of time to gather the information needed for the review. If you know the review is coming up, your employee should know, too. Give him at least two weeks notice so that he can prepare his own documentation, if necessary.

Give your employee the opportunity to review himself. Give him a blank copy of the review form and ask him to complete it and return it to you at least a week before the meeting. Having him answer the same questions about himself that you are trying to answer may shed a different perspective on your thoughts and opinions regarding the way he or she works.

Have a good understanding of your employee’s job description. This should go without saying, but also relates back to your technical skills and abilities. Do you really understand how your employee’s job is done on a regular basis? If not, you need to find out. How can you judge or rate him if you have no idea what he is actually supposed to be doing?

Avoid surprises during your performance appraisal meeting. Do not bring a laundry list of negative issues or problems to the performance appraisal meeting. If an employee’s behavior or work has not been up to standard, this is not the time to address or rehash those concerns unless the concern is very recent or you have addressed it previously. Performance appraisal meetings should be positive experiences.

This isn’t an all-inclusive list of steps to take when preparing for a performance appraisal meeting, but should give you a firm foundation to start from. I have found that the more prepared I am going into this type of meeting the smoother they tend to go. No one enjoys being reviewed, so your employees will appreciate your efforts to keep the process as painless as possible.

Thanks again,

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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