A performance appraisal can be either informal or formal. Informal appraisals take place whenever the supervisors feels it's necessary and the opportunity presents itself, whether that is on the job or over coffee. In formal appraisals are appropriate when time is an issue, because feedback that is not immediate is unlikely to change behavior. Frequent informal feedback can also prevent surprises when a formal appraisal is conducted. Formal appraisals are official meetings between a manager and employee to discuss job performance. They are usually conducted annually and scheduled in advance. This allows both employees and managers to plan ahead for performance discussions. It's difficult for people to know how they're doing if no one tells them. Feedback is an opportunity to mentor, boost employee engagement, and improve your leadership skills. Here are nine tips for getting better feedback. Make an immediate. If something needs to be said right away, say it. Don't reserve feedback only for the annual meeting. Do it often. Positive feedback is an essential part of performance management, and properly presented negative feedback helps employees improve. Focus on specific employee actions. General comments like, keep up the good work are good but not good enough. Give clear descriptions of the actions you're happy with and the ones that need improvement. Be fair and objectives. Don't make a big deal about doing things your way and avoid criticizing small errors. Keep your cool. If something goes wrong or makes you mad, take time to be calm before speaking. Focus on the positive, repetitive negative feedback over time destroys employee engagement. A simple strategy is to praise some of the employees accomplishments first and then bring up areas that need improvement. Choose the right time and place. Praise an employee publicly, but save negative feedback for behind closed doors. No one wants to be criticized in front of other people. Follow-up. End the conversation by planning next steps and a future discussion. Keep a record of these discussions to aid you in monitoring progress; and accept feedback. This contributes to a healthy workplace and it will make you a better leader. When supervisors follow these guidelines, they will more often than not see better results and a happier department overall. Another crucial aspect is putting things in writing. Written records are excellent reference material in a variety of situations and fulfill many purposes. Most organizations require written formal appraisals, but you should keep your own written records either way. They are useful when it's time to determine raises and promotions, and equally important for reducing confusion between supervisors and workers. In the US, if official written employee performance records are kept, the organization is legally obligated to give copies to the employee. If you need to terminate an employee, a well-kept record of documented incidents of poor performance can be useful in providing justification. They can also provide protection in the event of a lawsuit. For appraisals to be fair and honest, the supervisor and the employee must behave ethically and professionally. Workers have the right to a performance evaluation that is honest and appropriate. Supervisors are also required to respect and protect certain employee rights. One big issue is confidentiality. Supervisors must maintain the privacy rights of each person. Above all, never ever discuss one employee's performance with another employee. Another issue is inconsistency. You may be tempted to hold certain employees to higher standards than others due to your expectations for them. But everyone should be held to that same high standards. Of course, every employee deserves fairness. Supervisors must disregard factors unrelated to behaviors and results for all employee appraisals. They must put personal feelings aside and rate people on their performance and nothing else.
