Foibles: appraisals

18 Apr 2005

It’s no wonder that the annual one-to-one with the boss
turns confident professionals into gibbering souls. Forget
complimentary banter over an instant coffee while your boss outlines
your fast track to departmental stardom. It’s more likely to be a
meeting with the managerial equivalent of Dennis Norden as you are
dragged through a year’s worth of cock-ups.

“Just when you
think that you’ve left your past behind, an appraisal brings it back,”
says one Cardiff based PA who remains anonymous. “I’ve even been ticked
off for mistakes that I don’t remember. My boss doesn’t think he’s
doing a good job unless he’s laying down the law. Appraisal month here
is like opening Pandora’s Box.”

Yup, no sooner have you
forgotten the way you were late one morning seven months ago than the
boss is there to point it out again.

The fact is that
appraisals should nurture professional development and help businesses
achieve targets. It should also allow employers and employees discuss
what they want from each other before pretending that the conversation
never happened.

“I was told to get my hair cut by my MD,”
says a shadowy office worker from Macclesfield. “My line manager looked
so embarrassed that he put no mention of it in the follow up letter.

“I
got my hair cut anyway but wished that I’d had a Mohican when I heard a
cluck of “that’s better!” from our office manager who is also the MD’s
wife.” It’s enough to make you run through the canteen with a sharpened
plastic fork. Even worse, just when we’d defended our careers to the
boss now we have our workmates to worry about too. 360 degree
appraisals, or being ganged up on, allow colleagues to comment on your
work, showing managers what a feckless employee you really are.
However, Jodie Turner, an account director with Shine Communication in
London, begs to differ.

“I hold several 360 degree
appraisals and they’re great for empowerment. We set goals, address
training needs and expose staff to work that will help them improve
weaknesses. We also ask staff what will make them happier. This year I
want to go to the gym more and my manager has helped find solutions to
let me do this.”

Too good to be true? Well, it seems that
more employers are switching onto the benefits of properly run
appraisals. Thankfully, sending shockwaves of fear though the office is
no longer considered a management tool.

According to the
Chartered Management Institute the key lies in the way that managers
carry out appraisals. This includes remembering that it is a
discussion, asking employees for comments and highlighting good
performance. It does not include criticising their personalities,
avoiding sticky moments and ending on a negative note. Mark Templeton
is head of leadership development at 02. He designs the company’s
review process and knows what it takes to send employees over the edge.

“If appraisals are mysterious it leads to fear,” he says.
“Annual meetings don’t help either. So there should be monthly
one-to-one meetings between managers and employees, six monthly interim
reviews and a final review at the end of that twelve month cycle.”
Sounds exhausting, but it stops the boss hoarding your foibles until he
can unleash them upon you in a
one-off-not-to-be-repeated-until-next-year attack.

However, it seems that appraisals can be a good thing, at least according to Lucy Freeman, public relations consultant to www.gumtree.com.

“I
once wept lavishly through an appraisal while my boss patted my arm and
said “Oh God, please stop crying!” in a Hugh Grant type way. I decided
that I never wanted to be in that position again, handed in my notice
and went freelance. I’ve never been happier!”

Really? Now that’s what I call professional development.

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