Are you tired of the same old boring annual appraisal cycle? You’re not alone. The traditional approach to performance appraisals can be stressful and negative, leaving employees worried about receiving negative feedback or missing out on promotions. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Here are some ways #HR can turn the tables and bring about a positive, engaging environment during the appraisals:
1) Start by conducting an open townhall to share the compensation and performance philosophy with all employees. Announce the increment percentages for the year, how many promotions are budgeted, and how those will be decided. Encourage employees to ask questions and receive direct answers.
2) Set aside just 2-3 days for the completion of self-review. Turn it into a collaborative event where employees can come together to offer each other support and encouragement. Provide conference rooms where employees can seek help from HR partners when writing their self-reviews.
3) Get your higher most people managers trained on how to give ratings, write performance feedback, and conduct performance discussions, just a day prior to the start of the cycle. Encourage these leaders to take the lead in completing Manager assessments. It’s going to act as a cascade effect. When one manager experiences a well-structured discussion, he will conduct the discussion with his team in a similar manner.
4) As HR partner, make yourself available at all times to mediate and coach employees who are not happy with their discussions, ratings, increments, or lack of growth.
Remember, performance management is a known devil. The more you push it under the carpet, the bigger it will emerge to hurt your organization’s culture.
Embrace it, learn from it, and strive to make the experience better for your employees every subsequent year.