Over the course of my career, I’ve worked in small family owned businesses, a university, a large government department and US multinational.
Each had their own version of a performance appraisal or a staff appraisal, and I believe each were genuine in their intention to manage the process; although there were many individuals whom I could single out being as somewhat against the idea!
Nonetheless, despite policy on staff appraisals, none of these organisations were successful in giving me nor any I worked with, a regular staff appraisal and none of them were particularly good post appraisal follow up.
So what went wrong?
It is very easy to sit around a table and make policy decisions about how and when to do staff appraisals, but at the end of the day it is the level of commitment that the managers and the staff have to the process that will ensure its success or failure.
An organisation’s staff is it’s greatest resource. Therefore, it stands to reason that the staff should be monitored and cared for constantly. Given this, the appraisal process should be as regular as possible in order to maximise the efficiency and profitability of the business.
Whilst in theory this may sound pretty obvious, most managers are so busy doing their own work that they don’t have time to be constantly evaluating staff…right? Wrong!
If you are a manager with people reporting to you, then it is your responsibility to make sure that your team are working as efficiently as possible. Now I know I’m stepping into the territory of leadership, and I believe rightfully so, for a good manager needs to be a leader if they want great results.
It is often easier to manage a process than it is to manage people, and so many managers, particularly male managers, default to focusing on their processes and procedures rather than risk getting involved in what could end up being an emotional or personal issue.
My recommendation is to do a formal staff appraisal annually and a semi formal appraisal every six months. But the real key to success continual improvement comes when leaders and managers have a genuine interest in the wellbeing and performance of their staff.
About the Author
Chris Edwards is an Executive Coach who specialises in Staff Performance and Leadership Development. He is the youngest 'City2Surf Legend', and as a personal coach, he will apply the same focus and tenacity toward helping you achieve your goals as has powered him over the line year after year.To discover how you can benefit from working with a personal performance coach, Contact Chris at Life7 to discuss your unique requirements.
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