QUESTION: My manager should stand by me in appraisal.
FACT: You have to take care of yourself by constantly reminding the manager.
After an appraisal dialogue, a common complaint is that the manager has selectively mentioned only those. areas where you have not performed well, and skipped most of your positive contributions. Some employees even declare that the manager Is suffering from ‘selective amnesia’. Employees expect their manager to remember each contribution, but they often do not do full justice to themselves when writing their self appraisal. It is not possible for the manager to remember every contribution of every team member, but he does remember the ones that he considers important. To ensure that the. manager does not miss any of the contributions which an employee thinks is important, the employee needs to make it clear in his interactions with the manager and also in his self-appraisal form.
Too many appraisals dwell heavily on the past. It is good to have a review about the objectives of the past year and whether the performance matched them or not. But the focus of an appraisal should also be more forward-looking–what an individual needs to Work on; the new skills arid experiences that have to be acquired, and the new objectives for the corning period.
It is easy to forget that you—and not your manager— should be in the driving seat of your career. It is the manager’s job to give a constructive feedback and to provide guidance on how you can develop your career. But you have to remember that the manager is just a facilitator who provides an environment where you, as an employee, can grow; however, the responsibility is entirely on you to ensure that the manager knows about your contributions and ambition.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE EMPLOYEE? You should highlight all your achievements in the self-appraisal form so that your manager has a record of them. Don’t worry if there are some achievements that might be important from your perspective, but not from your manager’s. Managers need not record everything. Appraisal is just one opportunity to summarize the years progress, but why do you have to wait for an appraisal? You should be communicative throughout the year, ensuring that your manager has a clear picture about your contributions.
WHAT CAN you DO AS TIE MANAGER? You should have frequent communication with your team members on the tasks, status, challenges and results. If this is done properly, It reduces the surprise element during the appraisal process. A good appraisal is one where you and your employees are in sync. If you find your employees are in disagreement and that they feel let down, then you should explain the reason and also ensure that a better mechanism will be in place for the next appraisal cycle. There are different types of people in every team, and it is. your responsibility to see that even introverts find proper attention and space to air their achievements and concerns. They shouldn’t be made to wait for the appraisal dialogue.
