News: Performance Management
Staff appraisals are vital to employer/employee relationship
18 December 2007
Staff appraisals are a vital part of employer/employee relationships, and need to happen on a regular basis to be effective.
In spite of a recent Investors in People survey suggesting such appraisals may not be effective, Mike Petrook of the Chartered Management Institute argued that "the importance of sharing information cannot be overstated".
He said: "The whole point behind the appraisal process is that it should motivate employees and encourage them towards ownership of and also responsibility for their performance."
Appraisals should also be discursive rather than prescriptive - something which performance management training can help managers with.
Mr Petrook continued: "Good appraisal involves discussion on the strategic objectives and the tactical objectives rather than a monologue of one person saying 'this is what should be achieved, do you agree with this?'."
He suggests that a system should be put in place where a formal appraisal happens at least once a year, and informal appraisals happen at least once a month, so that operational and developmental issues can be discussed.
The Investors in People research suggested that 44 per cent of people found that their appraiser had been dishonest, and that 29 per cent thought their appraisal had been a waste of time.
Nevertheless, 41 per cent thought they were useful.
