The art of appraising and getting appraised

It’s that time of the year when all the offices are buzzing with just one word, appraisals! Employees, in their self appraisal forms are trying hard to let the seniors know that they’ve met their KPAs (Key Performance Areas). The bosses, on the other hand are getting prepared to let the under-performing employees know that they need to pull up their socks. But how can both the parties make their stands clear, without seeming too eager-to-please (in the case of employees) or harsh or disrespectful (in the case of the bosses) ?

Experts say that it’s possible, and the whole process of appraising and getting appraised can go really smooth. Saloni Duggal, image etiquette and communication coach says that the boss needs to have excellent communication skills and his tone should be uplifting and not authoritative. “Bosses should always remember — praise in public, criticise in private. The leader should have refined communication skills. When he is trying to get an under-performing employee improve, he can’t make authoritative statements. Instead, he can throw questions at him — ‘Why didn’t we meet deadlines?’ or ‘Why do you think we didn’t meet the targets?’ By doing so, the boss is getting the employee to think and in the process he will get the hint.

Ramanujam Sridhar, founder & CEO, Brand-Comm says, “Why hint? Tell them directly and politely.” “The under-performing employee needs to be told politely, why he has been rated 3.5 and what he needs to do to get a 4.5 in the next appraisal. Give the employees feedback at regular intervals. The task is to convey, so why do it just once a year? But the feedback has to be based on records and facts and not on impressions. If the employee has been coming late to work or has not met deadlines, the boss instead of telling him, ‘you always come late or you never meet deadlines,’ should make a note of the number of times or instances when this has happened. So, while giving feedback, the boss has something substantial to prove his point,” explains Ramanujam, who feels that employees should never be compared. “Comparing employees is a very bad practice. But it happens in offices,” he adds.

And how can performing employees make it obvious to their higher ups that they have contributed? Experts believe that the best way to get noticed is to bring it to the managers’ notice. Walk up and take onus for what you have done. “You have to protect yourself and make your presence being felt. If your boss doesn’t recognise your work, go to the next level boss and speak up,” says Ramanujam. To this Saloni adds, “In your appraisal form, neither drag down nor brag about yourself. There has to be a balance; start off by talking about your accomplishments and then subtly talk about the areas you are trying to improve. Visual presentation also plays an important role in getting noticed. Be an ambassador for yourself — follow power dressing, stick to company ethics and have a positive attitude.”

What about employees, themselves, especially those who juggle two jobs at a time? Is appraissal time crunch time? Kamaljeet Rana, for instance is an IT professional who also models part-time. So, how does he manage it during appraisals? “For me, every day is an appraisal. I push myself to strike the right balance between work and workouts,” says Kamaljeet, adding, “I work on developing codes in my company, and when my product goes to the testing department, I ensure it doesn’t comeback with defects.

Apart from this, I keep my bosses informed about my shows and unavailability on certain days. During the fashion week, I had given my bosses a heads up two weeks in advance.” What if you are still unhappy with your appraisal? “If I’m not happy with my ratings, I can always challenge it. But it has never happened,” shares Kamaljeet.              

From the boss’s mouth
A senior is expected to give genuine feedback and now it’s easier to do so because younger employees these days are comfortable knowing their demerits. In fact, inputs given during appraisal helps these employees, who want to quickly go up the ladder of success. All will be well as long as the focus remains on the task of the individual. The comments need to be well worded — it’s good to begin by building on the good things and then move on to addressing the concerns. Warmth and empathy will make the entire process smooth. 
— Priya Chetty Rajagopal, VP, Stanton Chase International

With inputs from Shruti IL