How to Give Staff Appraisals

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How to give staff appraisals

Why appraisals are important

Appraisals are the time when you are asked to give feedback to others.

Feedback is a subset of the Continuous improvement cycle.

1. Set the goal
2. Write the plan
3. Take the actions
4. Give feedback on the actions
5. Change and adapt according to the feedback

The value of accurate feedback

Feedback is a specialised form of information that:

1. Tells you how you are doing up to now, and
2. Informs you of your next actions needed to achieve your goals

Feedback can be in three forms:

1. You have taken action and find that you have made good progress.
2. You have taken action and find that you have NOT made good progress.
3. You have taken action and find that you have gone backwards (got worse: regressed).

Friend and colleague

There is a need to overcome your natural reluctance to critique a friend.

Many people like their colleagues and the thought of critiquing a friends performance to too much for some to bear.

So they FAIL to give the proper feedback.

This failure is to the detriment of:

1. The friend
2. The organisation
3. The customer
4. Yourself

Be prepared to give honest and objective feedback to a friend.

Distinguish between

1. Insult and feedback

Insults are defined as "vague, subjective, emotionalised and NOT containing a specific corrective action."

Example "You are a clown".

Feedback is defined as the opposite: "Specific, objective, NON emotionalised and containing a specific corrective action".

Example: "You are unshaven. In your role: You need to come to work well groomed".

2. Meaningless praise and feedback

Praise should also be specific, and honest.

Example: "That cover design was imaginative and eye catching. You are very good at this!"

NOT vague and empty "You're The CHAMP!"

Proper feedback has the following four characteristics:

1. Objective
Feedback should be objective:

That means:

• Evidence based: Linked to specific named instances.
• Accurate: Corresponding to the facts.

2. Brief
Feedback should be brief.
Short.
NOT unduly extended beyond necessity, with too many words, that could more easily have been said with a phase that was much shorter than this one!

3. Developmental

Feedback should provide solutions to any problematic errors.

Every weakness should be accompanied by an action plan to correct it.

4. Fair

• Feedback illuminates the good
• Feedback that identifies the NOT so good
• Feedback that examines the BAD
• Feedback that corrects

Summary

Appraisals are the time when you are asked to give feedback to others.
Feedback is a specialised form of information about the next actions needed to achieve your goals.
Sometimes you will need to critique a friend.

Distinguish between: Insult and feedback.

Distinguish between: Meaningless praise and feedback.
Develop your ability to be objective, brief and fair.
Ensure that you always come up with workable and agreed action plans.

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