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Productive Performance Appraisals, 2nd edition
Authors: Paul Falcone , Randi Sachs
Pub Date: 2007
Your Price: $24.95
ISBN: 0814474225
Format: Hardcover
Chapter 3
Face-to-Face
Now that we have identified the three major phases of the performance review, along with why you may want to change your method of preparing for and conducting employee performance appraisals, let's look at how best to handle such an interview when you finally come face-to-face.
A GOOD BEGINNING
Because most employees are nervous about what will be said at their performance reviews, you can help make the meeting more pleasant by trying to put the employee at ease right away:
Harvey: Come in and sit down, Matthew. Please don't look so nervous. We both know you're a solid performer and consistent contributor, and there are no major problems to bog us down, so this should be fairly painless! Matthew: I sure hope so. . . . Harvey: Okay, please try to relax. The purpose of this meeting is so that we can evaluate your performance together and also so that we can work together to plan the best path for your future. Have you brought the forms I asked you to fill out? Matthew: Yes. I have them right here. Harvey: Excellent. I've filled out the same forms. I want to compare what we've each written on the job analysis form, so we can see just how well we agree on what your major job responsibilities are. |
NOTE: This form is written for a very specific position, whereas the work habits form in Figure 3-2 can be used for just about any type of employee.
Harvey is doing a fine job of beginning the interview. Right away, he has let Matthew know that the performance appraisal is going to be a positive one. Also, by acknowledging that there is natural tension, he has helped to dissipate some of that, too. By not attempting to cover up the purpose of the meeting with a lot of small talk, Harvey sets the tone for getting right down to the business at hand once he has promised Matthew that there is nothing to fear.
Using the job analysis form (see Figure 3-1) or an updated job description to begin the meeting is a good idea, too. Harvey and Matthew can talk about the objectives of the job before they get into a discussion on just how well Matthew is doing performance-wise. When Harvey and Matthew come to an area where they have given different weights, Harvey discusses it calmly and with an open mind, but he sticks to his agenda.
Harvey: I see that you've given new programming a weight of 15 percent and project support a weight of 25 percent. I've got the weights of those two switched here, with 25 percent for new programming and 15 percent for project support. Matthew: Really? I wouldn't mind if that were the case because, frankly, I enjoy writing new programs. But it seems to me that I definitely spend more time on project support. Harvey: If that's the case, let's consider changing that situation. I really need your talents used to develop new programs. In fact, I'd like to see the weight changed next time we meet to closer to 35 percent of your time spent on new and updated programs. Tell me, why do you think you spend so much time on support? Matthew: I think it's because the users are always coming to me with bits and pieces of things they want to do or want to change. Maybe if there were better communication we could accomplish more at one time, and then the job of ongoing support would take less time and energy. Harvey: That's a good thought. I agree with you, and I've got some ideas about improving those communications and would like to hear yours. I'll also be talking to the supervisor of the user department that you work with, to see if maybe we can work something out together. Matthew: That would be great. |
DISCUSS QUALITY OF PERFORMANCE
Once you and the employee have come to an agreement on just what the job entails and what the employee should be doing, you can then move on to the issue of quality of performance. This is where you can easily get into trouble. Unless you are careful about what you say to your employee, you can end up (1) causing resentment between the employee and yourself, (2) getting the wrong message across to the employee, or (3) saying nothing of major significance and wasting the opportunity to help the employee improve performance and grow in his career.
Harvey, for the most part, is pleased with Matthew's performance. He does have some suggestions for improvement, however. Harvey: I'd like you to know, Matthew, that I think you're an excellent employee and that you are an asset to the programming department. Your programming technique has improved over the past six months. I was especially pleased with the way you handled the accounting program. Matthew: Thanks. I worked hard on that program and I was happy with the way it turned out. Harvey: If I asked you to pick one area where you felt you needed the most improvement, where would it be? |
Assuming Matthew identifies interpersonal communication as his most-needed area of improvement, the conversation would continue as follows; otherwise, Harvey simply has to tell Matthew that, in his opinion as his manager, communication is what he'd like Matthew to focus on.
Harvey: As you said before, you notice that communications between programming and users is not always the most efficient. I suspect part of it is that you still need to strengthen and develop your experience at getting to the bottom of what your users need. I think that by consulting with them a little more closely and by asking more questions before you start a project, you may find that the results will be more satisfying. Does that sound reasonable to you? Matthew: I never thought of that before. Harvey: Well, tell me if you could think of an example where a deeper questioning approach up front may have saved time or refocused your efforts. . . . What would you do differently in the future if a client group approached you asking for your support in any area that you weren't familiar with? What would you tell the group members if they put undue pressure on you to problem solve something that was outside of your area of expertise? What kinds of questions could you ask to initially assess the challenge they were facing? You know, there is someone you could learn a lot from in this regard. She really has a knack for dealing with users and questioning her way to get at the core problem. I'm talking about Joan Houlihan. How do you feel about working with her for a while? Matthew: What do you mean? Harvey: I'm about to ask Joan to head a new project group for the manufacturing research department. I'd like you to work on that team and also to observe how Joan works with the users to get the project under way. I can ask her to utilize you as associate group leader. In this way, you can be in on the interdepartmental negotiations and you can also get some more experience in project planning. Matthew: That sounds very interesting. Harvey: You understand that Joan would be in charge of leading the group project, but that you would be her chief assistant. This is for her benefit, too, of course. I think your technical skills are the best in the group for this application, and I think you can help guide the other programmers on the team. Matthew: Terrific. That answers my question about how I can get more leadership experience. Harvey: I knew you would ask me about that, Matthew, and you have every right to. I do believe you have excellent leadership potential, but I want to make sure you can handle all aspects of project management when I ask you to take on your own team. |
Harvey really has come prepared to this appraisal meeting. He has identified Matthew's weak point (user communications) and anticipated that Matthew would be eager to strive toward heading a project (a career objective that had been established in the previous appraisal). Harvey has already decided on a way to help both needs, and he presents it to Matthew in such a positive light that Matthew is, of course, pleased with being given the opportunity to achieve while learning.
Once you have given your overall impression of the employee's performance, discussing specific areas and incidents that concern you, you can turn to the performance/work habits review form (see Figure 3-2) and compare what each of you perceives to be the employee's strong and weak points. This form conveniently serves to summarize and pinpoint some of the things you may have just discussed. By identifying these traits on the form as "work habits," the employee can see how some of the specific behaviors you've already discussed can translate into a general impression of his competence.
If your employee has been honest in her self-evaluation, there should not be a great deal of disparity between your form and the employee's. If you gave a rating of 4 where an employee has rated herself a 3, it's not worth quibbling over. Point out that you agree the employee is doing well, and although there will always be room for improvement, you feel the work is more consistent with a grade of 4 rather than 3. Tell the employee what you like about what she is doing in this area. For example, "You consistently meet your deadlines. I appreciate that and hope that you can continue to be so reliable." Remember to point out the positive marks you have given the employee and try to cite specific examples that influenced your giving the higher rating.
NOTE: This form can be used for just about any type of employee, whereas the job analysis form in Figure 3-1 is written for a very specific position.
*These are standard ratings descriptions used by many companies today. At the end of Chapter 11, we will recommend alternative ratings descriptions that may better serve your company’s and employees’ needs.
Concentrate on any areas where either of you has circled 1 or 2 when you talk about what areas need to be improved. For example, let's assume Matthew was having difficulty getting to meetings on time, but he wasn't aware of how much of an impact it had made on his supervisor:
Harvey: I've only given you one rating of 1, Matthew, and that's in punctuality. I've spoken to you a number of times about getting to meetings on time, but I still see you coming in late a full ten to twenty minutes after the meetings have begun—that's a lot, Matthew. Matthew: I know. But I always meet my deadlines; I always get my work done. . . . I stay late if I have to. I just find it hard to get to client meetings all over the campus on time. Does it really matter if I'm a few minutes late as long as the end-user is satisfied with the work we've done? Harvey: It is important, because you don't work in a vacuum, Matthew. When you arrive late and force others to either wait for you or repeat things for you, you show a lack of respect for their time. We're in an internal client–focused business, and we have to vie for these clients' business so that they don't look outside the company for their IT projects. Is there a specific reason why you can't seem to make it to user meetings on time? Matthew: No, but. . . . What about Wendy? She shows up at a lot of client meetings later than I do. Harvey: Well, we're not really here to discuss Wendy. Just so you know, though, she has a different role and scope than you in client meetings and typically notifies her supervisor in advance if she can't arrive on time. Still, this is about you, so, again, is there any particular reason why you're having difficulty getting to your client meetings on time? Matthew: No. Well, I'm just not a naturally early riser, and if I start off my day late first thing in the morning, I tend to run late throughout the day. Harvey: I wish we could accommodate everybody's inner clock, but we can't, Matthew. I have to tell you that you really need to discipline yourself to arrive at work on time. I'd hate for a relatively minor infraction to stand in the way of your advancement. Matthew: I understand what you're saying. I'll do a better job at getting to user meetings on time from now on. |
Harvey finally comes down hard on Matthew about his late arrivals. Although he pointed out the infractions when they happened, Harvey waits until the appraisal to really make an impression on Matthew. If you realize that you've failed to change your employee's behavior through daily interaction, you can use the performance appraisal to finally get your point across. After all, there is something about seeing a shortcoming on paper that makes it impossible to ignore.
ASK FOR INPUT
A productive performance appraisal allows for give-and-take between you and your employee. Ask the employee how she feels about the quality of her own performance and what she would like to change (see further discussion of this subject in Chapter 4). Harvey broaches the subject in this way:
Harvey: Matthew, have you given any thought to your strengths and weaknesses? What are the strengths that you really want to leverage? What skills would you like to try to improve? What areas would you like to learn more about? Matthew: Well, I'm pretty satisfied with my technical programming ability, but I would like to learn some additional languages. I would also like to improve my proficiency on other hardware and software systems. |
Perhaps because Harvey has asked Matthew to come prepared to talk about skills development, he had an easy time in getting Matthew to identify the areas he would like to work on. When employees are not accustomed to thinking about their future career prospects, it can be a lot more difficult to get the conversation going.
WATCH WHAT YOU SAY—AND HOW YOU SAY IT
Can you remember sitting at a performance review and hearing your supervisor say things that made you want to start whistling and looking at the ceiling? It probably brought back memories of the lectures your parents or teachers gave you when your behavior came under scrutiny.
Too often, we revert to old, tried-and-true phrases to express ourselves. In other words, we use clichés. When we let this happen, we generally lose other people's attention and cause them to doubt whether we are really attuned to them as individuals.
Here are some of the more common clichés—both negative and positive—embraced by supervisors at performance appraisal times. The first three examples show how you can express the same ideas in a more personal way by citing specific behavior.
Cliché 1
"You're not living up to your potential."
More Personal: "I was confident that you had enough experience in this area to handle this assignment, Amy. Why do you think you've had trouble getting the work done correctly?"
Cliché 2
"You make very good use of your time."
More Personal: "I'm pleased with the way I see you organize your workload, Richard. I was especially impressed with how you were able to finish that last assignment without having to work overtime."
Cliché 3
"I feel sometimes your behavior is very immature."
More Personal: "The way you handled that complaint by Mr. Smith was inappropriate, Sharon. You have to control your temper and concentrate on solving the problem. Instead, you seemed to take his complaint personally, and you responded defensively instead of helpfully."
Now try some on your own. Here are several more examples of overused expressions. Try to come up with more original ways to get your message across. Write down your ideas in the space provided. Because it's a performance appraisal, remember to cite specific behavior so that your remarks are instructive to the employee.
Cliché 4
"You need to improve your productivity."
More Personal:
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Cliché 5
"You get along well with others."
More Personal:
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Cliché 6
"Your skills are not up to par."
More Personal:
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Cliché 7
"You're not trying to do your best."
More Personal:
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Cliché 8
"You're a pleasure to supervise."
More Personal:
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Cliché 9
"You have to prove yourself before I can give you any more responsibility."
More Personal:
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Cliché 10
"I wish I could do more to help you, but my hands are tied."
More Personal:
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SETTING THE SCENE
To give an appraisal interview your undivided attention and to make your employee as comfortable as possible, take the time to set the scene for a productive meeting. Use the following checklist to make sure you haven't forgotten anything:
Checklist for Setting the Scene
* Arrange to have all calls forwarded to a receptionist or voice mail and visitors diverted.
* Make sure you have scheduled enough time for the meeting.
* Clear your desk of any extraneous papers or files that will get in the way of your working on the desk with forms and papers.
* Make sure the temperature level in your office is comfortable—neither too cold nor too warm.
* Have a pitcher of water and cups handy, if possible.
* Put away anything you tend to fidget with, such as rubber bands and paper clips.
* Have all necessary paperwork and forms ready.
* Provide the employee with a comfortable chair.
© 2007 American Management Association.
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