Performance Appraisal Interviews

Threats and Opportunities both lie at the heart of performance appraisal, both the employee and the manager are locked in an emotional experience, where for the former it could be stressful and anxious experience the latter has to show how can he/she shapes things and make them simple, and create a better productive environment.

The Performance Appraisal Interview

Threats and Opportunities both lie at the heart of performance appraisal, both the employee and the manager are locked in an emotional experience, where for the former it could be stressful and anxious experience the latter has to show how can he/she shapes things and make them simple, and create a better productive environment. For Managers it is about both praise and constructive criticism, bringing out the negatives in a way that would not deteriorate performance. If the interview is handled poorly, the employee may feel resentment, and conflict may result, which could be reflected in future work.

Appraisal interviews are always approached by the employee with concern, for instance Consider you are facing your Manager for a meeting to discuss your performance, it is thus very important that managers entrusted with the position to conduct the interviews make sure that they are well prepared and know the norms, good practices and techniques of handling the sensitive meeting of such nature.

Reactions of Managers to Appraisal

Performance appraisal process often sees resistance from the Managers and Supervisors who would appraise their employees. Conflicting position arise when the actual role of appraisal conflicts with the position in which they are in, being the judge on the performance is the reality whereas coach, mentor, guide and counselor for the employee could only be seen as a rhetoric, the two roles often conflicts with each other and have adverse effect on the managers, their relationship with the employee, the employee performance and the performance management process itself. for instance the thought of the fact that these processes will have an affect on employees future performance and other activities in the business may cause the raters have a bias in their ratings. The bias is highly likely when  managers own performance is judged on subordinates performance and when they have to defend their ratings to their bosses, or HR specialists.

Positive feedback is often provided to avoid unpleasantness or to keep up healthy work environment in an interpersonal situation. But a manager owes an employee a well-considered appraisal.

Reactions of Appraised Employees

Employees perceive appraisal as a situation that would result in a Win-Lose situation, where one is a winner and other is a loser, the effect of this mentality is that is could make employee more defensive at times, and the manager may not get the best out of him/her. Feeling of threat in employees could start rivalry at work, that could stimulate a perception that in order to get high scores someone else has to receive low ratings. This happens when there are positions in performance appraisal, but situation like these could be avoided by Making it an "All Winner Process", where each and everybody could be a winner. This would require development of Performance Management process and making it an activity of self improvement, where focus is on positive criticism, learning from mistakes, trial and error, and most importantly performance Improvement rather that Performance scrutiny or Management.

As mentioned above another employee reaction is similar to students’ reactions to tests. A teacher who prepares the test sees it fit for the students but students have other thoughts. Likewise, employees being appraised may not necessarily agree with the manager doing the appraising. As in the class rooms different students are at different level, some are quick, intelligent and sharp while other might be slow in absorbing things, reacting to issues, it is the job of both the leaders and the managers to consider the facts and appraise, nurture the talent likewise.

Do's and Don'ts Performance Interviews

Bibliography

Armstrong, M., (2009). Handbook of Human Resource Management. 11th Edition. Kogan Page: London.

Bratton, J., and Gold, J., (1999). Human Resource Management. Theory and Practice. 2nd Edition. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: London.