Conducting difficult employee appraisals used to have the charm of falling unprotected into a shark tank. The boss sat at the desk opposite, conducting a monologue about work performance, usually when something didn't go according to plan. Today, the aim of these discussions is no longer to draw up a list of mistakes and weaknesses of individual employees, but to develop employees, motivate them anew and strengthen the relationship between employees and managers. In the following article, you can read about what is important and what taboos there are when conducting employee appraisals.
Employee appraisals should become an integral part of communication and take place regularly. The aim is to trigger a learning and development effect among employees. Employee appraisals do not have to take place in a sterile conference room or in the boss's office in accordance with strict etiquette. They are at least as effective if they are held over a coffee or during a shared lunch in a quiet corner of the café. Quarterly meetings are a good interval.
Unlike employee appraisals on specific occasions, regular appraisals are not based on a specific topic. They often even take place unplanned without a specific date if such an exchange arises spontaneously. Managers also benefit from this exchange. If conducted correctly, they can make employees happier and more productive. Employee appraisals also give you a good feel for the climate within the team and enable you to recognize potential conflicts in good time.
Employee appraisals can be divided into two categories: The event-related and the regular meetings. It has now become established in many companies that employee appraisals are held on a fixed schedule, for example once every six months or even every quarter. In addition to these fixed dates, appraisal interviews can also be scheduled spontaneously if there is a specific reason. The occasion determines the type of meeting to which managers invite their employees
As part of the regular appraisal meeting, the employee's performance with regard to the defined objectives is assessed by both the employee and the employer and then compared with each other. If there are major discrepancies between the self-assessment and the external assessment, you will work together to find solutions to ensure successful collaboration. The appraisal interview also offers the opportunity to discuss salary expectations and areas of responsibility.
Another form of appraisal interview is the conflict discussion. This involves discussing potential problems in the working environment or breaches of guidelines that may have a negative impact on the team's performance. The aim of the meeting is to create a de-escalating atmosphere and to discuss the problem together in a solution-oriented and constructive manner in order to promote team development. The conflict discussion is also used to provide feedback after the completion of a negative project.
The purpose of target agreement meetings is to evaluate past targets and define new targets. The new targets are categorized hierarchically into different levels for each department and each employee in order to discuss the way to implement the targets.
During an information meeting, line managers can obtain information from their employees about specific issues or gain new knowledge in order to make more informed decisions. They also have the opportunity to inform their employees about planned changes to processes or to discuss upcoming projects.
Managers should be particularly sensitive when conducting feedback meetings and conflict discussions, as professional discussion management sets the course for further cooperation. In this article, we will therefore also focus on these two employee appraisals and how you can plan and conduct them in the best possible way.
These appraisal interviews are important for both supervisors and managers in order to sound out the current status of a performance, the existing potential and also the weak points. This makes it all the more important to prepare employee feedback meetings well, to give them the right framework and to have the goal in mind.
Employees have the opportunity to reflect on their own role in the company as part of a feedback meeting. They evaluate whether they have achieved the agreed targets, feel up to the tasks assigned to them or are possibly over- or under-challenged. They can also give their personal assessment of their cooperation with superiors and colleagues as well as general teamwork. Furthermore, employee appraisals offer the opportunity to express wishes and goals for the future, for example with regard to further training or taking on new tasks and areas of responsibility.
Employee appraisals enable managers to optimize work processes in the long term and make them more effective. Among other things, managers can adapt or change working conditions based on feedback from other team members. Feedback meetings are also an excellent motivational tool. Regular feedback and motivation can increase employees' work performance by up to ten percent, as they feel that their wishes and needs are taken seriously and valued.
The first employee appraisals in particular can cause managers to break out in a sweat. How do I start? What happens when the employee becomes emotional? What goal am I pursuing and how can I bring the conversation to a positive conclusion? You should think about all these questions in advance before scheduling your appraisal interviews. Find out in advance what projects the employee is currently working on, what successes and failures they have achieved in the past. It is also worth getting feedback from other team members.
For sensitive appraisal interviews, you should always create an atmosphere of trust in which the other person feels comfortable. It is also important to meet at eye level so that an open discussion can take place. Employees should never get the feeling that their honest opinions and statements will have direct negative consequences and that criticizing the current situation will immediately lead to dismissal.
You should gather information about the employee's performance and behavior in advance of the performance review by obtaining feedback from colleagues and customers or analyzing performance data.
Formulate specific feedback points based on the information gathered, covering both positive and negative aspects. Employee appraisals should always look at both sides.
Prepare examples that illustrate the feedback points and help the employee to understand negative behavior and improve it. But also make sure to list positive examples of cooperation.
Plan the course of the employee appraisals in advance to ensure that all feedback points are addressed and that there is enough time for discussion.
Create a positive atmosphere in which the employee feels comfortable and free to communicate openly.
Finally, make target agreements with the employee based on the feedback points and the results of the interview.
Wherever possible, performance reviews should always end on a positive note. Even if points of criticism have been addressed, the employee should not go home with a bad feeling. Ideally, you should ask directly at the end of the interview how the employee is doing now and whether there are any questions.
There are various ways to conduct employee appraisals. As a guide, we have outlined an exemplary procedure for you here, which has proven to be promising in practice.
The start of a conversation should always be as positive as possible. Perhaps there has just been a success in a project or other positive events that you can look back on together with the employee. The time frame, procedure and objectives of the appraisal interview should also be clarified at this point.
This is followed by an open discussion. Both sides have the opportunity to give feedback. This should always be respectful and appreciative. The employee's successes and failures are discussed. It is particularly important to give specific examples and give the employee the opportunity to comment on these examples and explain their own perspective.
Once the current situation has been discussed, the focus turns to the future. What changes can be implemented in a targeted manner? Which goals should be achieved and which tasks should be mastered? At this point, managers have the opportunity to offer help, encouragement and support.
Finally, concrete target agreements should be made based on the results of the feedback and the joint discussion. These goals should be measurable and realistic.
The end of the meeting should always be positive and motivating. Possibilities for further development can be discussed and new goals formulated.
It makes sense to conduct employee appraisals again after a certain period of time to check whether the agreed objectives have been achieved and to plan further steps if necessary.
It is important that employee appraisals are not conducted as a monologue, but instead serve as a mutual exchange. In practice, the 70/30 rule for employee appraisals has proven to be successful, with employees having the greater share of the conversation. This allows them to open up and at the same time gives them the feeling that they are being listened to.
Giving feedback is essential for constructive collaboration. Naturally, this feedback is not always positive, but discussions about criticism are unavoidable and important. Managers are therefore sometimes faced with the unpleasant task of giving negative feedback. However, if you approach this task correctly, you can protect yourself and your team from disappointment, low morale and a lack of motivation as a result of such employee appraisals in the event of a crisis.
Conflicts naturally arise wherever people work together. There are certain flashpoints where disputes often ignite.
At this point, constructive discussions are an effective tool for clarifying the causes of conflicts. If conflicts are not resolved permanently, this leads to a considerable loss of productivity in the long term. The sooner appraisal interviews are scheduled, the sooner the consequences of unresolved conflicts in the company can be averted.
Employee appraisals in conflict situations are not there to let off steam or demonstrate your own position of power. Used correctly, these discussions serve to improve cooperation and internal processes. For this reason, such employee appraisals should generally have the character of assistance and support that is associated with great appreciation. They aim to help employees move forward and give them the opportunity to learn from past mistakes. You should always bear this in mind before arranging appraisal interviews.
The aim of employee appraisals in the event of conflict is to de-escalate existing conflicts between the parties and work together to find constructive solutions. The aim is to discuss and resolve misunderstandings, ambiguities and negative effects on the performance of the team or the company. Through an open and constructive discussion, the parties involved can achieve better cooperation and promote positive team development. The clear aim of a conflict discussion is to find a viable solution for all parties involved.
When conducting appraisal interviews, the aim is to deal with a conflict situation in a systematic way. By creating a discussion guide for your meetings in advance, you can appear more confident and objective. The KULT model, which divides employee appraisals into four phases in the event of conflict, can help you here:
C: Clarification
The first step is to clarify the exact problem. How does the conflict affect those involved and what are the consequences?
U: Causes
The second step is to investigate the causes of the conflict. What can it be traced back to and how long has it existed? It can be useful to ask several questions in order to identify the core of the problem.
L: Solution
Various possible solutions are collected, whereby all parties involved should have their say and find common ground. It is important that the chosen solution can also be implemented.
T: Transfer
Finally, all participants should discuss how they can ensure that the agreements are implemented in practice.
In many companies, feedback to employees is now part of everyday life. Appointments for employee appraisals are arranged at regular intervals in order to optimize collaboration. Mistakes are often made in the process, which are a common thread running through the general culture of discussion within the company.
Critical discussions should be conducted in an appreciative tone. They are not intended to demotivate an employee and highlight their weaknesses, but should at best become a dialog. Give your counterpart the chance to express their point of view in these conversations. The purpose of a conversation is a mutual exchange.
Many line managers make the mistake of only giving negative feedback in appraisal interviews. Employees go home with a list that suggests they are not worth their salary. Critique interviews should be a mixture of positive and negative feedback.
Criticism meetings should never be held on the spur of the moment. Allow enough time for this and don't schedule it 5 minutes before an important meeting. It goes without saying that these discussions should not be held in front of colleagues, but face-to-face in a protected environment.
A common mistake is that employees are not given clear arguments or examples of what they can improve. Instead, general phrases are used such as: "You can still improve your performance" or "I expect better results from you." Such feedback is vague and therefore cannot be implemented constructively by employees.
It is one of the most frequently used techniques: starting criticism conversations with effusive praise, only to then stab in the back and destroy the praise with criticism. Instead of lulling your employee into a sense of security with catchy praise, only to wipe it out again later, concentrate instead on honest and appreciative feedback. By conveying both praise and criticism honestly and constructively, you provide your employees with the best possible support.
An absolute taboo in these conversations are accusations and generalized statements. "You never achieve the set targets" or "Why do you always put things off?". Good appraisal interviews are specific. If you want to express criticism, refer to a specific incident. Generalizations are not helpful for the other person, but rather serve to demotivate them. In addition, there should be no overly intimate questions about family life. Questions about family planning or a possible pregnancy do not belong in this interview situation. Questions about the last sick note are also taboo for employee interviews.
Do you recognize yourself in one or more of these mistakes? Then you will be able to conduct difficult employee appraisals more constructively in future by trying to avoid these mistakes. After you have described your impressions, give your employee the chance to take a stand and conclude by defining concrete, actionable support that can lead to measurable results. Only end conversations when you have the feeling that your counterpart is satisfied with the solution and the outcome of the conversation.
Before you start the conversation, you should take some time to prepare yourself. Think about the topics you want to address and the goals you want to achieve.
Make sure that the conversation takes place in a positive atmosphere in which the employee feels comfortable and free to communicate openly.
During the conversation, you should actively listen and give the employee the opportunity to express their point of view.
Give the employee constructive feedback on their performance and behavior and also show them where they can make improvements.
Set clear goals together with the employee and create a plan to achieve these goals.
Always consider the employee's perspective and try to find solutions that are acceptable to both sides.
Document the conversation and share your notes with the employee. This will help both sides to remember what was said later and to track progress.
End the conversation on a positive note by thanking the employee for their time and encouraging them to contact you if they have any further questions or problems.
At Stage Academy, you will find support for constructive appraisal interviews in the form of coaching and seminars. The topics are individually tailored to you and your issues and give you the opportunity to reflect on your own behavior in sensitive conversations together with a sparring partner.
Contact us by e-mail at contact@stageacademy.de or via this link and get a non-binding quote.