Appraisals - are they more than just a paper exercise?

Whether or not your heart sinks at the thought of that annual brainstorm, known as the appraisal, probably depends on which side of the desk you are sitting.

According to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), many managers dread appraisal time of year more than the person they are appraising.

When carried out correctly an appraisal helps a company to hang on to its most expensive resource - its employees - making them feel valued and motivated. They can benchmark skills and behaviours and help to identify career aspirations. When done badly the impact can be negative and affect employee moral and business profitability.

Look at it from a manager's point of view for a moment and it's easier to see why appraisals can be an issue. According to the CIPD, a manager's job consists of three parts - doing things, managing things and managing and leading people. Very few managers actually go into their trade or profession with the aim of becoming a manager. They go into construction, for example, to build things, into education to teach things and into sales to sell things.

Suzanne is a journalist working for a large and well-respected employer. Every April her line manager would travel 200 miles to conduct her yearly appraisal but it was little more than a paper exercise.

'Like me, my manager was a journalist who had only a basic idea of how to conduct a proper appraisal, ' she explained. 'We'd go through the highs and lows of the past year and come up with targets for the coming year but invariably they were forgotten the following day as we both got back to our busy jobs.'

When surveyed by the CIPD, the managers questioned came up with these five reasons why they do not like conducting appraisals:

- 'I've got enough to do without also having to fill in forms for Personnel.'

- 'The appraisal process is 'divorced' from the realities of my 'business' cycle.'

- 'Appraisal is inherently unfair - some roles are easier to assess.'

- 'Appraisal is amazingly time-consuming.'

- 'Giving staff feedback on their performance during an appraisal interview is uncomfortable.'

Experts say all of these comments may not apply to every organisation but if two or three become a problem then the appraisal process can be damaged.

'Appraisals are so important for many reasons,' explained Mark Oliver, an expert in Human Resources. 'It gives staff the opportunity to discuss their work with their manager in a way that does not happen at any other time. For a manager, it's a chance to find out about people; it's a tool by which companies can look for the talent within and identify those who wish to develop.'

Expert Advice
The advice to companies is straightforward. Avoid making the process an onorous one, adopt a simple approach and ensure that managers are correctly trained in conducting appraisals. A good manager will view appraisals as a tool for employee development and motivation, building a Personal Development Plan which allows aspirations to be fulfilled.

'The ideal would be to conduct a very simple appraisal once a quarter, however once a year is acceptable,' said Mark. 'Make it relevant, meaningful and, crucially, train managers in the techniques required otherwise there is no point and that, in the end, could be costly.'