Last week, my article revolved around creating an effective appraisal system that one could follow in order to avoid surprises at the end of the year. Now that you have received your performance rating; be it excellent, good, average or poor. What’s next? Of course depending on the outcome of the appraisal, you would need to take certain action in order to make the best out of your career goals and potential goals. My article this week is on the “Appraisal aftermath” i.e. what action or steps should an employee take and do after he or she receive their end-of-year appraisals.
Let’s first start with receiving a positive appraisal feedback or positive performance outcome. Understand and analyze the feedback received: What did you do well, what improvements do you require or need, and how could have you done things differently. Celebrate your achievements, be it individually or with your team (depending on your role in the respective organization). The impact (personally and professionally) and the morale (individually or as a group) that one attains out of acknowledging feedback, celebrating feats and setting new goals is tremendous. The proof is in the pudding, from the outstanding performance organization gets as an output from the respective employees.
What about receiving a negative appraisal feedback i.e. being unfair or unjust? Yes I know, it can be disheartening and demoralising. The employee may end up not performing, and the organization may be serving dead bodies as a result.
Organisations normally end up creating a PIP, performance improvement plan, in order to give the underperforming employee with a plan that includes tasks that he or she needs to follow in order to address the failures and consequently succeed (or improve). Think of it as an organization's tool for employee’s survival. What should the unfairly treated employee do (especially if the PIP is just an excuse from the organization before asking the respective employee to leave)? That’s what I wish to focus on primarily today.
First and foremost, stay calm, be professional and ensure you reflect. It's important you take the necessary time (but not too long) to process what had happened, what was shared during the end-of-the-year appraisal session, and the emotions that emanated as well. The key is to avoid reacting immediately, as this may only portray you as being impulsive.
Taking an external input as a form of advice (from a trusted source, be it a friend or family) can be valuable as well to consider, as this may provide an objective view of the feedback i.e. was it constructive or destructive in nature.
Once you have all the data (as a form of input) in place, prepare a detailed response that includes evidence to each and every point you wish to address from the feedback received during the appraisal. Ensure that you clearly explain and list your contribution and achievements that links directly to what was agreed at the beginning of the year, and what you have achieved at the end of the year. Use tangible examples to support your case.
Lastly, schedule and request for a meeting with your line manager (if you feel the appraisal was unfair) to discuss the feedback. Present your justification and positively explain why you feel the initial assessment does not reflect your actual contribution.
The goal is to get the reassessment, and for your line manager to acknowledge your hard-earned efforts (if deserved) in a positive manner. At most of the cases, this works. In worst case scenario, get the HR involved. Most organization have a formal complaint on such cases (known as Employee Grievance) that may raise as an employee and where a committee is tasked to review the case objectively. The last thing you need is to work in an unproductive environment. It's unhealthy and deteriorating to do nothing, trust me.
Reacting systematically to unfair appraisal can sometimes be difficult as it involves emotions - we are humans after all. Yet, by being calm, professional and objective through-out the journey, I trust the experience can be rewarding in whatever the outcome may be. If you did not succeed at your first attempt, I can confidently assure you that the next time would be a walk in the park, especially with the learning and experience you gained out of the activity.
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