Appraisals In A Small Business – How To Get The Most From Them.

How many times have you heard people in your company say “i’ve got do to these appraisals with the team – its just a lot of form filling really but HR say we have to do it – what a waste of time”

Should these people be give the responsibility of doing appraisals in the first place? Who gave them the responsibility and how well did the person giving the responsibility understand what they are all about?

Appraisals serve a number of functions for both the employer and the employee. The have proven to be very useful in determining direction, re-focusing, identification of training needs and identification of skills deficiencies when done correctly. Some companies carry out continuous reviews, others do 360 feedback from all colleagues – whatever your company does, it is important to have some form of measurement.
Never carry out an appraisal unless you know the reason why its being done and why it is important for the company as well.

Before the appraisal process, it is important to be clear about the strategic direction of your business. If you are clear about this you will also be clear about the skills and attitudes you will need from your team in order to achieve your objectives. If you also have a functional organisation chart for your business, this will help to identify any skills gaps in advance of any appraisals.

Prior to the appraisal, you will need to ask the employee to prepare for the meeting. There are many appraisal forms online. pick one that suits your business. Explain why the appraisal is being carried out and explain that it for the benefit of the team member in association with the strategic direction of the company.
The care and attention given to this part of the process will tell you as much as the appraisal itself. This is the employee’s opportunity to have a discussion about their performance and their future career direction. You will identify if you have leaders, ambition, followers, doers, or maybe unambitious, negative or even non committed employees.

Get the Right People on The Bus, and then get the Right People in the Rights Seats on the Bus. That has to be the objective. In a small business, it is critical that each team member wants to be there and wants to contribute – for their own sake and for your sake. The appraisal is the opportunity to discuss this.

The appraisal give you the opportunity to understand more about what makes the employee tick – for some it is financial reward, for others it is security, for others it is the people they work with, the customers, or for others its the opportunity to learn, develop and expand and challenge themselves. Equipped with this information, you have the opportunity to help them to get everything that they want and you will find that your company benefits as a return.

I encourage people to complete appraisals with their team for the success of the business and the success of the individual. plan them carefully – do not do them as a matter of course – Need to know how to get started – contact me.