We are in the process of conducting our annual performance appraisal with staff. I used to do a summary of the results and deduce a brief analysis such as how ratings are distributed among different staff levels; whether managers award rating inconsistent to target set...etc. However, my boss wants more analysis from this exercise. I'd like to seek your assistance and sharing on what other information we may derive from the rating results.
Thanks for your kind sharing.
Alice Ma
3 Responses
Depends on how you did it
What you can get out depends largely on how you did the Appraisal. Did you use a standard format accross the organisation. Did the managers use the same standards?. Do you use a set of competences to measure. Look t the last set of returns and see what was set as targets and how much was met. What measures di you use- satisfactory/unstaisfactory, 1-10 scale, free text entry?. Can you send out a questionnaire to staff to get a 360 view of the process? etc.
What to do with Appraisal Ratings?
We work with a number of clients in providing online performance appraisal processes and the question of what useful management information they wish to derive from the results is at the heart of much of our conversation – When we say ‘useful management information’, I guess this means something they can act upon and make improvements for either the individual, a specific group or the business as a whole.
There is a lot of analysis that one can provide, but it can be redundant without a clear idea of what you can/wish to do with it.
When your manager ask for ‘more analysis’, I sense it may be worth digging a little deeper and ask ‘Why?’ and ‘What would you wish to do with such analysis?’.
It saves time on all parties to think through what is really important up front, and often the reports/analysis actually required is less than you might think.
Happy to chat further and share our experiences on this.
John
the dreaded appraisal
Hi Alice
Appraisal schemes and appraisal ratings are, in my view, only as good as the managers operating them. There can be huge inconsistencies between appraisers and the way they interpret ratings and levels of performance. What is “good enough” for one manager can be “excellent” for another so objectivity and real evidence of performance is paramount.
That said, business has to make some interpretation of what is being achieved by its people. I would want to know much more about what information is needed and why. I think I’d also be tempted to use other information (eg targets and goals met, missed etc) alongside appraisal information as sometimes this can be quite telling.
I once worked with an organisation where the ratings for staff were very high but the actual business performance was really quite poor so this is something to be aware of.
Best of luck with your analysis!