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Every good employer will informally, and
perhaps unconsciously, monitor an employee’s work, enthusiasm
and progress in their job just by watching them.
Like writing
job descriptions, taking the time out to formally assess
the staff and keep written records of it may seem like a fruitless
exercise. A "keeping an eye on them" attitude is all you
need, isn’t it? After all, you know whether they’re doing a
good job or not.
Well, yes and no. It obviously depends on the
size of your team, but when was the last time you simply asked
your staff how they were getting on, whether they were enjoying
the job, and if they wanted to go for a promotion or take up some
new training?
In other words, a good appraisal, or
performance review as some call it, is as much for your staff as
it is for you. In a busy work environment, it’s easy to take
them for granted and not really know how they’re feeling. It can
also be hard for you to let them know if they’re doing a good or
bad job.
A performance review is a quantifiable way of
assessing whether the employee is doing their job as defined by
their job description, whether they are enjoying it, what
objectives they want or need to achieve before their next review,
and what training and development plans they want or need.
How performance reviews are done
The appraisals are usually carried out by the
person most likely to know the employee’s work and how good or
bad they are at it, ie their immediate manager or supervisor. In a
small team, for example in an individual restaurant, then the
manager could carry out all the appraisals. This has the added
benefit of helping the lower members of staff believe the head
boss is taking an interest in them.
Reviews are usually done once a year,
although in a high-turnover industry like hospitality the
frequency could be increased to encourage motivation and feedback.
The tangible end result of an appraisal is a
written document, so it’s useful to have a set template that all
managers can use. This will help senior management keep track of
employees with whom they have no real day-to-day contact and make
sure that all staff are given equal reviews. There is always a
danger that without a set format a performance review can become
an argument if there are areas of disagreement.
This template can consist of a number of set
questions. A few examples follow, but note that they are all
worded in a positive way. Try to use phrases like "Targets
that weren’t realised" rather than "Things they did
wrong". It may sound a bit over-cautious but an ill-chosen
phrase can really damage motivation and respect.
Typical review questions
Here are a few general questions:
What do you think you’ve achieved this
year?
What targets or achievements haven’t been realized?
How do you think you could improve on your
performance last year?
How do you think you get on with the other
members of staff/the management?
And then more specific ones:
What objectives do you think you should aim
for in the next year? List them.
How will you measure whether you have
achieved these aims?
What training would you like to attend next
year?
It is usual for the employee and the manager
to discuss the answers and agree on what is written. This
encourages feedback and helps the manager gain a true picture of
how the employee is doing and what they need in the coming 12
months.
It sounds obvious, but make sure you let the
employee know that this is their opportunity to say whatever they
like. Listen to any complaints or grievances and record these on
the form, along with what you both need to do to resolve them.
Also, try to be constructive with any
criticism you have of them. It doesn’t help to lambaste them
with all their failings. Tell them that there are aspects of their
work that you feel they are unmotivated in and try to agree a plan
of action to resolve the situation. Sometimes you may discover
that someone you thought was a bad, lazy employee was only that
way because they were bored and needed more responsibility to
stimulate them.
At the end of the form, set out a written
list of what exactly both you and the employee see as the key
tasks and requirements for the year ahead.
Performance reviews aren’t perfect
While they’re necessary, these kind of
one-to-one formal appraisals aren’t the answer to staff
motivation and morale problems. Line managers tend to hate doing
them because they are time-consuming and can easily turn into a
griping session if not handled properly. But used in conjunction
with regular team meetings, social events, feedback sessions etc,
they can help. Holding performance reviews is an acquired skill,
however, and anyone expected to do them will ideally have specific
training.
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