The Traditional Annual Appraisal has been coming under a lot of criticism recently with yet more high profile names, such as Accenture and Deloitte, dropping them in favour of more regular, responsive and informal performance management methods.
Appraisals have been in the ‘dog house’ for a number of years (see my 2012 HR article on How to do a Performance Appraisal Well), but a recent study by PwC on Transforming Performance Management , that revealed 37% of staff thought their annual appraisal was a waste of time, also reported that two thirds of large companies are now considering overhauling their processes and 5% plan to scrap formal evaluations all together. Reasons for this sea change appear to be partly due to changing management trends from autocratic top-down to more collaborative and open styles, but also a growing demand from employees, particularly the younger generations, for more regular performance feedback.
New Age Appraisals
A new generation of thought-provoking questions are being used to direct performance chats, such as Deloitte’s asking:
If you could, would you give this person a pay rise?
Would you keep this person on your team?
Is this person promotion material?
Recognising past performance and effort, whilst considering future development needs, will remain important aspects of any meaningful motivational conversation, but the frequency and follow-up of manager-employee ‘check-ins’ will need to noticeably increase if new age appraisals are to shake off the ‘negative’ image of their predecessors.
For some timely inspiration, please read: Can Performance Appraisals be Short and Sweet? Plus, find out how you can access a FREE mini Performance Appraisal Action Plan to try out with your staff.
Help create a new generation of new age appraisals, ones that can actually contribute to business performance, whilst motivating and engaging employees.