Most supervisors dislike giving an employee a performance appraisal because it is like someone criticizing a son or a daughter. They are apprehensive about offering criticism because they believe it may discourage an employee and create a problem. Actually, if they don’t give an honest, constructive appraisal they may appear to be hypocrites – thinking one thing but saying something else.
Most employees believe their bosses do a poor job of appraisals. A recent survey of more than 4,000 employees found that 70% believe their performance review meeting had not given them a clear picture of what was expected, and that job objectives were not clearly established.
One reason for this is that managers who conduct poor reviews of their subordinates perpetuate the process.
How do you give a successful appraisal of an individual’s performance? First, there should be no surprises. A supervisor should be a coach – assisting and guiding the individual during the entire year. A good practice is to give an interim review half-way through the normal review period. This way they have time to correct any problems before the actual review.