{"id":14608,"date":"2017-03-23T09:12:49","date_gmt":"2017-03-23T09:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/?p=14608"},"modified":"2017-05-24T17:17:40","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T16:17:40","slug":"meaningful-appraisals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/meaningful-appraisals\/","title":{"rendered":"Meaningful Appraisals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formal periodic staff appraisals are obviously useful in a large organisation, but the managers of most small businesses employing only a few people usually don\u2019t deem them necessary.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a caf\u00e9 running two shifts of three waitrons, with my wife working in the kitchen,\u201d says Mike Bell. \u201cI don\u2019t have the time or the inclination to arrange to sit down and do performance appraisals. If anyone falls short of what\u2019s required, I just tell them about it and then we all get on with the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike\u2019s attitude is typical of most owner\/managers. He dismissed the suggestion that appraisals are a valuable part of performance management as \u201cjust buzzwords that don\u2019t mean anything here on the ground\u201d.<\/p>\n

Perhaps Mike and others like him are missing a good opportunity. \u00a0The appraisal system should and could work as a two-way communication tool for engendering a sense of teamwork, which in turn will drive the business forward.<\/p>\n

When you institute staff appraisals, be sure to accept that it isn\u2019t just about your employees, but also about your management style and your company\u2019s long-term objectives.<\/p>\n

Benefits of Appraisals<\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to appraise your employees, you\u2019ll be forced to sit down and define objectives \u2013 the ones you want for the business both medium and long-term. To conduct a good appraisal you\u2019ll then have to consider how you want your employees to grow with you and fit in to the enterprise to help fulfil those objectives.<\/p>\n

Both the tasks outlined in the above paragraph are probably ones you have never undertaken before, purely because you are too busy. Defining objectives is, however, a vital exercise on the path to success, so one well worth doing.<\/p>\n

Appraisals are great for staff motivation, giving you the chance to give positive feedback and praise for work well done. It\u2019s also an opportunity to reward those you wish to reward with pay rises or bonuses.<\/p>\n

Employees who perhaps have shown disappointing performance can be encouraged by discussing how and where they can improve. There may be extenuating circumstances or personal problems impacting on an employee\u2019s performance which are only revealed by the appraisal, and can then be dealt with.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a chance to identify anything you could do to assist your staff in carrying out their work \u2013 changing systems or restructuring for example \u2013 or helping them access training. As manager you can also gain from having a better grasp of the employee\u2019s strengths and weaknesses, which helps with future planning and making business decisions.<\/p>\n

Records of performance appraisals can also be useful in the unfortunate event that the company becomes involved in a lawsuit, or has to decide whether to dismiss an employee.<\/p>\n

How to Conduct an Appraisal<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are numerous formal ways and means to conduct written staff appraisals, and a little online research will reveal all!<\/p>\n

One that is particularly favoured by SMEs is the so called \u201c360 degree Feedback\u201d, which does not just allow for one person\u2019s perspective on an employee\u2019s performance, but gains feedback from all those who come into contact with the employee in the course of their work.<\/p>\n

This approach allows subordinates to appraise their supervisors, and co-workers to assess each other, usually resulting in a good all-round, meaningful review when all the perceptions are combined.<\/p>\n

This type of appraisal seems to enhance mutual trust and teamwork.<\/p>\n

When it comes to deciding how to conduct appraisals the easiest option for small businesses is to use a standard format form, and keep it simple. Don\u2019t forget you should inform your employees (or trade unions if necessary) what appraisal system you are planning to implement.<\/p>\n

When handled correctly appraisals can benefit both employee and employer and contribute to a happy, open working environment.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Formal periodic staff appraisals are obviously useful in a large organisation, but the managers of most small businesses employing only a few people usually don\u2019t deem them necessary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":14609,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3001],"tags":[3094,2996,3099,3101,3098,3096,3095,3100,3097],"class_list":["post-14608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-small-business","tag-appraisal","tag-business","tag-employee","tag-employer","tag-management","tag-manager","tag-performance","tag-staff","tag-team"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14608\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}