How do you handle poor or exceptional performance during the appraisal process?

During the appraisal process, handling poor or exceptional performance requires tact and fairness. For poor performance, focus on constructive feedback, clear goals for improvement, and support through training or mentorship. Exceptional performance merits recognition, with rewards like bonuses, promotions, or public acknowledgment. It's crucial to maintain transparency, aligning assessments with measurable criteria and organizational values. Regular feedback sessions ensure ongoing development and motivation for all employees.

What's heard in a formal review should never be a surprise. Both employees and managers should have ample time to prepare for the review. Not just that, but they should both have a clear understanding of the standards they're being evaluated against. Be prepared to give meaningful feedback, that has a direct impact on their work and their understanding of their performance.

It is worth remembering that the line manager and the employee play an active role in the appraisal process. Therefore, the employee should also be given time to prepare in advance in order to offer their perspective on their performance, strengths and weaknesses and areas of improvement. This makes for a more rounded perspective.

Poor Performance: 1. Provide constructive feedback with specific examples. 2. Identify root causes and offer support. 3. Set a performance improvement plan with clear goals. Exceptional Performance: 1. Recognize and reward achievements. 2. Offer career growth opportunities. 3. Encourage skill development for future success.

Formal performance evaluations/reviews should not be a surprise to anyone involved—and that means the employee shouldn't just getting feedback in a yearly evaluation. Feedback has to be provided regularly, with specificity, clarity. Above all, no matter what goal framework you use (SMART or something else), the feedback should be meaningful: employees need to know how their performance measures against expectations/goals, and exactly what they need to do moving forward.

Care must be taken, however, not to create too many SMART objectives. This may leave the employee feeling overwhelmed and the ask may feel too unrealistic to achieve in the 12-month period. It would be prudent to prioritise the most important objectives to be achieved and to set delivery plans against these.

Balancing positive and negative feedback is key. Start with praise to acknowledge their achievements, then address areas for improvement. Focus on specific behaviors and outcomes, not personal traits, and use concrete examples to support your points. This approach helps maintain a constructive and respectful tone.

It may prove useful to ask the employee to provide their feedback on how they think they performed and to identify areas of agreement and non-agreement. When areas of improvement have been identified, ask the employee what support they will/may need in order to make those improvements. This is where devising a Personal Development Plan can have a real impact. This will be discussed later in the article.

Formal meetings should be future-focused, including developmental and growth opportunities for the employee. It's an opportunity for both manager and direct report to provide context, feedback, and career aspirations both within and beyond their role.

Ask the employee what areas of work interest them most and where their passions lie. Discover from them what development they feel they need and if they have identified specific training or courses that they would like to pursue. If an employee feels engaged in the appraisal process, they are more likely to value the contents of the appraisal, otherwise it will lack meaning and value. Don't be afraid to make development suggestions to the employee and ask how they feel about the suggestion(s).

The appraisal process should always involve the employee so that they can feel that they are part of the process. Recognition should be given for exceptional performance as it is a motivator. When poor performance or negative feedback is being given, the discussion should not only focus on goals but also on the demonstration of the core competencies that drive them. Employees should feel like you are on their side or at least that they are not in this alone, even with negative feedback.

Documentation is critical, not just to "CYA," but to prove a consistent and equitable process to support your people—regardless of whether they are meeting performance expectations. Creating a system for addressing and following up on concerns raised during the review helps support that equitability, and keeps people from falling through the cracks.

A short catch-up to run through the documented actions is an effective way to punctuate the finalisation of the appraisal and a good start to bring the objectives and the personal development plan to life. A six-month review is generally a good milestone to aim towards. It provides a realistic timescale to work to, while allowing ample time to rectify any deviations from plan.

If the tenure of the team member is closer to the end based on their performance, again, it shouldn't be a surprise. Performance concerns should be discussed with specificity well before the formal review, and the struggling employee should be offered support or resources while they can still make a difference. High-performing team members shouldn't be surprised by positive reviews, either. Managers should explore whether or not they can offer the employee a tangible reward, such as opportunities for advancement, pay increases or bonuses, or other opportunities.

Performance Management needs to handled delicately and sensitively, while also being very clear on the ask and the expectations involved. A detailed improvement plan is key, with SMART objectives to underpin, but a touch of humanity goes a long way too. A deterioration in performance can be a marker of many things, including declining mental health or general unhappiness at work, so bringing empathy to the table can ensure the employee feels supported throughout the process.

Rethink your more traditional rating scales (e.g. Does not meet expectations, exceeds expectations, etc.). Capture the qualities of being an individual contributor and those who go above and beyond to really make the team successful. You also need to be honest and provide feedback when an employee is detracting from the team's success. Here's an example: 5 – You make people around you better 4 – You stand out as an individual contributor 3 – You meet expectations as an individual contributor 2 – You are still developing as an individual contributor 1 – You detract from the success of the team