Is Performance Review just "A Performance"?

We were at this clients office the other day, finishing up the important and according to our beliefs, a very sacrosanct exercise of performance appraisals. We were being doubly careful and extremely meticulous as it was not just calculating regular increments, but also involved changing the salary structure of the entire employee population. 

What was irksome was the constant pressure from the Management to check if we had completed the entire process. There is a set schedule, a level of seriousness and sanctity that this process needs to be accorded! 

• Do most organisations treat the performance appraisals as a “get it over with” kind of an exercise.

Enough and more research establishes the link between employee engagement, commitment and thorough performance appraisals as being critical. 

How often have we heard that the month in which annual increments are announced is when attrition hits in the immediate following months.

• How many Supervisors/Managers miss the opportunity to connect with their team members sincerely and genuinely, both give and receive feedback during this time. And take this opportunity to be fair and ensure justice is done based on the actual work output through the year. 

Once again, research in this area abounds by proving that organisational justice, which is a key area of employee engagement, is a huge determinant of how performance appraisals are carried out in organisations. 

• Can performance appraisals and the way in which the compensation increases are decided be transparent and simple in organisations. 

Absolutely. And we are talking from the experience of actually doing this. However, in how many organisations is this warped under the guise of Managers conveniently shedding responsibility stating: “I don’t know, they did something and I am not even aware / I was not kept in the loop” 

What do you believe then happens to employee engagement, organisational justice, fair and transparent systems and processes, mindfulness of the responsibility of carrying out one of the most important exercises in a year???

Do share your thoughts and ideas of how you may have influenced in bringing about fairness in your place of work.

Look forward to your thoughts!