Answers To Employee Questions About Performance Appraisal

Performance Management and Appraisal Questions From The Employee's Perspective

Too often, we forget that it takes TWO to make performance management and employee performance reviews work. We tend to focus on the manager, and ignore the employee. On this page you'll find questions and answers about employee reviews and performance management from the employee's point of view. The performance management process can only work when manager and employee work together.

How can I (an employee) benefit from performance reviews and performance management?
Believe it or not, performance reviews can be of huge benefit for employees. When done properly, they help you understand your job, how it fits in with other people's jobs, help you improve before it's too late, and a lot more. Read on.
What can I do to make the performance review more useful to me, the employee?
Often managers don't know how to make performance reviews valuable for their employees, so it can end up up to employees to ask the right questions, and interact through the meeting to actually get something out of it. Take charge is the message here.
How Often Should My Performance Be Reviewed?
You should be receiving feedback all year long. If not, YOU make it happen. The formal appraisal need not be done more than once a year, but it will depend on various factors.
My Boss Has No Interest In Having a Formal Employee Evaluation. What Should I Do?
If your manager doesn't talk about your work performance, it's going to be hard to succeed. Here's what to do if your manager stops doing appraisals, or has never done them.
What do I do if I disagree with my supervisor's appraisal opinions?
A lot of what you should do if you disagree with your supervisor's opinions (and they ARE opinions, depends on situation. You need to be strategic and tactical, thinking of both short and long term depending on your employeement and career goals.
If I don't agree with the appraisal, should I sign it?
Signing a form doesn't mean you agree, but it depends on what the form says. READ IT. If unsure, ask for a delay. If you are unsure, and worried, consult a lawyer who practices labor law.
How Honest Should I Be If I'm Asked to Provide Feedback Regarding My Supervisor's Performance By My Supervisor?
That's going to depend on your situation, the supervisor, and a lot more. One thing is for sure; you do need to think carefully before responding, so it's OK to ask for more time.
How Can I Best Prepare For My Performance Review Meeting?
Preparation is important, so read this to learn the steps to follow prior to your review.
Should I Receive A Copy of the Staff Appraisal Form Prior to Meeting My Supervisor For My Performance Review?
It's good practice for you to receive a copy of the form beforehand, but as we all know, companies, HR departments, and managers don't always do good things. Read more here.
Should I Worry If My Performance Evaluation Is Outstanding In All Aspects Without Any Suggestions For Improvement?
It's not so much a "worry" as it is not very useful. Get more details. That will help you improve even more.
My Supervisor Stopped Doing Staff Appraisals Once I Reached The Top of My Pay Grade. What Should I Do?
Ask for feedback, even informally. It's a good idea to document any performance related discussion in a notebook, or other written record, with date, time, subject, etc.
I Work For A Department That Awards A Performance Bonus Annually To A Few Deserving Employees. This Year, However, In An Effort To Keep Bonus Information Confidential, Those Receiving A Bonus Were Requested Not To Reveal That They Had Received A Bonus. What, if Anything, Does This Say About Management's Methods of Performance Management?
Every company, every situation is different. So, let's be careful not to over-generalize and interpret by trying to read the "minds" of managers or companies.
What Action, If Any, Should I Take If A Performance Issue Never Previously Brought To My Attention Is Now Documented In My Review?
It will depend. Ask for details. Weigh carefully. Request earlier notification in the future.

Disputes, Firings, Layoffs, The Law, and Performance Appraisal

In this section you'll find answers to many of your questions about appraisals, how they are used in personnel decision making, and what to do when fired, layed off, or have other challenging questions.

First, Read This: Understanding Labor Law and Disclaimers
Chances are you over-estimate your job protection under the law.
Will Positive Reviews "Protect" Me, If I'm Fired Or Layed Off?
When WILL Performance Reviews Benefit Me In The Event I Get FIred?
Should I Go To Human Resources To Protest An Evaluation I Believe Is Unfair?
You can. Consider that such actions may not endear you to your manager. Weigh the consequences.

Busy? We walk you through the complete process of managing performance, from goal setting to addressing performance problems and discipline issues. Contains ALL our help cards, and here's a sneak peak: Walk the path WITH employees.
Well, we do. Here's a low cost mini-guide FOR EMPLOYEES so they can be active participants in a truly collaborative performance review.
Well, you can't, so this short LearnByte guides explains how to identify barriers to employee performance, in order to clear them away. Diagnosing is the key to productivity improvement.
Ok. Now you can have a reusable checklist so you don't miss any of the critical steps needed to succeed with your employee reviews.
Save huge amounts of time and frustration during performance review meetings, by having set proper goals and objectives for the employee. Isn't that your job? To make sure employees know what they need to accomplish?
If you think performance management = performance appraisal, you NEED this badly.
...and how damaging to your employees. We'll walk you through the entire process of dealing with performance problems with one goal: To FIX them, and improve productivity. And we ask for less than 20 minutes of your time.
Prefer Kindle? Many of our quick read helpcards and also our books on performance management and reviews and how to make them work, are available via Amazon on the KINDLE. Click here to go direct.
It's 2013, not 1945 and it's time to lose the industrial mindset and use management tools for THIS century. Here's ten steps to improvement.