Stress-Free Performance Appraisals

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way…

Performance appraisals can be one of the most anxiety-provoking aspects of work—for both supervisors and employees. Appraisals are meant to be clear, rewarding, interactive, and fair. They take real time, real dialogue, and a real focus on the future—not just the previous months. And they need to work successfully for all employees—not just the terrific ones!

Yet often that’s not how it works. Supervisors tell of too much focus on tedious written forms and too little training, of “just getting through it,” of getting hit with lawsuits or complaints when there’s even a hint about “improvement opportunities,” and of the difficulties of measuring intangibles. Employees often just plain dread appraisals, citing ...