Staff review

The issues you wish to discuss should be personal to you but the following are general notes:

• Appraisals should reference the company business plan
• Reference to company management structure – what level are you and where do you fit?
• Create a career path that meets the needs of the company and individual staff.
• Identify competencies and use these for setting of objectives – tied in with their job description.
• Method of appraisal – what method will be used? It is common to have a comparison with objectives. Employee and team leader / director agree objectives at the beginning of the appraisal period. The subsequent appraisal is based on how far these objectives have been met. It is important to consider any changes during the appraisal period which prevent objectives being met outside of personal control e.g. economic circumstances – may need to revise within reporting period.
• Comparison with objectives may be combined with competency ratings but ratings tend to be highly subjective.
• Follow up training.
• Ongoing reviews.

Objectives need to be agreed between the individual and the team leaders / directors. It is a good idea to establish around three objectives per review cycle (maximum five).

Objectives are about improvement and operate at a number of levels:

• Company business objectives.
• Team objectives linked to above.
• Individual objectives linked to above.
• Individual objectives resulting from development needs.
• Project objectives.
• Training and development objectives.

Agree rather than set objectives

A good objective ought to be SMART: specific, measurable, agreed, realistic and time-related.

Not all objectives are so quantitative but it is a good reference point e.g. attitude. Objectives should be understood and fully communicated

Competencies are a structured framework by which expected areas of skill or expertise and levels of performance can be reviewed - it attempts to look at how, rather than what is done. Competencies provide:

• A consistent and objective method of assessing and monitoring performance.
• A structured way of describing behaviour.
• A means to provide constructive feedback as they provide examples of expected behaviour.
• A self-assessment tool to identify strengths and development needs
• A means for an individual to develop current and future potential.

The appraisee should consider the following points:

• What they have achieved during the review period, with examples and evidence.
• Any examples of objectives not achieved with explanations.
• What they most enjoy about the job and how they might want to develop the role.
• Any aspect of the work in which improvement is required and how this might be achieved.
• Their learning and development needs with arguments to support their case for specific training.
• What level of support and guidance they require from their manager.
• Their aspirations for the future both in the current role and in possible future roles.
• Objectives for the next review period.

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