Performance Appraisal - The corporate dilemma.

It was late in the night and I was about to go to bed when she called me up and told - "My manager ditched me at this year too. After a full year of hard work, staying late in the office I was made the scape goat. He might not have considered me during the moderation as am looked upon as a silent girl."

She was a good friend of mine in a reputed MNC, working with the same for the past 3 years. I could feel the desperation in her voice, the feeling of getting a year wasted with out the fruits of hard work.

Employees feel dejected, some of them feel their existence being questioned, few feel themselves being treated badly devoid of respect and some decides to quit when the appraisal ratings are out - hoping to get a better job and more respect. But the hard fact is this process remains more or less the same everywhere.

"Luck helped me again and Thanks to my manager. I got promoted. Join me for the party" - This was a reaction from my another friend. I could feel a huge difference in their voices. When the end results meet the expectations the outlook itself differs.

These two incidents clearly shows the difficulty faced by managers in the process of performance appraisals in the companies. As the corporate world turning to be more performance based 'everything' (be it promotions, pay packages, variable pays and bonuses..even onsite assignments) and when every one is rated relatively with their peer, the sheer pressure developed within the employees and managers when the results are announced are huge and most of the times it is unpredictable.

What is the role of the manager here?

As a manager needs to rate his sub-ordinates based on their performances, and divide them into different baskets depending upon the norms and policies laid out by the company, the job turns more tragic in case he needs to meet every ones expectations. The restrictions put forward by the organisation limiting the number of promotions and the distribution of ratings in mere percentage terms, makes the job more tough and critical. How to justify the act of appraisal, how to keep the morale of the workforce high and the attrition rates low? These questions always pose a headache to the managers.

Employees can also address this problem with few factors in mind.

• Never consider the quantity of work done is proportional to the chance of getting promoted or the chance of getting a better rating. That seldom happens.

• As the industry analysts suggests the work counts only 30-40% for the chance of getting a better rating. The rest depends on how you projects yourself to the wider community and the exposure you receive.

• Continuous improvement is the key. Functional domain knowledge along with technical skills adds upon your chances.

• Grab every chance you get to express your skills and experience.



• Build networks at all levels of the organisation. Who knows in what ways a help will come.

And for managers -

• Managers need to get more connected with the employees. Provide a clear picture on the expectations and the objectives.
  


• Show genuine interest in the improvement of the career of employees. This will make them feel more connected with the team and the organisation.

• Strike a balance in the behaviour towards an employee. Be a good friend, a mentor and a better supervisor.

Companies opting to be more transparent in the appraisal process are trying to extend the help to the employees to a great extend. As this process can't be made completely objective and the subjectivity leaves the option of lesser clarity this confusion is tend to continue. Anyway, the dilemma faced by the managers and the employees continues.