HR MANAGEMENT - What Can Go Wrong When Giving Feedback During Performance Appraisals?

What Can Go Wrong When Giving Feedback During Performance Appraisals?

by Priti Ramjee, Demand Media

An employer should not confuse a performance appraisal with personality traits.

Performance appraisals are a fact of life for most employees. Some employers fail to communicate, while others may be inexperienced and appraise your personality, rather than your performance. Still other employers may view the performance appraisal as a time to address your negative behavior. Although things can go wrong during a performance appraisal, you are allowed to converse with your employer and ask for productive input.

Personality Appraisal

An inexperienced manager may confuse your performance appraisal with a personality appraisal. Your performance appraiser may state that you "lack initiative," that you have a "negative attitude" or other traits, which may appear to be an attack on your personality. If your boss attacks your personality, ask him to provide feedback on specific actions for you to take to improve your performance and productivity.

Demoralizing

A performance appraiser may not identify what you are doing well as an employee. As a result, her feedback to you highlights your flaws. You may feel that no matter what you do, your employer cannot be pleased. If you receive a performance appraisal with feedback describing your faults, ask for some positive comments.

"I Talk, You Listen" Approach

A performance appraisal should be conducted as a conversation. For example, your appraiser says your recent presentation was weak, but does not clarify what he would like you to do differently. Ask for a chance to show you understand the company's performance standards. Two-way communication allows both parties to understand the reasons for the feedback.

Surprises

An employer should not surprise an employee with a negative appraisal. An employer should provide general feedback on a regular basis, such as after tasks are completed, to keep employees aware of the quality of their work. By taking the time to offer general feedback, an employer can avoid surprising the employee with negative feedback and the unnecessary conflict it may cause.