Yes, It’s Possible to Do Meaningful Appraisals

No Surprises, Please

One of the most cited problems with performance appraisals is the blow to morale and productivity in the time leading up to—and for months after—when the information is delivered. Why? Because employees don’t know what to expect and managers are reluctant to deliver bad news. But, to every extent possible, the contents of a performance appraisal should never be a surprise.

Just because the review is annual, that doesn’t mean managers only point out the successes and failures in employees’ work once a year. The performance appraisal should simply be a means of memorializing the feedback employees are receiving from their managers and their peers on a regular basis. And certainly, don’t delay performance improvement efforts until review time.

Consider 360-Degree Reviews

A 360-degree review is one that collects feedback "all around" the employee—from peers, supervisors, subordinates, and even customers and clients. These reviews not only have the benefit of providing an assessment of the employee’s work from multiple perspectives and on a variety of talents (productivity, management skills, team orientation, attitude, interpersonal relationships, etc.) but also engage employees—all employees—in both the giving and the receipt of feedback.

When employees feel engaged in both sides of the appraisal process, they are more likely to accept the resulting feedback as thoughtful, objective, and worthwhile—and they are then more likely to act on the suggestions.

FMLA still your #1 hassle? Especially intermittent leave? Our surveys certainly say so. Good news! Here’s a timely webinar, FMLA Intermittent and Reduced Schedule Leave: HR’s Guide to Overcoming Compliance Challenges. Join us for an this interactive webcast on February 13, 2014. Learn More

Ask employees to self-evaluate but also to self-motivate.

Another common element of performance appraisals is the self-evaluation, which may be nothing more than a brief paragraph or two in which the employee highlights his or her top achievements.

But what if you also asked your employees to self-motivate—in other words, to set their own improvement goals? This input may reveal interests, motivations, and career goals that you didn’t realize your employee had.

Employees may feel more comfortable revealing interest in a future management position by suggesting a goal to "take on more leadership opportunities" or to seek training in an adjacent skill set. This also provides an opportunity for workers to take real ownership in their performance goals (i.e., their career development) and to do so with your company.

Measure AND Develop

Once areas for improvement are identified, ensure that your managers and employees have the tools needed—including open and regular communication—to develop those areas and to evaluate and acknowledge ongoing progress.

With development comes retention, and retention is a worthwhile result of the performance appraisal investment.

Appraisals can be a hassle, no doubt, but there’s no hassle like an intermittent leave hassle. Fortunately there’s timely help in the form of BLR’s new webcast on February 13—FMLA Intermittent and Reduced Schedule Leave: HR’s Guide to Overcoming Compliance Challenges. In just 90 minutes, you’ll learn everything you need to know about managing this thorniest of HR issues.

Register today for this interactive webinar, and take charge of intermittent and reduced schedule leave once and for all.

Master intermittent leave under the FMLA! Join us for an interactive webcast on February 13. Earn 1.5 hours in HRCI Recertification Credit. . Register Now

By participating in this interactive webcast, you’ll learn:

• What types of absences should be classified as intermittent or reduced schedule leave under FMLA
• Your supervisors’ or managers’ role in helping you properly designate leave
• Must-have call-in and attendance procedures to abide by
• How often you can request recert when the cert notes a specific duration
• When clarifying the need for leave with the medical provider is permitted
• When to consider getting a second or third opinion
• What you can do to try and ensure that employees are only out for medical treatment at non-mission-critical work times
• When a temporarily transfer to another position is possible
• What you can do to cure employees who’ve got "FMLA (Friday Monday Leave Act) syndrome "
• Legal strategies for verifying employees’ stated reasons for their absences
• What to do when you suspect an employee of abusing the system
• How to get the FMLA medical certifications you need to authenticate intermittent or reduced schedule leave without overstepping federal legal bounds
• How to enforce your call-in and attendance policy in compliance with federal law to effectively curb FMLA intermittent leave abuse
• How to properly calculate the leave entitlement for an exempt employee who works in excess of 40 hours per week
• And more!

Thursday, February 13, 2014
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Central)
11:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Mountain)
10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (Pacific)

Approved for Recertification Credit

This program has been approved for 1.5 credit hours toward recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).

Join us on February 13—you’ll get the in-depth FMLA Intermittent and Reduced Schedule Leave: HR’s Guide to Overcoming Compliance Challenges webcast AND you’ll get all of your particular questions answered by our experts.

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Train Your Entire Staff

As with all BLR/HRHero webcasts:

• Train all the staff you can fit around a conference phone.
• You can get your (and their) specific phoned-in or emailed questions answered in Q&A sessions that follow each segment of the presentation.

Find out more