How to effectively add your feedback and comments to your team appraisal forms
Appraisals take place annually in the Summer (usually between June-August). Every staff member should have an appraisal, unless they are a new starter or there are performance concerns (speak to HR if you are unsure).
HR will send you and the staff member a meeting invite for the appraisal, and will attach the appraisal form (the same form is used for all staff). The form can also be found in the General folder under Documents -> Forms and Templates -> Review Forms.
Appraisals should include the staff member (appraisee), their manager and a 2nd appraiser.
📄 Our review forms are created in Adobe - ensure you open the form in Adobe (rather than editing online in browser) to ensure there are no formatting errors.
✅ Completing the Appraisal Form Tips:
- There is a word count per question (for the appraisee and their manager). The word count is appropriate for the amount of feedback to give the appraisee. If you require space to run through results (e.g. in Sales positions) feel free to use an accompanying document for facts (no personal comments on here).
- Ensure your feedback is fair, and give both positive feedback/encouragement, along with constructive criticism. It may be difficult to bring up less positive points, but appraisals are the key time to thoroughly run through both areas of strength and improvement.
- Think about the appraisee's whole year (since their last appraisal/review) rather than just recent events.
- Give examples where possible so the appraisee understands context of your feedback.
❔The Questions:
1. Summarise the past year (or period since your last review). Has this been good/satisfactory/bad, and why?
An opening question to ascertain how the appraisee is feeling in general about their role and performance. Respond to their comments, and give your feedback on how you feel the year has been.
2. Comment on the progress of your assigned objectives as per your action plan for the year:
The appraisee should be referring to the objectives you set in the last review/appraisal. These should have also been added to their BreatheHR profile with deadlines.
🔢 Before the meeting, ensure you have scored the objectives on BreatheHR between 0-5 so we can see performance metrics:
0 - not done
1 - thought about / planned it
2 - started it
3 - completed it
4 - completed it well
5 - went above and beyond
Read the appraisee's comments/evidence on what they have achieved, and add your comments for each area in the comments box. Explain why you have given the score on BreatheHR.
👍 Ensure the scoring is fair - if the appraisee has not completed what you have set, they should not have a 3 score and instead should be 0-2. Likewise, 4-5 scores are where the appraisee has completed your set objectives/deliverables and has gone above and beyond what was set for them. Accurate scoring is essential as it gives a correct picture of the staff's performance (and can influence promotion), and is also used for our company productivity metrics.
3. Which parts of your job do you...
The purpose of this question is to see where the employee feels their skills lie, and where they could improve. It is also to ascertain which areas of their job they enjoy/fail to enjoy so you can take this into consideration when thinking of their future growth.
❔If the employee doesn't complete some sections (often staff like to put N/A in "fail to enjoy"!) question them on it - ask about areas of their job you feel they don't enjoy, and see in the meeting what their response is.
👎 In "fail to enjoy" your response shouldn't be "Unfortunately this is part of your role" as this is not the purpose of the question. Instead you should discuss what it is about that task they don't enjoy and anything you can do as a Manager (and them as an employee) to make the task easier, streamlined etc. Sometimes this isn't possible, but staff shouldn't feel they are "trapped" in answering this question!
4. Can you suggest training (internally and externally) which would help to improve your performance or development?
A question to see where the appraisee thinks they could have additional support in their development. HR will also look at this question to see if there are any external training needs so they can develop a training plan for the company. The staff member may also suggest internal training which you can cover as their manager. Take into account their suggestion, and respond accordingly. If you feel training is needed in a specific area they have not mentioned, write it down and explain why you feel this is needed.
❔ Again, staff may leave this question blank (due to uncertainty or disinterest in training) however it is important to address this if this is case, and discuss in the meeting to see if their thoughts have changed.
5. Score your own capability or knowledge in the following areas in terms of your current role:
This is where staff can score themselves in different soft skill areas that are essential to all roles in the company.
❕ Please note that the second section (If you are a team leader/line manager:) options are pre-set at 3, so ignore if the staff member is not managing others.
Add your comments in the Manager box, and primarily focus on areas where you feel you would have scored differently. Avoid giving 0.5 scores (e.g. 2.5, 3.5) as appraisees are unable to do this on their scoring, and you should be able to score on our scale between 0-5.
6. What do you believe should be your objectives for the next 12 months? (List 3)
An opportunity for the appraisee to suggest what they think their objectives should be over the next year. This gives you insight into their development goals, and also if they are aligned with your team/individual goals.
Incorporate these (if appropriate) into your suggested objectives at the end of the form.
7. What is your long-term job/career plan?
This will give you insight into what the appraisee is thinking about in terms of progression and where they want to go in their career. Sometimes the staff member won't want to progress, so you should respect this if this is the case - avoid setting objectives to become a manager/team leader etc if they are happy in their current role. Again, you should incorporate their feedback into the objectives you are setting at the end of the form (if appropriate).
Manager Comments – Employee’s performance
A final area for you to summarise overall performance, and what is required from the employee for competence in current role or (if appropriate) what is required to progress. If you are promoting the staff member, address it here.
⬆️ Read through the "Promoting Staff Members" article here.
Manager Comments – Objectives
Here is where you will suggest objectives for the staff member for the next year. Ensure you set an objective (with description) and 2-3 deliverables for each.
❔ Remember these can change during the meeting depending your discussion with the appraisee.
🏆 Read through the "Setting Effective Objectives" article here.
Form Completed!
You can update the form prior to and during the appraisal. Ensure the appraisee and HR have the final version of the form after the appraisal is completed.
💬 Read through the "Holding an Appraisal" article here.