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In the Line of Employee Ire
The
annual appraisal cycle can be a nerve-wracking experience for managers,
especially when they have to deal with the unpleasant situation of being
purveyors of bad news while handing out feedback and ratings. Unfulfilled
expectations and careless remarks can lead to emotional outbursts and anger
among employees. HR managers give tips on how to deal with this
Dreading the Arguments and
Frayed Tempers
SAY IT STRAIGHT EMPLOYEES ARE looking for consistency and
transparency in the appraisal process, so managers should state KRAs and
performance parameters upfront and objectively, says Amrut Rat, VP, HR, at
Bajaj Auto. At times, managers do not back the negative feedback with
evidence, which leads to heated arguments and misunderstanding, says
Mohinish Sinha, leadership and talent practice leader at the Hay Group for
South and South East Asia and Africa. “It is important to convey
behavioural issues based on concrete and objective examples and anecdotes
instead of making personal, casual accusations,” he says.
How Much time is Needed to Talk
About Performance?
AIM FOR BALANCE
WHILE IT IS difficult to put an ideal time frame for discussions as the
issues each employee faces could vary, what is important is having a
balanced conversation in the assigned time slot. A well-thought-out
approach to discussions which keeps an employee’s career roadmap in mind
can alleviate complaints of not having spent enough time. Sinha recalls an
instance where a senior manager’s subordinate forgot to fill his form, and
his ratings were communicated to him over SMS. The excuse given to him was
that his boss was busy and knew about the work he was doing. The manager
got a good rating but was disheartened as he had been looking forward to
the discussion and felt he could not communicate his career goals.
When Promises Have Been Made by
a Previous Manager KEEP IT TRANSPARENT IN
THE MIDDLE of last year, a project manager at an investment bank was given
a new team to supervise. She had to deal with an employee who broke down
during discussions as she had been promised a promotion by her previous
manager, which was later refused. The manager says she assured the employee
that she will speak to the senior management about this but did not promise
a promotion. “After getting feedback from the senior management, I went
back to the employee and apologised on behalf of the organisation for the
false promises. I told her she had management support and that what had
happened was not fair,” she says. Setting quantifiable targets for the year
ahead can eliminate vagueness and mismatched expectations.
Talk Tough When Delivering Feedback?
FOCUS ON SELF-IMPOSED BARRIERS
IT IS IMPORTANT to talk tough with under-performers, but with the
approach of helping and not humiliating them. The manager can deliver
feedback by saying the employee could have added certain things to his or
her profile and that there were better expectations from the professional.
Anecdotes illustrating how the employee may not have paid heed to the
preset expectations will help. “Managers shy away from tough conversations
and to save face, blame poor ratings on factors like the bell curve. They
should instead focus on delivering honest communication and feedback which
helps the employees improve,” says the project manager. “Managers need to
clearly communicate what they find lacking in an employee, the hindrances
in reaching career goals and what they can do,” says Rahul Taneja, senior
VP and head, corporate HR at Essar.
Don’t Meet the Employee Often.
How to Go About the Appraisal?
COLLECT INFO ON PERFORMANCE,
PREVIOUS RATING
IF YOU have not met the employee regularly before the annual appraisal
discussions, it may sound like a dictatorial assessment, and the employee
may not take to it too kindly. A disgruntled KPO employee in Gurgaon says
his appraisal was done by senior managers who never reached out to him
throughout the year. In such a case, it is extremely important to do
preliminary background checks on the employees a few days prior to the
discussion. Employees see it the appraisal as a barometer for an increase
in hike or a designation and are hence very critical about it. “It is
important for managers to spend time collecting information on an
employee's performance and previous ratings a few weeks prior to the
discussions before calling them for annual discussions,” says Hay’s Sinha.
What Should I do When a Star
Performer Threatens to Quit?
HAVE A BACK-UP READY
IT HAPPENS all the time. A star
performer threatens to quit when he or she starts becoming disinterested in
the current role, feels the compensation is unjust or is just looking at
netting a better deal with another offer in hand. Managers say it is best to
remind them of what the organisation has done for them, and how their
career has progressed so far, instead of promising something in a jiffy.
“The idea is not to give in. A good manager will always have a
second-in-line employee in case the top performer threatens to leave,” says
a manager. The manager can consider revamping the performer’s role to make
it more challenging and exciting, but if all efforts come to naught, the
employee can safely be let go of.
Managing Expectations from Poor
Performers
TALK ABOUT FUTURE GOALS & PLANS
CONCENTRATE ON future goals and
plans. A director at a financial services firm had a difficult time dealing
with an employee who was reporting to him through another manager this
year. The employee had not performed as per expectations, but was expecting
a promotion. The manager he was directly reporting to did not give him a
satisfactory rating and the employee sought an appointment with the
director. “The employee got extremely emotional and I had to turn it into a
forward-looking discussion instead of what he did not do, to make him feel
better. I also asked him, if he envisioned himself in a leadership role,
how could he be so emotional?” The discussion then turned to the corrective
measures he could take and the plans for him if he worked on certain
parameters. He said he felt much better after some time, says the director.
“I try to speak to my employees periodically about how we can work together
and what their career goals are, instead of delving into these subjects once
a year,” he adds.
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