Harish Navuluru

For getting the most out of your performance appraisal, it is very important to keep some of the following points in mind:
1. Understand how PMS works in your organization. Every organization has a different PMS and it makes sense to be on top of the PMS being followed in your organization. How the process flows and WHO makes the decisions, who are the stakeholders, etc.
2. Begin right at the Fiscal beginning. Know the expectations from your role at the beginning of the year. Dont wait till the HR department sends the mailer to fill the appraisal form. If you know what is expected of you, chances are there that you would conform to the expectations.
3. If Goal setting exercise is a mature process in your organization, spend a couple of sleepless nights over it, after all, its YOUR career you are writing about.
4. Identify your strengths at the beginning of the year with respect to the expectations at your level and come up with a personal action plan for yourself to acquire skills needed, if any. After all, don’t we all do an action plan when it comes to clients ? and follow thru ?
5. Sad to say this, but majority of people feel filling PMS forms are a waste of time. Come on, it’s your work that needs to be brought under the limelight and you need to respect it and FIND time to do it properly. A properly done Appraisal form from the employee is half the job done.
6. The next step would be to do a mid yearly evaluation yourself in case your organization doesn’t have a policy of one. It helps to take a step back and introspect.
7. It is necessary to be objective when we do self-evaluation.

I can go on and on with guidelines, but am sure these would tick.

I am sure if some of these guidelines are followed, it would greatly benefit to avoid last-minute-surprises like I-was-expecting-to-be-promoted, oh-no-my-boss-is-bad, I-need-to-change-my-company, etc.

This article has been excerpted from my own contribution to this topic on www.hrlink.in :

http://hrlink.in/topics/get-the-most-out-of-your-performance-appraisal