Pride of place
LESLEY STALKER EXPLAINS HOW YOU CAN GET THE MOST FROM YOUR APPRAISAL
Most tax firms pride themselves on being good places to work and actively develop their employer brands to ensure they can attract and retain the highest calibre staff. As such, performance management is firmly embedded within the cultures of the leading firms in particular, and even the smallest practices now offer appraisal systems.
For most people, appraisals are a good thing – few people enjoy working without getting feedback. It’s human nature to want to know if you are doing a good job and if there is anything you could improve on.
But while all the right intentions may be there, the manner in which appraisals in particular are conducted frequently leaves a lot to be desired as the findings of a recent study by Investors in People showed. This found that over a third of employees thought appraisals were a waste of time, meaningless and nothing more than box ticking.
If this is happening in the firm you are working in, it’s a big shame. Appraisals should be very motivating, even something to look forward to. So how can you ensure you get the best from yours when the time comes? Let’s look at what employees should expect from the appraisal process, and how to prepare for and get the most out of your appraisal.
The reason
First of all, it is worth reminding ourselves why we have appraisals in the first place. The appraisal meeting provides a formal opportunity for staff to sit down with their line manager and discuss their performance, training and development needs. It is also a time to agree performance and personal development objectives for the coming year.
In a busy tax practice, most staff probably don’t get a lot of time with their line manager outside of discussing client specific issues. Therefore, the appraisal meeting is a rare opportunity for a frank and private discussion about how things are going – from both of your perspectives.
You, as the appraisee, should be getting constructive feedback about client projects you have handled well, in addition to finding out if there are aspects of your performance that could be improved.
And the discussion should be a two-way street. An appraisal is also an opportunity to discuss further training and future career development. If you have ambitions to become a partner, progress more quickly than the norm or to specialise, these ambitions can be discussed at an appraisal meeting and incorporated into your development programme.
You should use the time during your appraisal to raise any concerns or worries you might have that have not been addressed at another time – e.g. concerns about your role, about particular projects you have worked on, or any other difficulties at work – perhaps with other colleagues. Unlike other informal meetings, the appraisal should, in theory, be protected time.
This means that neither party is in a rush to be somewhere else and concerns can therefore be aired fully rather than getting shelved for another time. Make sure you get this time in full with your line manager and don’t be put off by remarks that they need to get it done quickly.
Be prepared
Good preparation is critical to a successful appraisal. If you come along to the session unprepared, you will be ill-equipped to articulate your views and have a constructive discussion with your manager.
Thorough preparation takes a little time, which in fairness should be allocated to you during the working day. It’s unfair to be expected to take an appraisal form home to work on, but this is an all too common scenario in some tax practices, and if this is the case in yours, then it is very worthwhile for your own development to view it as your own time well spent!
Approximately two weeks before your appraisal, begin setting aside a little time on a regular basis – just 15 minutes a day for example, to review the paperwork and think about what you want to discuss at the meeting. Then in the agreed timescale beforehand, complete any paperwork you need to take along and give this to your line manager.
It is, of course, especially advisable to give your manager the completed paperwork in advance if you want to use the time to raise a problem, as this gives time to prepare a response and thus enables you both to have a more productive discussion. Dropping a bombshell during an appraisal meeting rarely yields dividends.
When you are completing the paperwork and reflecting upon your performance, always be honest. Don’t feel you are being conceited by showing you are proud of things you know you have done well; acknowledging it openly shows you are reflective and committed.
At the same time, you should also try to recognise things you might find more difficult, and suggest ideas that may help you to improve. A lot of firms use 360 degree feedback as part of the appraisal process, which is very useful because it provides all staff members with the perspective of others within the firm, including peers and, in some cases, even clients.
If your firm doesn’t offer this, perhaps you could suggest its introduction, and, for the purpose of doing your own preparation work, try asking some of your colleagues informally where they think you have done well or could do better. The more information you have, the better when it comes to having a constructive discussion at appraisal time.
Be honest
For those with strong ambitions to climb the career ladder, or working in a very competitive and pressured environment, it can be hard to conduct a completely honest assessment. Try answering these four questions and apply them to each aspect of your job description.
- What am I doing well, and why?
- What could I be doing better at, and why?
- What would help me do my job more effectively?
- What difference would that make?
Earlier on in my career, I found it was useful to keep a diary of my working achievements, successes and challenges. Whenever I remembered, I would update it with projects that went particularly well, or where I had faced a difficult problem.
Then at appraisal time I had everything documented – if you don’t do this it can be very difficult to remember everything you have worked on during the course of a year, and of course you may easily forget some of your successes and dwell on things you feel you could have done better!
Talk, talk
In a good appraisal meeting, you should be doing most of the talking. If your scenario is more like one in which your boss is simply telling you ‘how it is’ ask yourself why. They should only comment once you have shared your views on your performance, so are you putting enough effort into the preparation stages?
Finally, you should discuss your objectives for next year, some of which you will want to be developmental. During your preparation stage, think about what you want your objectives to be, bearing in mind the ‘SMART’ (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound) framework, and what extra support you might need in order to achieve these.
This could range from a formal training programme to coaching or mentoring from a senior staff member. Make sure you have a clear picture of what you want the outcomes of your appraisal to be.
Remember that once all the appraisal paperwork is signed off, although you will get any documented support, it will essentially be up to you to ensure you can achieve your developmental objectives. That is unless they are performance related, in which case you can expect to have regular follow up sessions with your line manager.
But in the majority of situations, although the onus will be on you to achieve your goals, do not feel you are not in a position to ask for additional help.
And, because it is likely to be at least six months before you sit down with your line manager to review any progress made, if you do need extra support, make sure this is raised as early as possible so they are aware of your situation well in advance.
Although you may only have an appraisal once a year you are entitled to feedback and support from your manager on an ongoing basis.
By having a clear understanding of what appraisal best practice looks like and the role you should be playing, you will be in a far better position to ensure you are not one of Investors in People’s disillusioned one third of employees, but are well on your way up the career ladder.
