Annual appraisals
In many businesses, the annual staff appraisal is a fixture on the company calendar which is met with mixed emotions throughout the workforce. “Instead of waiting for the annual appraisal with trepidation, we would always recommend that you try to take a proactive approach to your personal and professional development by regularly asking your boss for tips on how to improve,” says Justin Murray of Norwich-based accountancy recruitment specialists, Big Sky Additions.
Bowling along in your job without taking control of your own growth and development can soon become dis-empowering and demotivating: “When we put the responsibility for our career development into the hands of our manager or HR advisor, we are basically becoming spectators in our own careers,” explains Justin.
In many situations, the snapshot of your job which is represented or discussed during an annual appraisal bears little resemblance to the daily experiences of staff: “Often the annual staff appraisal process becomes laborious and painful for everyone involved – in the worst case scenario it can actually have a negative effect on employee engagement,” adds Justin. “We would always recommend that our candidates do not wait for a full 12 months before finding out how they are doing in their new job.”
Here are Justin’s top tips for reviewing your professional performance:
- Try to get daily feedback on how you did at work
- Make sure the feedback you get is precise to enable you to create some clear action points for development
- Regularly engage your boss in a conversation about what you have learnt and invite their support for your ongoing growth and development
- Don’t just work on your weaknesses – most top performers grow by focusing on their strengths
- Ask senior colleagues how they think you are performing and what tips they have for you to improve
t: 01603 516230
e: justin@bigskyadditions.co.uk
