Appraisals are a common way of managing performance, and experts agree that these meetings ought to provide the balance between workers' skills and the requirements of their role.

Employees quite often attend their appraisals with trepidation, fearing that their efforts may be criticised, leaving them feeling demoralised. Recent research is showing that firms that concentrate on their workers and tailor meetings to their needs may help them to work at their optimum levels. Indeed, some theorists go so far as to suggest that there is no such thing as a worker or cannot perform their role, but rather it comes down to a company not realising the employee's potential and making the most of their skills via training.

Also, evidence shows that happier and loyal colleagues tend to do better in their prospective companies, and if this is passed down to clients, such as by effective customer service, you could find that your firm's operations are more successful. It's important to take this evidence into account, but that does not mean you have to banish all feedback from appraisals that may reflect negatively on the performance of your individual workers. As mentioned previously, there are rules and health and safety regulations that have to be taken into account, but these aspects can still be combined so meetings regarding performance are positive and effective.

Being clear

If an employee is unsure about what is expected of them then they are unlikely to do the job as well as you would like. This is why firms have contracts and probation periods. They ask employees to read and sign the correct forms, maybe give them some training and allow them to get on with their role. As the weeks progress, their contract gathers dust and they may begin to forget about all their responsibilities as each day goes by.

Although contracts are a legal requirement not all people read all of the documents, so it's safer to back up these files with thorough inductions. These will generally include non-negotiable rules, such as those that fall under health and safety regulations and more personalised aspects of their contract, such as future training opportunities.

Agree expectations

These inductions and early days of employment are the ideal opportunity to educate new workers on their role. At this point they are free to ask questions and inquire about their job and seek more support or information on areas they are not clear about. Through these meeting you are also able to develop the more personal side of later appraisals and find out which areas of the firm they feel they may later excel in, so their performance is continually guided.

Help in getting there

Some employees may take to their new roles very quickly, especially if they have past experience within the same industry. Other colleagues require more help settling in and getting used to their new environment. When it comes to their appraisals it's important to find out why a worker may have trouble carrying out tasks they have previously been proficient in.

Sometimes you may find out there are personal reasons, such as a change of circumstance or bereavement in the family, which affects their performance. Other times, there may be language or culture barriers that need breaking down. When staff are stressed their productivity may decline and they could become demoralised. All these are flags that draw attention to solvable problems that help you get the best from workers.

Getting feedback and following-up

Following an appraisal, you may have put a new system in place, such as providing free English speaking lessons to staff that have another language as their native tongue. It's important to follow-up whether your solutions, and other new practices, are proving beneficial to the employee concerned. Overall, it's clear to see that effective performance management itself needs managing in order to get the best system for you, your employees and company as a whole.