Companies that were giving everyone an easy pass a year or two ago are now making more stringent performance reviews, according to Cambria Consulting, a human resources firm in Boston. Reviews are no longer thought of simply as required paperwork.
Here is some advice on how to handle an upcoming review:
* Don’t panic if your job is in an area that has been hit by recession, such as sales. Instead, demonstrate how you have adapted to changed business circumstances. Management consultants say you should be ready with a list of creative ways you’re solving problems with limited resources.
* Rather than dwell on what you couldn’t do during the past year, focus on your future plans. At most companies, employees and supervisors work together to set individual goals.
* Be as specific as possible in asking for any help or training you need.
* Even the best workers should be prepared to hear some criticism. Don’t act defensively. Instead, discuss what you learned from a failure and how you’ll do things differently, says Robert Gorden, co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Performance Appraisals (Alpha Books).
* You don’t have to accept a poor evaluation. Immediately contact your human resources department to see if there is an objection process, suggests Tom Coens, a labor lawyer and co-author of Abolishing Performance Appraisals (Berrett-Koehler).
If there is no complaint process, meet with your boss to voice your objections. Also ask that your written response be put in your file.
Done right, performance reviews motivate people and keep everyone focused on key goals. For more great ideas on performance reviews, visit www.CareerRating.com.
