By Michael Orwick

The need for performance appraisals (PA) is not in question.  Employees need to know what they are doing well and what they need to improve.  It also works well for supervisors as it forces them to stop and really analyze their workforce from an objective standpoint.  So why do we fear them?

When we discuss PAs in our business classes, the discussion often includes comments of disdain from students who have been on both sides of the process.  Clearly most students do not like being appraised by their boss.  That is somewhat understandable since very few like being criticized, even if it is supposed to be constructive.  But what is always surprising is how many of the students who work as supervisors fear the PA even more.

According to our class discussions, many students find that as recipients, it is not often an encouraging experience; there is a lot more negative than positive in the appraisal.  The students who perform supervisory work often feel unsure of the expectations of the process.  In fact, both sides often look at the models of the textbook and say that they have little resemblance to the model they use.  Why?

Certainly the textbooks offer models that pay more attention to the theory of PA than to the real-life constraints of time, money, and training.  How many bosses really have that much time to watch, evaluate, and record the data needed to create a top-notch PA?  Many bosses are busy doing other things besides just watching their workers.  How many bosses have been trained on how to use the PA?  Not many, I bet.  And even fewer are trained in how to deliver the PA to the worker.

Here is a hint I give my students that comes not from any HR course, but from a communications course.  Replace “but” with “and.”  When we give the good news to a worker, then follow with the word “but,” it seems to scream out that “this is important and the good stuff I just said doesn’t really matter.”  Next time try the word “and” instead.  For example:

But in:   “You are a good worker, but you are late too often.”
But out:  “You are a good worker and you could be in line for a promotion if you were on time more often.”

Not only does the word “and” soften the blow to the listener, but it forces the speaker to use a positive approach to the problem being discussed.  This makes the sentence a naturally positive one.  Try it.  I would love to hear your reactions.

Michael Orwick, MBA, is a professor at the Okanagan School of Business at Okanagan College and a part-time management consultant.  He is a member of BC HRMA in Kelowna and has been teaching management, marketing, and human resource classes for almost 10 years.  Formerly a broadcaster, his personal experience includes both unionized and non-unionized environments.