Transcription

00:00:06 Introduction

Welcome. You're listening to Links at Bain and Gray, a catalogue of podcasts centred on all things business support in the workplace. Our aim is to bring you interesting and relevant content that will keep you up-to-date and thriving in your role.

00:00:22 Emily

Hello and welcome to Links Bitesize. My name is Emily Bain and I'm talking with -

00:00:28 Tray

Tray Durrant.

00:00:28 Emily

Hi, Tray. So today we are going to be talking about appraisals and how to prepare for an appraisal. Tray, this is, this word is called a number of things - performance review, appraisal. What exactly is an appraisal?

00:00:47 Tray

Mm, it's it's interesting, as an appraisal does mean different things to different people. I think the first thing is if it, if the word appraisal is used or if it is objective setting or timely objective it might be monthly objectives, weekly objectives or quarterly objectives, whatever it might be. It's just to know what the purpose of it is. You know what is what is in review, what is being discussed, what it, what is it about? Is it a bit reflective as well as forward-looking just to understand what your organisation means, you know, especially if it's the first time you're going through an appraisal.

To my mind, appraisals are, is often the word used with much more formal structured, and I think longer-term timelines of objective setting and review.

Lots of the big corporates have them annually. It's a big old annual thing. Some firms do them six monthly appraisals and I think in my experience someone will tell me this is not quite 100% true, but in my experience, I think if anything falls shorter in terms of time frames than that they tend to be more objective setting and goal setting, I think.

00:01:55 Emily

What? Who in in the sort of workplace, who would be expected, who, who does appraisals?

00:02:01 Tray

Hmm. So typically they're done well, I say typically, often they're done by line managers and and direct report. Sometimes they're done by a stage up, you know, a line manager up in a bigger corporate. It might be that you're one person up removed, might get involved and potentially not in all of the process but but part of it. So typically it's just line manager and and their direct team sort of you know, capturing this review objective and goal setting sort of information in whatever format. So principally that's what we're talking about isn’t it?

00:02:33 Emily

And for an employee, what is it? What is, why is it designed? What are they supposed to get out of this?

00:02:42 Tray

Mm. So at the end of the day it it, it is to sort of know where you're at and where you're on track.

00:02:49 Emily

And learning how to improve?

00:02:51 Tray

Yeah, it could be I think you know if if we say that these appraisals are covering information around looking backwards on what the time frame, looking ahead, it should give you an opportunity to really sort of capture where you're at within the organisation and your career.

I think it really it gives you the opportunity to highlight and showcase what you've done well and and obviously or any areas for development in terms of where you feel you might need some further training or or or help from your line manager or peers or whatever it might be. So in terms of what the the, the person being appraised gets out of it, it's it's everything, if it's done well, in terms of helping them keep on track for their career and progress through to to the next to the next chapter, really.

00:03:30 Emily

So it's something that somebody should really look forward to, welcome and learn from and have an opportunity to have a very sort of open, transparent discussion about their performance and how they can better themselves.

00:03:43 Tray

Definitely.

00:03:44 Emily

OK.

00:03:45 Tray

And I think you know, if they if you know different companies approach them in different ways because it is that sort of conducted by the sort of the direct manager, but actually, some organisations have a big peer, peer review piece. There's a big 360 piece where you get information and feedback from from your colleagues.

Quite often there's a self-evaluation piece. You don't have to sort of have put some own thought and and and put your own point of view across in terms of you showcasing your strengths and your achievements and that sort of thing. And as I say, any challenges, anything where you might need a bit more help to go forward, but I, you know that all sounds probably quite scary if you've not had one before, but actually you should treat it as an opportunity to kind of showcase yourself.

I actually think it's important that especially if you're, if you're new to the workplace, I think it's really important, probably at the back of your notebook, that you use on a day-to-day basis. It's when something goes well and you've successfully achieved on a project, just make a note, make a note you know, “March 2024, I delivered XY and Z or completed that project. My involvement was blah” because it's quite easy to forget things if it is over a year.

Which, I don't know if that sounds a a surprising or not, but I think it is quite easy to forget what you've been involved with and what the outcome of something was, and I think it's really important just to keep a log for yourself. No bad thing to do that, should I, you know, should I say if your CV might require it in the future and it just keeps it keeps a bit of a track on keeping things up to date.

00:05:11 Emily

Hmm, mm. Good tip. So if if I was having my first appraisal and I'd never really been, done something like this before, how, how would you advise I prepare for an appraisal?

00:05:20 Tray

Mm, so you know, alongside that sort of keeping that nice little log of key achievements, I also think it's keeping a log of things that that may have not quite worked out and that you might want to cover - hopefully in a good working environment, any challenges in the day-to-day of the workplace would have been met and you'll have handled them head on, if if something comes up.

But I think that if you're, if you're prepared in terms of you know what you want to talk about, you do take the time and effort. If there's a self-evaluation piece to really consider what you're writing with that. I actually think if you've got a manager that's not giving you enough time, if there's a self-evaluation piece, and perhaps they're writing a section that's coming back to you, if there's not enough time, make make time. Say to them you know “that's not gonna work. I'm not, if you only get this by the Friday, I I won't deliver it until the Tuesday or Wednesday.” Make sure there's enough time in the process to to, to, to, to really sort of do well. And again, I'm going to say again, but especially if it's an annual one because this is, you know, once every 12 months is a big deal. That's a long time.

If it's a bit more quarterly or six monthly, I think it's obviously all of these tips are useful, but it's not as crucial as that kind of one time a year where you get a couple of hours, probably with your manager, to really just talk about you, your career and where it's going.

If you can bring examples to that, then brilliant. I think if you've got anything negative that you want to share, I think share it tactfully and professionally, but share it, make sure make sure things are covered and don't be afraid to, if the feedback comes your way that you're not sort of, you're a little bit sort of “ohh really?” about, you know, get an understanding. Don't be afraid to get that understanding because so often would I see just miscommunication because two people see things in in a different way and when this is your career and your progression and your perhaps promotion coming up in six months or whatever it might be, it's crucial that you get that right with your line manager so that you're both on the same page and a good appraisal means you've both left the room feeling, “That's brilliant. I've got my person on board and they're looking towards the next chapter”, and that's great because the the manager thinks they're invested in the company, the organisation and their role and they can see where they go.

And for the individual you've got clear goals and objectives for your career, what you're going to achieve next and it also helps you start thinking about what's ahead of that, because then you know it keeps that sort of eye on the prize for the longer term as well.

00:07:35 Emily

Well, and I suppose you feel listened to, yeah.

00:07:36 Tray

100% and there's nothing more motivating than having that in your role. If you feel you're on the same page with your boss and you know where you're going, and it's clear, and it's aligned with the company wide objectives and all of those sorts of things that should have should have been discussed in the appraisal itself.

00:07:53 Emily

Super.

00:07:54 Tray

All of which very tricky, if things aren't quite a normal working environment, a bit more tricky if there are challenges, but then hopefully they've been met sort of along the way and you get that good appraisal and and things progress and turn out well.

00:08:04 Emily

Fantastic. Great advice. Thank you, Tray.

00:08:07 Emily

Thank you, Emily.