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Many people dread their yearly appraisals – some for good reason, but many more simply because they find it a painful and tedious process. But if staff dread appraisals, their bosses often dread them even more.
But an appraisal can be extremely useful to your pharmacy if it’s handled well. Both the appraiser and the appraisee are there to discuss the latter’s past performance – and to set targets for the year ahead. This means it’s a joint effort, so if you’re doing the appraising you need to seek common understanding rather than acting as a judge.
If your staff member has underperformed in some areas, you need to find out why, so that you can both do something about it. Is the reason a family or health problem? Is it simply that the job has expanded beyond the individual’s ability to do it? Is it a lack of training? Is there a problem in the way the job is organised or the resources given to the individual to perform the necessary tasks?
Even employees with significant weaknesses usually also have some good points. Elicit these at the appraisal too. This not only ensures that a poor appraisal doesn’t end up feeling like a character assassination, it also clearly identifies for the individual the things that they are good at, which should help them better understand their abilities. That could lead to a job (or branch) change, in some cases, or it may enable the individual to build on their strengths while avoiding being exposed to situations in which their weaknesses will be more apparent.
Conversely, good performers can leave the appraisal feeling that they can rest on their laurels. You need to explore the reasons for good performance just as you would the reasons for bad performance – and set targets that will stretch the person a little more. That might mean taking responsibility for mentoring new starters, perhaps.
Learning to ask the right questions, and to listen, is crucial. There are always reasons behind both good and bad performances, and both you and the appraisee need to understand those reasons. Don’t ask questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no; instead, ask questions that open up a discussion, similar to good practice for MURs.
Make sure the annual appraisal isn’t the only time you give feedback. You need to provide it throughout the year, both on specific topics and on the job generally. If staff are used to getting feedback, they are unlikely to be afraid of the appraisal – and you will also find it much easier discussing their performance in the more formal meeting.
Feedback is best when it is specific. If it is made immediately, or soon after the event to which it relates, employees can clearly see what needs to be improved or what has worked well. Never tell an employee, for instance, that he is argumentative, which implies that this is a natural quality of his character that he can’t change. Instead, refer to the action – or to the effect on someone else.
Feedback should always be positive. But that doesn’t mean it should always be complimentary. ‘Positive’ feedback tells someone how to do something right.
If you are talking about behaviour, keep to specifics. Refer, in immediate feedback, to what was actually said – the exact words if possible. Ask the employee what he or she remembers having done. Did they intend to have that effect? Ask what might have helped them achieve a better outcome – more training, better support from the pharmacist?
Feedback during the appraisal obviously won’t be so specific, but again you need to look for ways forward rather than just talking about the past. Create a proper structure for the meeting to ensure that a good quarter of the time, if not more, is spent talking about the future – assessing your staff’s training needs and setting targets.
Once the appraisal meeting is concluded, that shouldn’t be the end of the process. Although there is no appraisal for another year, encourage employees to monitor their progress on the objectives, and meet regularly to discuss how things are going. Then, at the next appraisal, neither they nor you should have any surprises in store.
Why appraise?
To monitor the business
A staff appraisal scheme provides a framework for measuring the performance of the business through assessing individual staff against jointly agreed targets that fit into the company’s overall aspirations. A good appraisal system should be like having an “internal barometer”, measuring the state of the pharmacy.
To develop the business to meet changing circumstances
Static organisations will not survive and a healthy organisation is one that can adapt and change to market forces. This will often involve introducing new methods of working, developing new services and ultimately changing the direction of the business. In reality this can
only be achieved by ensuring that staff are similarly able to adapt and be flexible, perhaps even being retrained in new skills.
To encourage and motivate employees
Regular meetings and informal chats praising, or indeed chiding, individuals are all part of a good management technique, but they are no substitute for being able to set reasonable targets that can then be measured. A job that is either well done or ‘botched’ should not be allowed to go unnoticed as the former may not be repeated while the latter may become the norm. An appraisal system is not a substitute, but a longer term method of measurement will provide a better and more consistent picture of employees’ abilities.