Appraisals

What is an appraisal?

Management is a continuous process. A regular review of an employee’s performance is an effective tool. It also allows an employee to give their views to the manager.

Performance reviews or appraisal discussions normally set and review objectives which should be “SMART” i.e.

S Specific

M Measurable

A Achievable

R Realistic

T Time-bound

Who undertakes appraisals?

Clerks and other employees with management responsibilities may conduct appraisals for other employees. A clerk’s appraisal will be best undertaken by a small committee rather than full council. Relevant councillors and employees should receive training in appraisals.

A written record of the appraisal should be placed on the employee’s personnel file so that the objectives form part of the next appraisal.

How should appraisals be conducted?

Discussions should be open and two-way communication should be encouraged. There should also be an opportunity to agree training and development needs.

When should appraisals be held?

It is usual to hold annual appraisals. Half-yearly appraisals are also good practice. It may be appropriate to hold more frequent appraisals during the early stages of employment or following disciplinary action.

Are appraisals linked to salaries?

If an employment contract allows for a salary increment to be paid “subject to satisfactory performance”, councils should have an annual appraisal system in place.

Do we need a policy in place to carry out an appraisal?

Model Standing Order 19 contains a paragraph setting out how the appraisal process or review should take place.  Some parish/town councils also set out an in an adopted policy how this may work in practice including any procedures and documents to be used. 

Isn't an appraisal process too bureaucratic and upsetting for the Clerk and employees?

Criticisms of traditional approaches to performance reviews are:

·       - They aren’t frequent enough.

·       - They focus on past performance with little attention paid to future performance improvement, learning and development.

·       -  Assessments are too subjective and not a reliable reflection of actual performance.  

      - Feedback often comes from a single source (the line manager) which can give too narrow a view.

      - The process is excessively bureaucratic, time consuming and demotivating.

So recommended good practice is that feedback is given immediately (not stored up for the annual appraisal)  and focus on how to improve not criticism, ensure that the performance feedback is gathered from a number of people and ensure any paperwork / forms are easy to complete, accurate and capture all aspects of performance, improvements, objectives and learning and development. Dont forget to check how the employee feels about the process a few days after the appraisal has taken place.