Privacy and Staff Appraisals

By: Matthew Strawbridge - Updated: 28 Jan 2023 | *Discuss

 

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A staff appraisal is the process in which a manager records a worker’s performance over a given period of time. An appraisal is often held annually or every six months. It provides an opportunity for the supervisor and worker to discuss performance against previous objectives, to set new objectives and for either party to raise anything that has been concerning them. It is important that the privacy of these records is maintained.

There are several types of staff appraisal:

• standard appraisals in which a manager interviews an employee
• 360-degree appraisals where both parties can comment on the other
• self-assessment appraisals
• probationary reviews

Information Recorded On The Form

There are two approaches to completing this type of form. It can be filled in either before the discussion or afterwards. If it is filled in beforehand, the person being appraised will have a chance to comment on what has been said, and by negotiation it may be altered before finally being submitted. If the form is filled in after the discussion, it should be an accurate record of what was discussed, and the employee must be given the opportunity to comment on it before its submission.

Information commonly recorded on an appraisal form includes the following:

• basic data for identifying the individual being appraised, such as their name and department, and the appraiser
• the period of time covered
• a common understanding of the role the person being appraised plays within the organisation: their duties and responsibilities
• achievements and difficulties
• aspirations
• points for improvement
• performance against previous objectives and a new set of objectives for the future

There is often a grid of scores for achievement levels in various categories such as time-management, creativity and team-work. If these are recorded fairly, and perhaps moderated amongst reviewers, then they provide useful statistics for ranking employees to fairly distribute pay, bonuses and promotions. Because of the “bottom line” importance of this data to employees, it is critical that its privacy is maintained. In particular, employees should not be able to see the scores attained by their peers.

Who Should Have Access To Staff Appraisals?

Committees deciding policy, such as pay reviews, can reasonably make use of this information, particularly the numerical scores. These committees should usually be composed of people more senior than those being discussed.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, workers should have access to their own appraisals (although, to maintain privacy, not to each other’s). This applies not only to the most recent one, but also to the historical records that are kept. In this way they can track their progress, and can ensure that these important documents, which can have a major effect on their career progression, are fair and correct.

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