Reviews

We do evaluations twice a year all at the same time, no matter what your anniversary date is. Well, reveiws were done yesterday around here and I discovered some tips during some reviews that I think are helpful to everyone; so I am passing them on to you:
First, you should set goals at every review. On the annual is when the goal should be reached, the mid-year should be when they are looked at and updated or changed if needed; depending on the individual's circumstances. Everyone should have goals or room for improvement. This doesn't mean you are doing a bad job, it just means these are areas of improvement needed. My staff hits the spectrum of options on this. I have one teacher who, at any review (classroom or evaluation) actually doesn't want a great score. She wants to be dinged on something: "I can always improve somethine." So making goals with her is real easy because she is receptive to them. Then on the other end, I have an employee who thinks that making goals means she is not doing something right. "So, I'm not going my job?" is literally the question she asks me everytime. No! You are doing your job, but to get better at your job, these are the areas we are going to work on this year. After a long discussion, I finally hit on a point that, I think, drive it home: "Even our exacutive director, the man who runs the company, sits down every year and makes goals for himself. He even looks to see where he can improve!" So, on this first helpful hint I leave you with this: a review is only a tool to help you become better in your field, no matter what your field is; it is not necessarily a reflection that you are doing a bad job, only a reflection on ways to make you a better person in the end.

Second helpful hint: When doing a review remember that this is a reflection on soley on person. So, no matter what the questions are, the answer needs to be that, taking away all other people in the department, does this person meet this requirement? Of course you do have to take into considerations other when it deals with communication and teamwork, but even that can be brought to the same point: does this person does everything in his or her power to meet the teamwork, even though someone else isn't meeting that requirement? When you are the reciever of the review (i.e. my teacher or assistant) don't bring up the point that "Miss J does this and this". I, as a supervisor come back with "Yes, but you know your job, and it is your responsibility to do your job, no matter what anyone else is doing." Worry about your own job, I see what others are or aren't doing and that will reflect on their review. Now, if you want to, at a time seperate from your review, discuss with your supervisor what "Miss J" is doing; then make a time to do that. An evaluation is not the time, it only makes you look bad.

Another helpful tip: As an evaluator, don't have any surprises for your evaluatees. They should know why you are scoring them the way you are. When I have someone with a low score, I simply say "You got a moderate on your attendance. We talked about that last week; and we made a plan to improve it which you have been working on." Leave it at that; unless of course it isn't getting better.

Tip for the evaluatee: As an evaluatee, be honest with yourself. Do you really deserve a 5 or is that wishful thinking? Do you actually go above and beyond your job duties? That's when you get a 5. Do you come to work everyday without fail, give your supervisor at least a 2 week notice of doctors appointments, call the night before when you are sick, and make appointments around your work schedule? Or do you come in the day of an appointment and say "I need to be off at 10 for an appointment today that I've had for a month and forgot to tell you." Or do you call in sick 30 minutes after you were supposed to already be there? This reflects on you. How about teamwork? Do you do everything in your power to keep the communication open with your classroom or department? Or do you 'forget' to tell them things leaving them to answer to a parent at pick up for a child's chipped tooth that they came in with? I'm telling you now the patterns I see are as follows: an employee who deserves the 4's and 5's will turn in their self evaluation with 2's and 3's because they honestly believe that they don't deserve those scores, they see where they need to improve. The employee who gets evaluated with 2's and 3's, without fail, turns in their self evaluation to me with all 5's marked. It is a rare occasion, and a rare person, who will actually turn in their evaluation with the same or close to the same marks that I give to them. An evaluation is a tool for you, not your employer. It will only help you in the end become a better person, not just a better employee at this company.

If you go into an evaluation with these things in mind, on both sides of the desk, you will have succesful evaluations. What you really have to think is: what is the pupose of this (or any) evaluation? And the answer is simple: to become better!

What tips do you have?