Feature

Battling post-appraisal blues

Comparisons are inevitable, and disappointments are bound to occur after appraisals. Renuka Vembu writes on handling the post-appraisal gloomy scenario

It is a yearly or bi-annual phenomenon which is bound to create some friction between an organization and its employees. Appraisals are that time of the year when all that the company has been doing all year round for their employees fall flat on its face, because unavoidably there is someone out there who is not too pleased. Similarly, employees can’t help but feel bitter for all the efforts they put in all year long, which then do not get the desired or deserved payback. The post-appraisal blues symptoms are inevitable; while a few are celebrating their growth, a handful of them are left with a feeling of betrayal.

Transparency and consistency hold the key to performance reviews. Nina E Woodard, Executive Director, SHRM, India, asserted, “Performance reviews do not happen in a vacuum. They are intended to be a tool that allows a manager to capture and document achievements as well as providing an opportunity to link individual achievement to the company bottom line. It is a part of the HR tool kit. It requires a clear understanding of the rationale behind the employee concern and the manager’s appraisal. Both sides need to be clear to the individual trying to help resolve the dilemma. Once there is clarity, then it requires some kind of arbitration to help move closer to understanding.”

Chetan Shah, MD, Synygy India, asserted that they imbibed a policy of being ‘internally fair and externally competitive’ as far as salaries were concerned and hence dissatisfaction due to comparison with colleagues was seldom seen at the workplace. He continued, “Because of the continuous feedback process Synygy has, the occurrence of acrimony is not common. When that does happen, we ensure that the concerns—compensation, growth, or work-related—are addressed appropriately and action plan created to meet the needs of the employees.”

Anisha Sinha, HRD Manager, Endeavour Software Technologies, gave a detailed account of the layer approach that they adopt:

The first layer consists of the people who are very important, and the organization cannot think of losing them at any cost. These are the employees who are taken the most care of while promotions and salary revisions are being decided upon. Discussion with the top management on the grievances and the areas of concern is enabled; the focus being on minimizing the impact of the requirements not being fulfilled, by offering some other measure like onsite opportunities, specialized training, a new project assignment, new technologies to work on, role change (and not promotion), which could enhance his future prospects.

The second layer consists of the mid-level management; some project managers, all project leads, and some of the programmer analysts. For these individuals, discussion with the management focuses on a comparative analysis between individuals, underlining the difference with another one who might have got a better salary-hike or a promotion is established. Instances are given to substantiate as to why a decision has been taken the way it has been and likewise.

The third layer consists of the rest of the programmer analysts, software developers and the like. For them, it is left to their immediate superiors to be comforted by. It’s an extension of the reporting mechanism wherein the people they are reporting to need to emphasize upon the fact that certain lacunae in their performance has led to the kind of appraisal they got.

She further added, “There is no denying the fact that certain conventions or norms in terms of hierarchy, promotion matrix, salary range, etc., have to be maintained. However, the organization also needs to be flexible enough to accommodate its valuable employees by offering any or all of these alternate measures to enhance satisfaction.”

Proactive measures

Employee disgruntlement cannot be avoided totally because at all times every individual cannot be pleased. Some early precautionary measures that can be taken by the company are setting a clear career path for employees, measuring performance against KRAs, and building an open communication channel. Proper grievance mechanism and an open door policy enabling a one-on-one relationship between the manager and his subordinates set the tone for a healthy environment. Similarly, employees need to proactively clear the air and get issues sorted out rather than waiting till the last minute.

Also, instead of appraisals being a yearly activity, it should be designed as a continuous process so that there are constant tabs kept on the employee productivity and areas of improvement. Any ambiguity or key concerns can be promptly sorted out, and documented too for further reference. A joint effort by the employee and his manager in drawing up of a mutually agreed plan leads to less friction and conflict, and also to increased output and quality standards. Just like organizational goals have to be in sync with individual interests, personal aspirations have to be in line with one’s strong points too.

Shankar Velayudhan, Executive VP, India and Europe, Mindteck, said, “Any breach of promise always fuels dissatisfaction. Managers shouldn’t over commit or set unrealistic expectations for their subordinates. In case any commitments are made, the managers should enter them in the performance diary and ensure the same is considered during the appraisal.”

Likewise, the HR department should lay down clear ground rules of the break-up in terms of number or percentage of the workforce, who will be promoted to the next level, the cap on monetary raise in appraisals, the different slabs in the bonus/increments levels, etc. In NCR Corporation, promotions are not time bound but are role driven. Sandhya Joshi, Country Head, HR and Staffing, NCR Corporation India, said, “NCR follows a systematized approach while considering promotions. These are given to employees based on their current performance coupled with potential to assume higher responsibility and based on availability of roles in the organization.”

At Aurigo Software Technologies, the compensation policy is both a fixed and variable component for all employees and not just limited to sales. There are quarterly goals set both by the manager and the employee on mutually acceptable and reasonable terms. Balaji Sreenivasan, Founder and CEO, Aurigo Software Technologies, added, “These goals are classified as working goals and stretched goals and there are points assigned to each of these, which determines the variable pay-out. In a product company like ours, it is imperative that employees are constantly motivated and challenged. This system has worked very well for us in creating a positive work environment.”

Handling the situation

As and when such an acrimonious situations occurs, the key lies in handling it effectively so that employee morale does not take a plunge and the negative vibes are not spread across the workplace. Various tactics help in going deep into the root of the problem, if any, as also weeding out any negativity that may have crept up. While on many occasions the problem may not be on the surface level, at others, changing the strategy and helping employees opt for a different track helps the cause.

Mona Gupta, Senior Manager, HR, Cincom Systems India, listed the following broad pointers to deal with the gloomy scenario:

• Reasoning out: It could be that genuinely someone is underpaid or is having a tough time meeting goals. In such a scenario, try and amend the same.
• Counseling/mentoring: Some people have bad experiences that they are clinging on to and that makes them passive. Try and help them to move on from such a baggage.
• Job rotation: If skill-set permits, rotation amongst teams also helps break a negative vibe, especially if it has to do with team dynamics.

Wanting to leave the organization and escape the after-effects of the temporary blues, seeing no future growth path or career with the company, the situation seeming unreasonable, and wanting to compare with other colleagues who might have got their share of the pie, are all natural and immediate emotional reactions that trigger off in such a situation. Roy de Souza, Founder and CEO, ZEDO, asserted, “I always think about the needs of the team member and the needs of the company. Usually I can find an opportunity for the team member that is exciting to them and also adds real value to the company. The way to do this is ask the team member what is important to them and what they want to do in a few years.”

At Aurigo, they believe that ‘Prevention is better than cure,’ is the best approach to be adopted, and convincing people into staying with the organization after they have made up their minds otherwise is not the correct methodology. Sreenivas stated, “This is a more positive and long-term approach that companies need to invest in. Valuable employees cannot get ‘not promoted’ just because there are organizational policies or external factors. That is a fallacy and an explanation meted out to employees by managers who do not want to be candid. The only factor that determines an employee’s value is the results he brings on efforts invested.”

At Fujitsu Consulting India (FCIPL), the de-selection of non performers happens a few days before the increments are handed over to others. Anagha Wankar, Group Manager, HR, FCIPL, felt, “This helps in sending the message across that the rest are ones the organization wants to stay and has plans of growth for them. What needs to be communicated is that how this growth will happen for them. More often than not associates do not want to do a step-by-step mapping of their future but need a reassurance that their performance has been recognized. This message to the employee goes a long way in convincing them to continue with the organization.”

Drawing out options

Organizations which are not able to accommodate all employees on the appraisal scale tend to come up with other options, which to the employee seem like a mere compromise. Raman Pai, Global Head, HR, Helios and Matheson Information Technology, felt, “In a vibrant organization, there should be fire in the belly of the employees. They will in such a situation meet it as a challenge and raise their bar of performance. Capabilities should be rewarded and gaps overcome by imparting training. The whole thing if done transparently normally gains across the board acceptance.”

Poornima Siragaje Pemmaiah, Director, HR, Yodlee Infotech stated, “Dissatisfaction in appraisal is the last point of concern and not the core reason. One should identify the core reason for the attrition and counter that. One–on-one meeting helps to identify the problem area; we are flexible in terms of customizing the roles and responsibilities for the employee, changing the department, in case of personal problems we extend possible help from our end, financial credits, work from home option, etc.”

Train the trainer

Ashok Srinivasan, VP, Operations Support, Expertus Infotech opined, “Most issues are already discussed between individuals, line managers and business heads, and ironed out before the verdict is delivered.  We have had training programs on how appraisals need to be conducted and what one needs to do to handle issues that one may need to come up with long before the above mentioned process for appraisal roll out is announced.” He continued that it all boils down to the concept of total rewards of which compensation is only a part and what is more important the excitement about meaningful engagement and the self worth of the individual, which includes his/her work-life balance afforded by the company, the job content, the respect for the individual in the organizational scheme of things, etc.

Evidently if the organization can deliver on these counts there are generally no grounds for disgruntlement as experts are able to see the whole picture and look at things from a point of view of long-term engagement and career and not short-term job gratification.

renuka.vembu@expressindia.com