communication. So, the first step is to talk to employees prior to
the meeting and explain why you are doing it and what to
expect. Here are some basic points to cover:
■The meeting is to review performance for the purpose of
helping the employee succeed in the future.
■There will be no surprises, since there will be nothing dis-
cussed in the review meeting that hasn’t already been dis-
cussed during the year.
■Both employee and manager get to give input into the
process: the opinions and perceptions of both are important
to the process.
Describe the process you will be using for the meeting—an
agenda, if you like. Here are some possible items.
■Review the employee’s major job responsibilities and discuss
how they relate to the goals of the organization.
■Go through each of the employee’s major goals to deter-
mine whether he or she has achieved them.
■Identify any problems or barriers the employee has experi-
enced in achieving the goals.
■Identify strategies and plans to remove any performance
barriers.
■Complete any forms and documentation as needed.
■Begin the process of setting goals for the next year.
Once you and the employee understand the purposes and
conduct of the performance appraisal meeting, it’s time to deter-
mine how you and the employee should prepare for it. To reduce
the time needed for the meeting, you might ask the employee to
review his or her goals for the past year and make notes on how
he or she feels the work has gone.You can do the same thing.You
26Perfect Phrases for Setting Performance Goals