There is a conflict of interest inherent to performance appraisals.
Organizations & Managers are focused on outcomes in the short term.
On the other hand, employees are typically more interested in where the road leads to in the long term.
A big problem with performance appraisals is how it is mostly focused on immediate job responsibilities & results, while being almost flippant on the long term outlook for the employee’s career.
This is why employees are not great fans.
It’s not always clear to them how all that they are doing is related to their dreams. Moreover, to add spice to the mix, these employees’ dreams are not permanent too. These change with time.
Key takeaway for Practitioners
A middle path that takes care of all stakeholders needs is important.
But it’s easy to start off – all it takes to get going is a conversation & a note taking. If Managers can discuss the career objectives with individual employees on a regular basis, the employee then feels being taken care of and much of the misgivings get mitigated.
So, start simple & evolve with feedback from the key stakeholders.