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The supervisor’s assessment begins with a review of the goals and objectives set at the beginning of the review cycle and whether the anticipated results were achieved. The supervisor must then evaluate whether any deficiencies occurred because of inadequate performance by the employee or whether they were the result of circumstances outside the employee’s control, such as a change in the organization’s direction. The supervisor must then develop a plan to address the discrepancies.

Because this process is meant to be a two-way conversation, employees should be asked to assess their own performance as part of the appraisal. Giving employees advance notice of the scheduled review meeting allows time for reflection about their past performance as well as goals they may have for the future and areas of professional development that are of interest to them.

It’s important for supervisors to obtain feedback from those with whom the employee has contact each day to find out whether there are areas of concern or outstanding performance about which the supervisor may not be aware. This includes 360- degree feedback, which HRCI defines as “employee appraisal data gathered from internal and external sources (such as peers, subordinates, supervisors, customers and suppliers); also known as multi-rater feedback.”

A key component of the review is planning for the future using changes to the strategic plan and the supervisor’s goals and objectives to help plan the employee’s goals. It’s important for employees to participate in the setting of their own goals to facilitate their commitment to achieving them.

As part of the review, supervisors can provide development opportunities for employees to address any areas of deficiency or to prepare them for the next level.

Narrative methods of appraisal require managers to describe the employee’s performance. These include critical incident, essay, and field reviews.

The best-known behavioral review method is the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS). This is defined by HRCI as “a type of performance rating scale designed to combine both qualitative and quantitative data to the employee appraisal process. The BARS compares an individual’s performance against specific examples of behavior that are attached to numerical ratings.” The BARS method uses the job description to create dimensions that represent the most important requirements of the job. For each dimension, anchor statements are created to represent varying levels of performance behaviors that describe rating numbers on a scale. For example, a job dimension for a receptionist might be greeting customers.