Coping with Staff Reactions to Evaluations

• The employee accepts your appraisal and indicates a willingness to make changes toward better performance.
  • For average, successful employees this reaction occurs more often than all the others.
  • Some employees may express genuine surprise at some aspects of your evaluation of their work, but their response is positive and friendly rather than defensive.
  • Employees usually respond enthusiastically when told their work is satisfactory and you offer plans for self-improvement and growth. There is no greater motivating force than for an employee to be secure in his/her position and know there is an opportunity for advancement.
  • Employees are likely to ask you to elaborate on any constructive criticism you offer. This will give you a chance to discuss the whole situation at the employee’s request.
  • Most employees try to improve immediately after an evaluation. You can expect them to come back with evidence of their improvement, asking for further suggestions and help.
  • If you are frank and honest in your evaluations, you will gain a reputation for being a "square shooter." This can be a great help toward efficient, cooperative performance of normal day-to-day operations.
  • Some employees may feel that the evaluation is a personal favor from their supervisor. Relationships will be smoother and closer if you show a genuine interest in helping employees see their strengths and weaknesses and offer to help.
  • Even successful people need frequent reassurance that their work is satisfactory. Realize that even your best people may need to hear this assurance from you often. Don’t assume they know their work is OK just because there are no problems.
• The employee doesn’t agree with your appraisal or constructive criticism, has evidence to show that your evaluation is not accurate, and disagrees constructively and unemotionally.
  • Restate your position, but don’t try too hard to get the employee to accept your point of view right away.
  • The employee’s disagreement with you may come from his/her personal makeup, experience on the job, or other factors within the individual which will be difficult for you to understand at the outset.
  • Expect some disagreements to be based on your personality and your role as supervisor. This should not handicap regular communication with the employee. It is normal to have different values, motivations, outlooks, etc. from coworkers and still get along in the workplace.
  • Listen carefully to find out why the individual does not agree. Check the reliability of your own facts and their criticisms. Prepare yourself for future discussions with additional evidence about the employee’s performance.
  • Say you will check into the matter. If necessary, ask the individual about the reliability of his/her information. Have the employee think over his/her position and you do the same.
  • Realize that experienced supervisors admit they often learn from the employees they are evaluating. You may have been given incorrect information about the situation and should appreciate receiving additional facts.
  • Be willing to change your evaluation in light of more evidence. Evaluations are not cast in stone. As people change, so should our opinions of them.
• The employee agrees completely and almost too easily. You suspect the person does not understand or is holding back any objections.
  • Get the employee to restate what you said. (Example: "Jane, I’ve been talking a lot here and I may have gone too fast. Why don’t you review for me what I’ve said?")
  • Be sure the individual’s agreement is genuine and not a device for complimenting you as a way to avoid accepting the need to improve. When criticism is offered some people agree too easily thinking it will lessen the need to take action for improvement.
  • Emphasize what is to be done about change, improvement, or development. If the employee accepts your evaluation, get a strong commitment about what he/she will do about it. Also, outline how you plan to follow up on the plans for improvement.
• The employee avoids personal blame and shifts focus of attention to others.
  • Listen rather than halt the recital. If you stop the employee, you might send him/her somewhere else with the complaints.
  • Remain impartial and fair-minded. Above all, don’t let the employee see that his/her irrational conduct upsets or annoys you. Do not let your words or actions convey any distress you might be feeling.
  • Try to find out why the employee blames others. What inadequacy does the person have that makes it impossible for him/her to accept justifiable blame?
  • Ask yourself how you can help this person to feel successful enough so that he/she will not need to use such an escape or excuse to cover up shortcomings.
  • Directly or indirectly compliment the person for willingness to assume responsibility where you find any evidence that he/she has done so. Help the employee realize that acceptance of blame, when accompanied by determination to improve, is not a disadvantage.
  • Watch carefully during future evaluations to see whether the employee grows in willingness to assume responsibility for failures.
  • After a few evaluations have been handled in this way, determine whether the employee’s blame-avoidance is basic in his/her personality and requires psychological counseling, or whether it is based on factors in the work environment which you can help the employee recognize and change.
  • Sometimes it helps to put the employee in closer contact with the individuals or groups that are the source of dissatisfaction. Assign the employee to committees, give him/her special projects, find other ways to put him/her in closer association with capable people whose abilities he/she underestimates.
• The employee wants to quit. This is a good employee and one you would like to keep.
  • Ask why. The employee may not be too clear on the reasons, but perhaps the emotional release of reviewing them will be enough. If the reason for wanting to leave is based on some failure you recognize in your unit, take prompt action to correct it. If this comes as a surprise, it may mean that you have failed to keep in close enough contact with the employee and/or what is going on in the unit.
  • Do not be afraid to assure the employee of your respect for his/her ability. Some employees talk of leaving only because they are not sure they are wanted in their present jobs. Even if the employee is successful, he/she may need the reassurance of hearing it directly from you.
  • If the employee is accepting temporary advancement with some other company in place of an ultimately better future with you, outline the growth possibilities in his/her present position. Show all the advantages of staying.
  • If the employee has a better offer elsewhere and you truly wish to retain him/her, look carefully at all the rewards/benefits of staying. Can they be increased?
  • Try to keep the individual from making harsh statements that will make him/her feel he/she has no alternative but to leave.
• The employee is too eager for promotion or financial reward.
  • If the employee insists upon immediate financial reward after a favorable evaluation, remind him/her that financial incentives are prohibited by state statute from being linked to performance review.
  • The topic of reclassification may also surface during the review session. However, reclassification, by definition, involves "job change." Steps toward reclassification may be in order if a position has changed on a permanent basis so that the assigned duties and responsibilities are of a higher level. The change must be in effect for at least six months before reclassification procedures can be initiated. Quantity and quality of work, in itself, does not qualify as sole justification for reclassification.
  • The insistence for immediate promotion or salary increase may be a desire to see a tangible reward for work well done. Be sure you make full use of intangible rewards such as assignment to work on higher level problems, release from routine operations to attend conferences or training schools, etc.
  • If too many of your employees insist upon overly rapid rewards, perhaps you are stressing opportunity, promotion and advancement too much. Evaluate employees first to improve performance in the present job and only secondarily to prepare for promotion. Emphasize that present success must precede promotion.
  • The employee may not deserve advancement. It is your responsibility to get the employee to see this. You might not be able to accomplish this at the first meeting.
• The employee loses his/her temper, becomes emotional, angry, or abusive.
  • Listen. Don’t argue. Don’t show disapproval.
  • Be sure the employee knows that the inappropriate behavior is not a permanent black mark against him/her. It is very important that the person leaves realizing that you still have a friendly feeling toward him/her. At your next meeting be especially cordial.
  • Contact the person a few days later. If he/she is still in the same mood, listen, don’t argue. Call back once more.
• The employee seems determined to argue and denies most of your facts, evidence and opinions.
  • Let the person talk freely. Listen carefully and try to find out what is basically bothering him/her and what is the cause of the resistance.
  • Thank the person for bringing their point of view to your attention. Say you will look into it and talk again later.
  • Avoid being drawn into an argument which may arouse emotions that might block or seriously delay an understanding.
  • Don’t retreat. Be sure the employee understands your point of view and your insistence upon it. Do this tactfully, moderately, without arguing.
  • Close the interview tactfully. Try again when the individual is in a better mood and after you have taken whatever constructive action is possible about the fundamental cause of the resistance. The individual may be completely cooperative and understanding in the next interview.
• The employee is surly, not cooperative, resentful, or just passive and unresponsive.
  • Try to determine why the person acts this way. Is it normal for him/her? Is he/she giving careful attention to what you say? Is it self-protection? Is he/she afraid to reveal his/her own attitude, or is it something about the job?
  • Don’t be afraid of a certain amount of silence. Give ample time to think and respond.
  • Watch carefully for any sparkle of interest in what you are saying. Try to get the person to talk about anything you have said that seems to strike even a small response. Ask for opinions about things important to the employee: "What do you think about thus and so?" or "What would you do in this case?"
  • Reassure the person early in the interview. Talk about as many of the complimentary things as you can at the outset.
  • The individual may think you have a bad opinion of him/her.
  • Don’t push or try to persuade too much at one sitting. The individual may have a different attitude by the next sitting, and may be more willing to offer insight regarding the reason(s) for the dissatisfaction.
  • Some employees (especially long-service employees) may resist the whole idea of evaluations or see no merit in them. Explain reasons for evaluations and show how the individual can profit from knowing where he/she stands and from laying plans for improvement. Find out what the employee’s specific objections are.
  • Some employees may feel that you are trying to change habits which exist out of their own personal choice. They may resist discussing what they think are personal matters that are none of your business. Show them that certain habits (courteousness, personal appearance, punctuality, modesty) relate closely to success on the job.
• The employee is obviously nervous and sensitive.
  • Try harder to put the person at ease. Talk about things the employee knows best and is comfortable with such as a new home, a good idea recently submitted, service in a community organization, etc.
  • If the employee is not participating, try to make it a two-way communication. Ask him/her to summarize what you said as a way to get him/her to start talking.
  • Explain the purpose and constructive values that may come from the evaluation.
  • Don’t talk about the person; talk about the job. Begin by referring to actual work situations in which he/she has done well such as a new system he/she installed, a quality improvement, a report he/she prepared.