| What do you do when an employee disagrees with | | | | more likely that disagreements will surface during the |
| something you've written on their performance | | | | review. That's one more reason for scheduling periodic, |
| review? How can you prepare for this and deal with it | | | | "How's it going?" discussions with each person on your |
| effectively? | | | | team. |
| Start by listening to figure out the source of the | | | | As soon as a disagreement pops up, switch into |
| disagreement. Is it an issue of fact (you wrote that the | | | | active listening mode. "Active listening" involves allowing |
| employee received a customer satisfaction score of | | | | the other person to clarify both the facts and feelings |
| 79 but the employee says that his score was actually | | | | about an issue so there's nothing left under the |
| 83), or is a matter of judgment (you wrote that the | | | | surface. For example, using phrases as simple as, "Tell |
| employee's customer service skills were | | | | me more . . ." or, "What else can you share with me |
| unsatisfactory; she feels that her skills are terrific)? If | | | | about that . . . ?" or, "Really . . . ?" can encourage |
| the disagreement involves an issue of fact, get the | | | | people to talk more about their perceptions. Simply |
| facts and make any corrections necessary. If it's a | | | | nodding without saying anything encourages people to |
| matter of judgment, ask the employee for additional | | | | expand on what they have said. It's not at all unlikely |
| evidence. Then determine whether that evidence is | | | | that the employee, allowed a sufficient chance to think |
| weighty enough to cause you to change your mind, | | | | aloud about what you have written, will end up saying, |
| revise your judgment, and amend the rating that you | | | | "Yeah, I guess I see what you mean." |
| assigned on the employee's performance review. | | | | In dealing effectively with employee performance |
| Most of the time, you have a reasonably good | | | | review disagreements, remember what your objective |
| understanding of the areas where disagreements are | | | | in the discussion is — and what it isn't. Your objective |
| likely to pop up in the course of the performance | | | | in a performance review discussion is not to gain |
| review discussion. Before beginning the discussion, | | | | agreement. It is to gain understanding. If the employee |
| re-read the review you wrote and try to spot the | | | | agrees with you, that's great. But particularly if your |
| areas where you and the individual may not seem | | | | appraisal is a tough-minded assessment of the fact |
| eye-to-eye. Then ask yourself, "What am I going to | | | | the Charlie's contribution toward achieving your |
| say when George disagrees with my assessment that | | | | department's objectives was only mediocre, you'll |
| his performance on the Thompson project just barely | | | | probably never get him to agree. That's OK. What you |
| met expectations?" If you've taken to time to review | | | | want is for him to understand why you evaluated his |
| the appraisal you've written for potential hot spots, and | | | | performance the way you did, even if his personal |
| given some thought to how you'll respond, you're much | | | | opinion is different. |
| less likely to be caught off guard. | | | | Finally, if you have several employee performance |
| During the employee performance review discussion, | | | | reviews to deliver, don't start with the individual whose |
| start with your higher ratings and move toward the | | | | performance was the worst and where |
| lower ones. Be prepared to give additional examples | | | | disagreements are the most likely to arise. Start with |
| besides the ones you've included on the formal written | | | | the easiest — your best performer — and move |
| appraisal. Refer back to the informal conversations | | | | toward the more difficult. In this way, you'll build your |
| you have had with the individual over the course of the | | | | skills and become more comfortable with the |
| year. | | | | performance review process. Remember the advice |
| Of course, if you haven't had on-going, informal | | | | that John Dillinger, the 1930's public-enemy #1, once |
| performance review discussions with the individual | | | | provided: "Before you rob your first bank, knock off a |
| over the course of the appraisal period, then it's much | | | | couple of gas stations. |