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B. Characteristics

Conducting appraisal interviews with current employees is currently just beginning to become part of the HR practice of domestic enterprises. In this regard, each company, through trial and error, tries to develop its own unique approach in this direction. Have you already chosen your method for conducting an assessment interview? No? Then let's figure out together how to properly organize such interviews with existing employees.

For example, the company PromPlastTorg LLC. A medium-sized industrial enterprise with well-developed procedures for personnel assessment and development. The company undergoes personnel certification every three years, operates a system of continuous on-the-job training (mentoring), conducts ongoing training in third-party organizations, carries out psychological testing of personal qualities, periodically reviews the personnel reserve, etc.

And everything would be fine if not for one “but”...

Until a certain time, there was no system that would connect all the above procedures into a single complex. It turned out like this: a person was taught, but in the wrong way; They were given a position with a promotion, but the person couldn’t handle it - he wasn’t ready professionally or his personal qualities let him down. In general, it is safe to say that there was no feedback, i.e. the opinions and desires of employees were not taken into account.

EXAMPLE

The employee was “moved” forward based on the totality of assessed professional and personal qualities, without taking into account his opinions and desires - as a result, they received a lack of initiative employee, not actively working, but as if serving a labor obligation.

The result, unfortunately, is deplorable: in the examples given, qualified specialists quit.

Thus, a well-functioning personnel management system experienced periodic failures. The staff was dissatisfied, and certain fears began to appear before conducting personal and professional testing.

Everything seemed so simple...

To remedy the situation, managers decided to independently conduct conversations with employees. We approached this, as one would expect, formally: as we are used to and according to the well-known scheme:

The result was even more deplorable. People have simply become afraid of additional quarterly “executions.” There was no talk of any frankness on the part of the employee, or of any joint plan of action or development.

The calmly indifferent position of the interviewer according to the principle “They ordered a conversation - I conducted it...” also did not bring anything good.

Then another erroneous decision was made to conduct assessment interviews on a commission basis, with the involvement of a large number of management specialists. Imagine: an ordinary economist comes in, having previously only seen the vice president of the company on TV, sits down with shaking knees and in a trembling voice begins to talk about the reasons for the failure to meet the budget.

Why wrong? Well, firstly, a frank conversation aimed at finding out ways of employee development will not work here, and secondly, the real (not formal, given in reports) reasons for the failure to fulfill the budget may be of great interest to the vice president, and the evaluation conversation will automatically turn into strict certification. Which will also take away from the topic of conducting an effective assessment interview. In this case, as you already understood, the result will also be negative.

Through trial and error, the company's management came to an understanding of how to do what "shouldn't" be done and what was done "right."

When designing an assessment, training and personnel reserve system, be sure to include a feedback mechanism in it

The dialogue with the employee should be positive and open. By the way, it is highly undesirable to conduct an assessment interview on a Friday evening when everyone is tired (both the manager and the employee)

YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS

When interviewing an employee, you need to remember that his opinion should also be heard, even if it is negative

What was done “right”

Event 1.Conducted training(both group and personal) of all managers, the purpose of which was to convey to each boss the meaning of conducting assessment conversations, i.e. drew a clear line in the minds of management between a “call on the carpet” and an evaluation interview.

Event 2. Abolished evaluation commissions in expanded form. It was agreed that there should be no more than three participants in the assessment conversation: the employee, his immediate supervisor and an HR specialist. Moreover, one of the main tasks of an HR specialist is to prevent the interview dialogue from turning into a monologue from the boss (in any negative or positive form). After all, it is very important to hear the employee’s opinion, even if it is not positive.

Event 3. The conversation was conducted according to clearly defined rules so that it doesn’t work out: they sat, chatted and went their separate ways - no sense. After each conversation we filled out Assessment Interview Sheet, which was signed by all participants.

After each conversation with an employee, fill out the Evaluation Interview Sheet

Event 4. The personnel psychologist constantly worked with employees, trying to help them become more “open” during the assessment conversation. As a result, employees came to the interview with ready-made proposals for their development, both professional and personal, and spoke frankly about the difficulties that interfere with their work, and about their achievements and successes.

What is required from a manager during an appraisal interview?

Preparation of managers for interviews requires no less attention, including several points:

1. Collection of all documents necessary for conducting an employee assessment, including job descriptions, individual work plan of a subordinate, personal file, materials from previous assessment interviews, etc.

2. Analysis of goals, objectives and expected results, as well as the employee’s performance over the past period. Clear formulation of complaints against the subordinate (what needs to be changed in his work and behavior), finding out whether the subordinate needs help.

IMPORTANT!

An employee must come to an interview with a ready-made, clearly formulated proposal for his own development.

3. Setting a date for the assessment conversation. This is necessary so that both the manager and the subordinate being evaluated have time to prepare.

Practice shows that the most optimal time for preparation is three to five working days. If it is more, then the employee “burns out”; if it is less, he arrives unprepared.

4. Allocation of the necessary time resource for the interview, sufficient for the interlocutor to open up. However, there is no need to unduly delay the conversation, following the lead of overly sociable (usually not relevant) colleagues. Practice shows that one hour is quite enough. Also, whenever possible, all employees being assessed should be in comparable conditions with regard to the time allocated to them.

IMPORTANT!

The purpose of the question of the evaluation conversation is to obtain information, and not to express a personal or professional attitude towards the employee

5. Determining the location of the assessment activities and creating the necessary conditions (comfortable chair, ventilation, heating, etc.).

It is highly desirable that no one distracts those gathered.: turn off the phones, forward incoming calls from your work phone to the secretary. Otherwise, everything will be formal, without proper results.

And now the time for “H” has come...

Allow me, dear readers, taking into account the acquired practical knowledge, to give several recommendations for conducting assessment conversations.

At the beginning of the assessment interview, give the floor to the manager, who must Briefly formulate the main tasks and criteria for the upcoming assessment. Then invite the employee himself to evaluate his work., talk about the difficulties he encountered during the past reporting period. At this stage, it is important to listen to the employee without comment, trying to understand his logic. However, if the information provided by the assessee is not clear, ask clarifying questions. At the same time, the purpose of the questions is to obtain information, and not to express a personal or professional attitude towards the employee. This circumstance must be constantly addressed, ensuring that questions are asked in a calm, neutral manner and are aimed at supporting the employee, as well as at better understanding his condition.

Based on the information received during the interview process and the results presented (professional, personal testing, training), as well as taking into account the employee’s opinion on his further development create an assessment interview sheet. In this document, confirm bilaterally a comprehensive decision on the ways of employee development that suits both parties.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that employees must see the prospects for their development, be sure that the organization cares about them, that the company is ready to invest in their training, develop them in various jobs, and try to meet the rather stringent requirements of the company. To do this, we recommend using an individual employee development plan (example). Good luck!

EXAMPLE

Individual employee development plan

“Personnel Management”, 2007, N 21

ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW

(Practical guide for managers)

The most important step in assessing the work of subordinates is the appraisal interview. An assessment interview is an interview with the person being assessed, solving well-defined problems. When conducting it, it is necessary to obtain answers to the following questions.

What did you plan to do during the reporting period?

What was accomplished as planned?

What was not done as planned?

What prevented the planned work from being completed?

An appraisal interview with employees is also conducted to inform them of the result of the assessment of their performance. It allows a manager to review a subordinate's performance, reinforce desired behavior, point out performance deficiencies, and work with the manager to develop a plan for improvement. Regardless of whether the assessment interview with the employee was conducted by the commission or the immediate supervisor, the basic requirements for conducting this decisive stage of the assessment procedure do not change significantly. Next, the assessment interview will be considered in relation to the situation when an employee is assessed by his immediate supervisor.

The basis for planning work for the future is usually the procedure for summing up the results of the past year, during which the manager has the opportunity to assess not only the level of professional achievements of the subordinate, but also the compliance of his work behavior with established requirements. This helps workers better understand what their job demands are and what they must do to achieve the required results. On the other hand, it helps the manager to better see what can be expected from employees and what resources are needed to help them maximize their potential at work.

The success of an appraisal interview critically depends on the manager’s level of development of the necessary skills and ability to create conditions conducive to achieving the main goals of the annual appraisal during the conversation with a subordinate. A number of factors can be identified that influence the success of the assessment interview (Table 13).

Table 13

Factors influencing the success of an assessment interview

Factors Contents of factors
State of the art
from evaluators
necessary
skills - Ability to establish psychological contact
- Knowledge of active listening techniques
- Work planning and analysis
- Ability to select and use correctly
assessment methods
- Consulting and development of subordinates
Quality
preparation
for an interview
evaluators and
assessed Leader training:

Understanding the organization's goals and challenges
in front of the employee being assessed
- Knowledge of standards and performance criteria
work
- Collection of the most complete information
regarding the work results of the person being assessed
employee
- Identifying ways to get the most bang for your buck
from the employee being evaluated
Subordinate preparation:

Understanding the purpose of the job/task
- Knowledge of performance criteria and standards
work
- Knowing your strengths and weaknesses
- Understanding the relationship between work results
and prospects for your professional development
and careers
Process
implementation - Active participation of the employee being assessed
in the process of evaluation
- Constructive guidelines of the manager
and, if necessary, providing assistance
to evaluated employees
Achievement
consent
relatively
content
work - Developing an action plan to address workers
problems that reduce work efficiency
- Setting work goals for the future
- Defining the parameters of expected results
- Reaching agreement on the issues discussed
problems
Control - Setting deadlines
- Setting benchmarks
- Selection of control form
- Ensuring that what the employee receives
rewards corresponded to assessment results
- Detection of deviations

Preparation and conduct of an appraisal interview largely depend on the approaches to assessing personnel performance that have developed in a given organization.

Possible strategies for conducting an assessment interview.

The assessment interview is a key point in the annual performance assessment procedure. The structure of the assessment interview is based on the manager’s ideas about the process of managing people and ways to influence their behavior. These ideas are implemented in the structure of the interview and in the content of the questions asked. There are at least three approaches that can be used by the manager (Table 14):

force;

Convince;

Involving employees in decision making.

Table 14

Three approaches to conducting an assessment interview

Force Persuade Attraction
workers
to decision making
The goal is to force
improve work
or behavior
- Suppress
resistance - convince
employee in
necessity
changes
- Convey your
point of view,

understand the point
vision
employee
and come
to the general
consent - Wake up
from the employee
desire to
professional
growth and
personal
development
- Determine what
need to be done for
problem solution,

hindering the promotion
its effectiveness
work
Philosophy
management - Workers will
change if
will succeed
overcome them
resistance
- Employees
benefit from
critics should
be grateful
for the services rendered to them
help - If
worker
learns about his
shortcomings,

he wants
fix them
- Everyone can
achieve
improvements in
your work,

if he wants
this - Improvements
performer can
achieve if
attract him
to setting goals
and production
solutions
- Discussion
work problems
leads to improvement
work
Knowledge and
skills,

necessary
to the manager - Knowledge
mechanisms
motivation
and skill
use all
range of incentives
(both positive,

as well as negative)
- Skill
influence - Active
hearing
- Argumentation
- Maintaining
negotiations - Delegation,

attraction
workers
to joint
development of solutions
- Analysis skills
problems and
preparation
managerial
solutions
Principles
impact
for motivation
subordinates - Use
external
positive
and negative
incentives
(salary,

bonuses, conditions
labor, etc.) - Increase
readiness for
cooperation - Development
internal
motivation through
provision
greater
independence,

responsibility
and so on.

Potential
flaws
approaches - Loss of trust
from the outside
employee,

decrease in level
cooperation
and readiness
to manifestation
independence
and initiatives
- Suppression
independence
opinions - Need
in change
behavior or
in improvement
work can
not occur - For the employee
can
lack ideas
or be short of ideas
(low
activity)
- Changes may
go wrong
direction that
expected
supervisor

A manager usually has to use all three approaches during an appraisal interview, but the best results can be achieved if a collaborative environment is created during the interview, if the manager takes into account the suggestions, opinions and assessments expressed by the subordinate.

Preparing for an assessment interview

For an interview to be successful, both the interviewer and the employee being assessed must be well prepared.

The manager must schedule an interview for each employee at least two weeks in advance (the interview usually takes between half an hour and one and a half hours, depending on the position of the employee being evaluated and what duties he performs). The appraisal should be treated like a business meeting and conducted in the manager's office. All necessary measures must be taken to avoid interference that could interfere with the progress of the interview.

You should have a file (personal file) for each employee containing the results of the previous assessment (completed assessment form for last year), a job description, and this year's assessment form. Continuous monitoring throughout the year will help the evaluator get a clear picture of the employee's achievements, difficulties and possible failures. From a psychological point of view, the manager must keep in mind that the purpose of the assessment is to help improve the employee’s work efficiency, his productivity and the fuller use of his professional potential. There should be no place for emotions and subjectivism. The manager must be willing to listen and think about what the appraisee is saying and engage in dialogue with him.

The appraisee must have access to the results of the previous and current assessment, he must know exactly the goals and criteria by which his work and work behavior are assessed. He must prepare to present all the necessary facts clearly and specifically during the interview. The employee must understand that aggressive or defensive behavior is inappropriate here - the achievement of the goals of the annual performance evaluation will be facilitated by activity and readiness for constructive dialogue. These are useful guidelines for both the manager making the assessment and the employee being assessed.

Preparing the manager for the
assessment interview

Managers and specialists involved in the assessment procedure should prepare to collect and analyze information during the assessment interview. Everything should be aimed at making it clear to the manager what steps can improve the employee’s work efficiency in the future.

Note. Tips for preparing for an interview
1. Make sure the assignment objectives and expected results are clear. Make sure you know all the necessary details. Review in advance all documents that are relevant to the assessment interview that took place one year ago. Determine what you want to change in your subordinate's performance and behavior, and set a time frame for doing so. Determine how you can help your subordinate.

2. Set a day, time, and location for the interview that suits both parties. This should be done well in advance so that both you and the employee being assessed have enough time to prepare. Typically, at least two weeks are allowed for preparation. Give your subordinate written confirmation of the interview date. If an interview date has been set, try not to reschedule it.

3. Allow enough time for the interview so that it is not rushed. You should clearly plan your time and adhere to the established schedule so that there is no rush or undue delay. All employees being assessed must be treated equally with regard to the time allocated to them. Typically, half an hour to an hour is enough to conduct an interview, although it makes sense to plan time with a small margin to discuss any unexpected issues.

4. Arranging the location of the interview. The main requirements are the absence of interference and distractions, the provision of good conditions (sufficient room size, the presence of a table and comfortable chairs, good ventilation and lighting), the availability of office equipment and materials (pens, paper, etc.).

5. Development of a standard interview scenario, preparation of clear written instructions for all managers conducting the assessment, preparation of questions for the employees being assessed.

6. Determination of the list of necessary documents. When conducting an interview, you may need job descriptions and work plans of subordinates, personal files, materials from previous interviews and other documents and materials. Care should be taken in advance to ensure that the required number of forms and forms are available, taking into account the number of employees undergoing the assessment interview.

7. Filling out an evaluation form for a subordinate. If the evaluation interview is carried out as part of the annual performance assessment, then the manager is required to promptly fill out the evaluation form developed by the organization for the subordinate. If he leaves this task to the last moment, it will be difficult to avoid haste and superficial judgments.

Preparation of the employee being assessed

Among the factors influencing the success of the appraisal interview on the part of the employee are the following:

1. Employee activity. The more actively an employee participates in the assessment process, the higher his responsibility for implementing the decisions made during the assessment interview.

2. The employee’s perception of the assessment of his work as fair and reasonable. The more fair an employee considers the assessment of his work, the higher his responsibility for implementing the decisions made during the appraisal interview, the more satisfied he is with the course of the interview, the more ready he is to agree with the final assessment and the higher the likelihood that he will take real action. steps to improve the efficiency of your own work and your professional growth in the future.

3. Employee participation in setting their own work goals leads to better results than coercion or criticism from the manager.

4. The employee’s participation in discussing and solving problems that affect the results of his work increases his readiness to cooperate with the manager during the evaluation interview.

5. Understanding the benefits to the organization. The better an employee understands how his or her performance relates to achieving the goals of the entire organization, the greater the results that can be expected from the appraisal interview.

The employee being assessed must be well prepared for the interview. The employee should be informed about the date of the interview at least two weeks in advance so that he has the opportunity to prepare as best as possible. The more time they spend preparing, the more benefit they can get from the assessment interview.

Invite your subordinates to again evaluate the goals that were set for the reporting period, discuss the difficulties encountered in achieving the goals, the successes achieved, and give their suggestions and comments regarding the work performed. Some aspects of an employee’s work activity may be hidden from the manager, so sometimes an assessment of one’s own work (self-assessment) is more accurate than an assessment by superiors.

Conducting an assessment interview

At the beginning of the assessment interview, it is necessary to briefly remind the employee being assessed of the purpose of the assessment and create an environment that will enable him to feel more confident. The main objectives and evaluation criteria should also be formulated. Then the employee is asked to evaluate his work for the previous period. It should be emphasized here that in no case should you put pressure on the employee being evaluated. It is necessary to listen to the employee without comment, trying to better understand his logic. During the assessment interview, it is important that the manager or members of the certification committee proceed from the following three guidelines.

1. Setting up for support. This attitude is implemented through actions and words designed to encourage and reassure the employee.

2. Setting for clarification. If the information provided by the person being evaluated is not clear, the manager should ask questions. It is clear that the purpose of these questions is to obtain information, and not to express an attitude towards the employee or his professional achievements. Therefore, they should be asked in a neutral manner. The clarification mindset is a positive mindset and it shows the employee that the manager is interested in his opinion. But questions can also cause a defensive reaction if the tone of voice or the wording of the evaluator’s questions, instead of sincere and benevolent interest, betrays a desire to evaluate or express his negative attitude.

3. Installation of empathy. This attitude involves not only attentive listening to the person being assessed. The manager should strive to better understand the state of the person being assessed and make sure that he understands not only the rational, but also the emotional content of the information presented.

The success of an assessment interview depends decisively on both the level of training of managers (members of the certification commission) and their ability to solve problems that arise during the interview, as well as on the attitudes that they adhere to in relation to the employees being assessed.

Note. Questionnaire for managers
Assess your assessment interview planning skills. This will help you identify any gaps in this area and further improve your own effectiveness when evaluating the performance of subordinates.

Questions Yes No
Do you care about finding a calm and comfortable
location for assessment interview?
Do you strive to ensure that when assessing an employee
use as much information as possible
attitude towards his work, viewing before carrying out
interviews, job descriptions, standards, work
goals, etc.?
Do you warn your subordinates in a timely manner?
about an upcoming interview?
Do you pay attention to the fact that your subordinates
related to the assessment of one’s own work (self-assessment)
responsible and interested?
Do you make it clear to your subordinates that the main goal
assessment interview - improving their performance?
Do you make a list of things that your subordinate
does well, and do you expect to praise him for it?
Do you make a list of those things that your subordinate
is doing badly, and do you expect to discuss them with him?
Do you think about the possible reaction of a subordinate to your
comments and ways to correct its undesirable
behavior during the discussion?
Do you compile a detailed list of facts to support
your assessment?
Do you create a list of corrective actions that
plan to take action in relation to each specific
subordinate?
Do you think ahead about the approaches you are planning?
used to ensure consent
employees with your suggestions for improvement
their work?
Are you planning future steps to control those
decisions that are expected to be made during
assessment interview?

If you answered negatively to more than half of the survey questions, then you should pay attention to improving your preparation for the assessment interview.

Employee self-esteem

An appraisal interview assumes that not only the manager evaluates his subordinate, but the employee himself evaluates himself, moving through the appropriate sections of the evaluation form used in the company. As a rule, employee self-assessment concerns the following issues:

Level of achievement of goals over the past year;

Level of professional achievements over the past year;

Level of development of corporate competencies;

Level of development of the most important professional competencies;

Assessing his strengths and weaknesses in terms of the requirements for his work;

Assessing the motivational aspects of your work (factors causing satisfaction and dissatisfaction, preferences for certain types of incentives);

Assessing your training needs.

In addition, the employee is asked to prepare for the assessment interview his proposals regarding goals for the next year and benchmarks that will indicate their achievement.

An important component of self-esteem is the formulation of the employee’s basic expectations regarding the prospects of his work in the company: what career he prefers, whether he wants to grow in his position or prefers in-depth mastery of a profession, whether he wants to master another area of work or master related professions.

In some cases, the employee is asked to evaluate the leadership style of his immediate supervisor. Although this in its pure form is no longer self-esteem, it is also one of those assessments related to the performance of work that come not from the manager, but from the subordinate.

Note. Recommendations for an employee when preparing for an assessment interview
Self-assessment is a good way to prepare for and actively participate in an assessment interview that is vital to your personal development. The following preparation plan will help you make the most of your annual review interview.

Review your goals from the previous year and evaluate your level of achievement for each goal you set.

Try to look at your professional achievements, how you organize your work, what approaches you use to achieve your goals, as if from the outside.

Determine your next steps to continue your personal development.

Identify and clearly describe 3 to 6 personal goals that you want to focus on achieving in the next year; determine how you will measure their achievement.

Think through your plans for the future so that you can describe them clearly and clearly.

Evaluation by the manager

After reviewing how the employee rated himself, it is the evaluator's turn to report his rating and ask the employee if he agrees with this rating. This stage of the discussion is the most appropriate time to praise the employee for his achievements. Praise must be based on facts, otherwise there is a risk that it will be perceived as an attempt at manipulation.

Some managers believe that they should not make comments after listening to a subordinate's opinion about their work. In fact, criticism here is quite acceptable. Its goal is to show your attitude towards the employee’s achievements, his diligence, willingness to work with full dedication, etc.

Some managers, on the contrary, tend to demonstrate aggressive behavior, making the employee being evaluated feel like he is on trial or under interrogation. This is also not the best tactic. The leader's task is to be objective and constructive. It is important that the employee sees in the manager a willingness to help and the ability to fairly evaluate the successes achieved and miscalculations made in the work.

Giving and receiving feedback

An important goal of assessment interviews is to effectively give and receive feedback. This task faces both the leader and the subordinate.

The manager must make sure that the employee accepts and agrees with his assessment of the work done. It is especially important that the interview helps the assessee better understand their strengths and weaknesses and increases their readiness to make necessary changes in work and work behavior. To improve his ability to conduct an appraisal interview, it is useful for a manager to receive feedback from the employees being assessed.

The following questions may be asked:

Did you have enough time to prepare for the discussion?

During the interview, was enough time spent discussing the work you did particularly well?

Do you think your need for training and development has been sufficiently identified?

To what extent are you confident that you will succeed in achieving the goals you have set for yourself for the next year?

Has enough time been spent addressing the issues that are preventing you from doing your job well or making significant improvements in your professional performance?

Did anything become clear to you after the discussion about what you could do better in your work?

Do you have any unexpressed judgments, opinions, assessments, proposals that for one reason or another could not be discussed?

Were you able to learn something new that was useful to you by becoming familiar with how your progress at work is assessed?

Do you think the suggestions you received during the interview will improve your performance?

An appraisal interview provides an opportunity for the employee and manager to receive feedback regarding expectations related to job performance, future tasks, and the conditions necessary for effective interaction. Therefore, when preparing managers for an interview, special attention should be paid to how to provide feedback to a subordinate and how to receive it from him.

What does feedback give to a subordinate? Effective feedback helps an employee clarify a number of important aspects in his work:

How well he interacts with other people;

How well he does his job;

To what extent is the manager satisfied with his work results;

A subordinate will find it difficult to accept feedback if he perceives it as unhelpful and biased, especially if he believes that the manager treats him poorly or is nagging. Conversely, research has shown that managers who demonstrate support to their subordinates have better relationships with them and such subordinates have the highest level of motivation.

Feedback principles

In order for feedback to be as useful as possible for those for whom it is intended, it should be:

Specific;

Constructive;

Closely related to work results and work behavior;

Intelligible;

Timely.

Giving feedback is a skill that can be improved through the use of special techniques.

Set the tone for the partnership. Try to start a discussion of work in a way that encourages your subordinate and instills in him confidence in his own abilities. Praise some actions or behavior of the employee, but do it sincerely. Even if you are not happy with the outcome, emphasize that you have no doubt that his intentions were the best.

When giving feedback, focus on possible improvements in the subordinate's performance.

Don't limit feedback to just criticism for shortcomings or omissions in your work. Positive feedback is especially helpful, letting people know what they did well. If criticism is necessary, describe the actions that caused your criticism and explain the impact they had on the rest of the staff and the overall cause. Be specific: what, where, when, who.

Use active listening techniques. Paraphrase what you hear and ask questions if you don't understand something. Confirm that you heard and understood what they were saying to you: “I heard you say...”. Ask open-ended questions. For example: “How did you react?”, “What happened?”, “How can I help you?”, “Can you explain this in more detail?”, “How do you plan to end this?”. Listen carefully to each answer. Check if you are understood correctly. Be attentive to suggestions that you can use to improve your work or the work of a subordinate.

Be specific. To be constructive, feedback must be specific. Instead of talking about poor performance of certain works, indicate what specifically in the work or results does not meet the established requirements.

Separate facts from opinions. For example, if someone says that your calculations are wrong and then shows you exactly where the error crept into the calculations, that is a fact. If someone tells you: “With your attitude, it is impossible to achieve success,” this is an opinion.

Don't get personal. This is not conducive to creating an atmosphere of constructive cooperation.

Focus on behavior that can be changed. Feedback aimed at something that is difficult to change (habits, personality traits, or results that are beyond the control of the employee being evaluated) often causes a decrease in motivation to work and a deterioration in attitude towards the job and the manager.

Note. Advice to the manager
Rules for providing feedback:

Welcome the appraised employee's comments regarding your assessment of his or her performance.

Maintain a positive and constructive attitude towards cooperation. Give feedback as kindly as possible.

Try to find the right balance between negative comments and positive ratings. Discuss not only the shortcomings, comment on the positive aspects as well.

Create conditions for the employee being evaluated to accept your comments and suggestions.

Avoid unfounded generalizations (“You always...”, “You never...”, etc.). Be specific and to the point.

Do not get personal, evaluate only the deeds and behavior of the employee being evaluated.

Focus on what you can change.

If you have multiple issues to discuss, prioritize and start with the most important ones.

Don't get personal.

Speak only on your own behalf.

Don’t try to “push” your opinion at any cost.

Emphasize the importance of the discussion. Explain how your comments and suggestions will help your subordinate.

Rules for receiving feedback:

Don't make excuses.

Don't try to sort things out.

Don't return blow to blow.

Listen and remember.

Ask clarifying questions.

Us. 47 lists a number of statements made by observers during the group discussion. Successful examples reflect what people said or did during the discussion, while unsuccessful examples reflect observers' assessments.

Statement Facts Opinions
goals
Suggested leaving the solution to the problem for later
others
Solved the problem creatively

during the discussion
your thoughts
Organized the group's work very effectively
with an irritated group member
his opinion
Was silent during the discussion
group discussion
tasks

You will find the correct answers at the end of chapter. 8.

Correct answers to the task with p. 47

Statement Facts Opinions
Guided the group to achieve those standing in front of it
goals V
He suggested leaving the solution to the problem for later V
When the argument got heated, he caved in under pressure
other V
Solved the problem creatively V
Twice reported the results achieved by the group
during the discussion V
I approached the group members with a proposal to express
my thoughts V
Organized the work of group V very effectively
Showed great tact when dealing with the problem
with an irritated member of group V
I contacted Nikolai four times to find out
his opinion V
Was silent during the discussion V
Poorly planned time during the event
group discussion V
He suggested that the group start by solving the most difficult problem.
tasks V

The main purpose of feedback is to help the subordinate improve his or her performance. If other motives come to the fore, for example, the manager’s desire to demonstrate his dissatisfaction with the subordinate’s work, feedback may not only not give the expected results, but also lead to a deterioration in the relationship, a decrease in the subordinate’s willingness to cooperate with the manager, and a decrease in his job satisfaction.

Feedback often suggests subsequent changes. Change can be difficult for a variety of reasons. An employee may not see a particular need for changes (for example, “I’m already very responsible”) and have low motivation to abandon the usual approaches to work; the change may require too much effort, the task may be beyond the employee's competence, or the manager, instead of indicating what needs to be changed in the subordinate's work, indicates the need for a change in his personality or character.

Unfortunately, during formal appraisal interviews, the employee may not fully understand why the manager invited him and what the main point of the conversation was.

How can you ensure the effectiveness of providing feedback if the person to whom it is addressed is uncommunicative and difficult to communicate during an interview? It is worth considering your behavior in this situation in advance. Think about how you can let the employee know that you expect his reaction to your words, his assessment and a very specific answer. Maybe it will be the use of long pauses in speech, maybe it’s worth asking open-ended questions more often (“Tell about...”, “Explain how it could happen that...”, “Why...”), which require a detailed answer. Knowing the person will make it easier for you to prepare for a conversation with him.

Note. Employees' attitude towards evaluation: survey results
One Western company, which prides itself on its good organization of personnel evaluation, conducted a survey among its employees to determine their attitude towards the evaluation process. More than 90% of workers surveyed approved of the idea of evaluation because they would like to know management’s attitude towards their work. Of these, 40% said that no one had ever informed them about the results of assessment procedures, although there were records in the employees’ personal files that indicated that they had undergone an assessment procedure (assessment interviews), and some even several times. Thus, after the assessment, the administration was content to receive information about the performance of its employees, without paying attention to communicating the results of the assessment to the staff.

Listening skills

The manager’s questions during the interview are designed to establish not only the true level of the employee’s performance, but also to identify factors that negatively affect his work. However, one should not overestimate an employee’s ability to analyze the factors that determine the effectiveness of his work. Quite often these factors may not be fully realized. Therefore, the ability to listen presupposes the ability to identify, even by minor details, individual strokes, the presence of serious problems that affect the employee’s work. This will help formulate certain assumptions that can be tested during the interview.

To maintain yourself in a state of maximum readiness for constructive analysis of information received from an employee, you should tune in accordingly. Here again we should recall the previously mentioned settings that contribute to the creation of such a mood:

(1) support mindset;

(2) orientation to clarification;

(3) an attitude of empathy.

An assessment interview requires from a manager not just the ability to listen, but the ability to listen actively.

During the report of the employee being evaluated, the manager can use the following active listening techniques:

Listen and ask questions to clarify your understanding of what you hear;

Show how what is heard is understood to avoid misunderstandings or misinterpretations;

Use questions and pauses to give the subordinate an opportunity to speak;

From time to time, summarize what has been said;

Point out issues to the subordinate that require further explanation or clarification;

Encourage employees to talk about their most significant achievements;

To more accurately understand the employee’s attitude to the issues under discussion, carefully monitor those manifestations of nonverbal behavior (posture, facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, etc.) that accompany the subordinate’s answers to the manager’s questions.

The ability not only to listen carefully during an assessment interview, but also to “fish out” such information, such details that can be used to best solve the main tasks of the assessment interview, is a skill that needs to be trained. It is difficult to expect that this skill will develop on its own.

Completing the assessment interview

This is the most important stage of the assessment interview. Regardless of whether the employee’s work was rated highly or poorly, at the final stage a number of tasks must be resolved, without paying attention to which the positive effect of the entire interview can be significantly reduced. At this stage, the assessments given earlier are summed up, and the goals and priorities for the coming year are once again spelled out.

At the end of the interview, it is important for the manager to pay special attention to the constructiveness of the criticism. The subordinate must clearly understand not only that he did something below the established requirements, but also how to correct the mistakes made in the coming year.

It is especially important to pay attention to the motivation of the employee. After completing the interview, will he be eager to improve and reach new professional heights or will he leave depressed with the thought of having to look for a new job? You should end the interview on a positive note so that the subordinate leaves the manager with a good attitude towards work. At the end, you should once again repeat those goals that must be achieved in the future. In addition, it is necessary to determine the date when the interim results of the work planned during the interview will be summed up.

Planning for the future

Once the assessment is completed and a decision has been made regarding what and how to improve the employee's performance and work behavior, it is time to look to the future. A discussion begins of plans for the coming year, prospects for promoting an employee within the company or consolidating the successes achieved. In the worst-case scenario, the manager may decide to end the relationship and consider firing the subordinate. Of course, this is a difficult moment for both sides.

If there is a positive assessment of the employee’s work over the past year, the natural conclusion of the appraisal interview will be the manager’s proposal that the subordinate express his career expectations. Here you should be careful and only make realistic promises that can be kept. The company's career and compensation policies should be taken into account.

If an employee is offered a promotion and he refuses it, then in this case there is no need to force him. Rather, the manager should clarify the reasons why the employee is rejecting the offer and give him some time to think.

Note. Experience of the best Western companies

IBM Assessment Interview System

At least once a year, company managers are required to conduct a formal appraisal interview with each of their subordinates. The main purpose of the assessment system is to monitor individual performance, but the interview is also used to determine the direction of the employee’s work for the next year and his needs for further education. The main element of the assessment system is the assessment of the employee’s performance in terms of achieving the goals set for him during previous interviews. This explains why managers usually spend at least half of their working day talking with each employee and during such conversations they are strictly forbidden to distract them.

The performance of each employee is assessed on a scale from 5 to 1, where one is the highest rating. As a rule, managers avoid rating the same person two years in a row because the current system assumes that such an employee should be promoted immediately, and management does not like to take on such obligations within the framework of the evaluation system. Most employees fall into the group with ratings of 2 and 3. Although theoretically, on a scale of 5 to 1, a rating of 3 is average and, therefore, logically what most employees should receive, many managers are lenient, and in practice the average rating ends up somewhere then in the middle between 2 and 3. However, in the 80s. IBM management began to approach personnel evaluation more strictly and secretly punish overly generous managers.

Those who do not cope with their work receive a rating of 5 (unsatisfactory), although such cases are extremely rare. The further procedure in relation to such an employee is quite complicated. The manager should very clearly define short-term goals for him and evaluate him at least two more times with the involvement of the HR department. Only if the results are again negative can the employee be dismissed. The complexity of the procedure preceding dismissal, combined with the severity of the initial selection of employees, as well as the variety of areas of application of forces that give the employee the opportunity for self-realization, leads to the fact that only a few have to part with. Most often, a careless employee is simply sent into some kind of exile, although the IBM management regularly issues circulars demanding that such employees be decisively gotten rid of, and not shoved into other departments, shifting the solution to the problem to other managers.

There are two main reasons why assessments take so long to complete. The first is that the manager is required to obtain the consent of the subordinate, i.e. a signature on a document that evaluates the latter’s work for the previous year and sets goals for the next year. Clearly, both can be controversial. The second reason is that an employee’s salary in the coming year directly depends on how he copes with the tasks of this year, and everyone knows this very well. Negotiations regarding assignments can therefore last quite a long time. In general, it must be said that an interview is a very difficult procedure for both managers and subordinates.

One might get the impression that assessment interviews in the form in which they are conducted at IBM are an extremely unpleasant thing, because, in essence, we are talking about an assessment of a person, and an assessment recorded in an official document. The reality is that leaders of any organization constantly evaluate their subordinates. This is the main and most essential element of their work. However, in other organizations, such an assessment is usually informal and subjective in nature and equally depends on both the actual performance of the person being assessed and the mood of the management. At IBM, the assessment process is open and systemic. The employee is guaranteed a fair (as far as humanly possible) assessment of his work. No manager can give his subordinate a clearly unfair assessment, as long as he must obtain the consent of two more people - his immediate manager and the subordinate himself. All this explains why the evaluation system is the primary concern of managers and, at the same time, the core on which the entire management and control structure at IBM rests.

Improving the skills of conducting
assessment interview

The use of informal control over the work of subordinates and feedback regarding the degree of compliance of their work with established requirements before the interview. This allows you to avoid unpleasant surprises during the assessment interview.

Maximum involvement of the assessees themselves in the assessment. When assessing employees, the manager, on the one hand, relies on the employee’s self-assessment (the employee’s assessment of the results of his work), and on the other hand, encourages him to analyze his omissions, discuss their causes and propose solutions to eliminate identified shortcomings in work.

Criticism of a subordinate's actions should be constructive (that is, not limited to pointing out what is bad, but considering opportunities for improvement).

To conduct an effective appraisal interview, managers must have a wide range of knowledge and skills necessary to successfully complete the following tasks.

1. Preparing an interview plan, questions for subordinates and monitoring the progress of the interview. Preliminary preparation of an interview plan, a clear formulation of its goals, monitoring the implementation of assigned tasks (as opposed to unpreparedness, when the interview takes place without a clear plan or when a subordinate is given the opportunity to dominate during its conduct).

2. Establishing and maintaining psychological contact. Establishing and maintaining a favorable psychological climate from the very beginning of the interview, conducting the conversation in a friendly manner, showing attention to the problems of the subordinate (as opposed to establishing a climate of mistrust, alienation or excessive familiarity and familiarity, ignoring the problems of the subordinate). Conducting interviews in this manner helps create an atmosphere of cooperation and increases the willingness of subordinates to take initiative and responsibility.

3. Reaction to a tense situation. Calmness and goodwill even when a subordinate provokes a conflict, a willingness to apologize in case of one’s own wrong, without giving up one’s position, the ability to defend one’s point of view in a situation of attacks or other negative reactions from a subordinate (as opposed to an inadequate reaction to emotionally intense situations , irritation or defensiveness in response to claims or accusations from a subordinate and excessive softness and compliance in a clash of opinions).

4. Conflict management. Effectively resolving conflicts of any kind between a subordinate and other employees (the role of a mediator), setting realistic work goals for subordinates that prevent work conflict, offering help and advice that will be able to prevent a conflict situation from arising (as opposed to being too rude or preachy when discussing the emergence of conflicts, the inability to provide assistance or the proposal of such solutions that increase confrontation and deepen the conflict of the subordinate with other employees, setting goals that deliberately provoke conflicts between subordinates).

5. Obtaining the necessary information. The ability to separate the essential from the unimportant, the ability to isolate reliable information, the ability to collect information on all key issues (as opposed to being too stuck on individual problems and details, asking questions that are not relevant, the inability to separate facts from opinions, the inability to consider a problem from the point of view of a subordinate ).

6. Motivation of employees. Choosing effective means of influencing the motivation of employees, improving their attitude towards the organization and encouraging them to conscientiously perform the assigned work; incentives to work with full dedication at the level of the highest standards of productivity and quality (as opposed to the failure to offer the evaluated employee such incentives that will increase his satisfaction with work in the organization or force him to work with full dedication in the interests of the organization, lack of support for the efforts of employees aimed at achieving more high performance in their work).

7. Employee development. Assisting the employee in his professional development, showing interest in his professional growth; identifying the development needs of the subordinate and proposing specific measures that can have a positive impact on the level of his professional achievements (as opposed to refusing assistance to the subordinate in matters of professional development, lack of interest in his professional growth, inability to make suggestions for the employee’s professional development, or useless advice that does not take into account its real capabilities).

Assessment skills +/-
Organizing an interview
Establishing psychological contact with the person being assessed
employee
Planning time for the assessment interview
Encouraging a subordinate
Generalization, summing up
Openly expressing your attitude towards the employee and his
work
Active listening
Providing feedback
Praise
Ability to gather information using open-ended questions
Identifying Key Information
Identification of problems that interfere with work and negatively affect
on the final results
Determining the employee's need for additional training
Considering ways to solve problems that interfere with work
subordinate
Establishing standards and job requirements
Development of the potential of subordinates
Setting goals and defining criteria that indicate
about their achievement
Drawing up an action plan

Completing this questionnaire will not only allow you to better see what skills are required to successfully conduct an assessment interview, but will also give you the opportunity to understand where there are problems and shortcomings, in which areas you need to improve yourself in order to improve your effectiveness in this area.

Conducting an annual assessment of personnel performance, regardless of which model it is carried out on, requires a very significant investment of time from employees and managers at various levels. Therefore, a formal assessment, when not only the goals are not clearly defined, but also does not result in any specific actions that could improve the performance of certain categories of personnel and the organization as a whole, is an unaffordable luxury. The demand for the results of evaluation procedures, the readiness of not only the personnel service, but also top management to make specific decisions based on their results are necessary conditions for the effectiveness of this work.

(Continued in “Personnel Management”, 2007, No. 22)

One of the main difficulties when conducting an appraisal interview is that the appraiser is forced to simultaneously act as both a judge and a consultant in relation to the employees being assessed. At the same time, managers conducting appraisal interviews often try to avoid negative assessments in order to maintain good relations with subordinates. You can improve the appraisal interview process by using the following techniques: - Using informal monitoring of subordinates' work and feedback regarding the degree to which their work meets established requirements before the interview. This allows you to avoid unpleasant surprises during the assessment interview. - Maximum involvement of the assessees themselves in the assessment. When assessing employees, the manager, on the one hand, relies on the employee’s self-assessment (the employee’s assessment of the results of his work), and on the other hand, encourages him to analyze his omissions, discuss their causes and propose solutions to eliminate identified shortcomings in work.

Criticism of a subordinate's actions should be constructive (that is, not limited to pointing out what is bad, but considering opportunities for improvement).
To conduct an effective appraisal interview, managers must have a wide range of knowledge and skills necessary to successfully complete the following tasks. 1. Preparing an interview plan, questions for subordinates and monitoring the progress of the interview. Preliminary preparation of an interview plan, a clear formulation of its goals, monitoring the implementation of assigned tasks (as opposed to unpreparedness, when the interview takes place without a clear plan or when a subordinate is given the opportunity to dominate during its conduct). 2. Establishing and maintaining psychological contact. Establishing and maintaining a favorable psychological climate from the very beginning of the interview, conducting the conversation in a friendly manner, showing attention to the problems of the subordinate (as opposed to establishing a climate of mistrust, alienation or excessive familiarity and familiarity, ignoring the problems of the subordinate). Conducting interviews in this manner helps create an atmosphere of cooperation and increases the willingness of subordinates to take initiative and responsibility. 3. Reaction to a tense situation. Calmness and goodwill even when a subordinate provokes a conflict, a willingness to apologize in case of one’s own wrong, without giving up one’s position, the ability to defend one’s point of view in a situation of attacks or other negative reactions from a subordinate (as opposed to an inadequate reaction to emotionally intense situations , irritation or defensiveness in response to claims or accusations from a subordinate and excessive softness and compliance in a clash of opinions). 4. Conflict management. Effectively resolving conflicts of any kind between a subordinate and other employees (the role of a mediator), setting realistic work goals for subordinates that prevent work conflict, offering help and advice that will be able to prevent a conflict situation from arising (as opposed to being too rude or preachy when discussing the emergence of conflicts, the inability to provide assistance or the proposal of such solutions that increase confrontation and deepen the conflict of the subordinate with other employees, setting goals that deliberately provoke conflicts between subordinates). 5. Obtaining the necessary information. The ability to separate the essential from the unimportant, the ability to isolate reliable information, the ability to collect information on all key issues (as opposed to being too stuck on individual problems and details, asking questions that are not relevant, the inability to separate facts from opinions, the inability to consider a problem from the point of view of a subordinate ). 6. Motivation of employees. Choosing effective means of influencing the motivation of employees, improving their attitude towards the organization and encouraging them to conscientiously perform the assigned work; incentives to work with full dedication at the level of the highest standards of productivity and quality (as opposed to the failure to offer the evaluated employee such incentives that will increase his satisfaction with work in the organization or force him to work with full dedication in the interests of the organization, lack of support for the efforts of employees aimed at achieving more high performance in their work). 7. Employee development. Assisting the employee in his professional development, showing interest in his professional growth; identifying the development needs of the subordinate and proposing specific measures that can have a positive impact on the level of his professional achievements (as opposed to refusing assistance to the subordinate in matters of professional development, lack of interest in his professional growth, inability to make suggestions for the employee’s professional development, or useless advice that does not take into account its real capabilities).

21. Rules for certification. The procedure for conducting certification is regulated by the current Regulations on Certification of Employees in the organization, which is adopted by the employer. This regulatory document provides the following points that you should pay attention to when conducting certification: category of employees who are subject to certification; the procedure in accordance with which the certification commission is formed; frequency of this event; what is the procedure for making decisions of the current certification commission, as well as the types of these decisions. In accordance with Article 68 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, employees must be familiar with the current Regulations on Certification. The employer independently determines the circle of employees who are subject to certification. At the same time, those professions that do not require special training and specific knowledge are not subject to certification, for example, watchman, cleaner, etc. Moreover, those employees who have worked in this position for less than one year may be exempt from certification. By order of the head of the organization, a certification commission is appointed. All employees who will be certified are notified about the upcoming certification. Based on the results of certification, final documents are drawn up, for example, protocols, conclusions, etc. The final document is created separately for each certified employee, it is endorsed by the members of the certification commission and the employee. The results of the certification may be challenged in court.

22. Stages of certification. Preliminary stage- Preparation of the certification implementation project. Justification and presentation for management of the certification project. Stage of formalization of methods, standards, rules- Development of relevant documents, adoption of organizational decisions by the company management. A competent approach to documenting the certification procedure for the first time allows you to use the created developments in subsequent certifications.
It is recommended to develop a “Regulation on Personnel Certification” - a single internal corporate regulatory document. It establishes uniform requirements for the frequency, procedure, and methodology for conducting certification of all personnel, as well as for the content, procedure for developing, and approving certification methods. Formalizing the procedure in a document forces you to specify and take into account all the rules, delve into formal details, and write down all possible questions and details of the procedure. This allows you to make the procedure transparent and understandable from the technical side. Trial certification- to test the proposed procedure, a pilot certification project is launched in the personnel management department, all stages of the methodology being implemented at the enterprise are checked and finalized. Preparatory stage- Before each certification procedure planned in advance, employees of the personnel management department carry out preparatory consulting work. Those being certified 2 weeks before the certification are informed of the certification criteria, questions for the exam, have explanatory conversations, and are advised on what and how to do. Carrying out certification- Certification activities carried out in accordance with developed methods and rules. Summing up the certification results- Making management decisions, discussing the results of certification in the team, assessing the required period for subsequent certifications.

23. Certification problems.Errors during personnel certification. The main mistake can be made at the initial stage. Usually this is the choice of the purpose of certification. If the purpose of certification is to reduce personnel or to get rid of unwanted employees, then in this case many of the advantages that personnel certification can provide are lost. Also, low information support during personnel certification can negatively affect the psychological climate of the team, especially if certification is carried out for the first time. Therefore, it is necessary to explain in detail to senior managers what information they will receive after personnel certification, how to use it and how to solve the required tasks with its help. Company employees should be warned several months in advance about the certification so that they can prepare for this event.

24. Methods of certification. There are many different certification methods, but in practice they mainly represent different variations of the following methods: - Ranking, which requires placing subordinates in order depending on their merits (achievements), and, as a rule, according to their real ability to perform the job , although sometimes the ranking is based on several selected characteristics. - Classification in which employees are divided into several predetermined categories of achievements (merits) based on the overall performance of the employees. As a rule, there are five of these categories. - The rating scale is the most commonly used certification method. It is based on a list of personal characteristics or factors, against each of which a scale consisting, as a rule, of five points is placed, and the manager (supervisor) notes on the scale to what extent a particular factor or characteristic is inherent in the employee. - The open assessment method is a relatively recent innovation, which was introduced due to the unsatisfactory design of the rating scale. Instead of forcing a manager to evaluate a range of personal characteristics that may not necessarily be appropriate for performance appraisals, the new method focuses on the nature of the job being performed, requiring the manager to speak only a few sentences about the employee being assessed instead of checking boxes in columns.

The success of an assessment interview critically depends on both the level of training of managers and their ability to solve the problems that arise during the interview.

An evaluation interview involves the subordinate's assessment of the results of his work and his achievements during the reporting period. The manager’s questions during the interview are designed to establish not only the true level of the employee’s performance, but also to identify factors that negatively affect his work. After reviewing the results of work for the reporting period, you can move on to setting new goals and defining plans for the future. An assessment interview requires from a manager not just the ability to listen, but the ability to listen actively.

During the report of the employee being evaluated, the manager can use the following active listening techniques;

Listen and ask questions to clarify your understanding of what you hear;

Show how what is heard is understood to avoid misunderstandings or misinterpretations;

Use questions and pauses to give the subordinate an opportunity to speak;

From time to time, summarize what has been said;

Point out issues to the subordinate that require further explanation or clarification;

Encourage employees to talk about their most significant achievements;

You should strive to end the interview on a positive note so that the subordinate leaves the manager with a good attitude towards work. Finally, specific goals to be achieved in the future should be clearly formulated. In addition, it is necessary to determine the date when the results of the work done will be summed up next.

One of the main difficulties when conducting an appraisal interview is that the Appraiser is forced to simultaneously act as both a judge and a consultant in relation to the employees being assessed. At the same time, managers conducting appraisal interviews often seek to avoid negative assessments in order to maintain good relations with subordinates. You can improve the assessment interview process by using the following techniques:

Regular informal monitoring and feedback prior to the interview to avoid unpleasant surprises during the assessment interview itself.

Maximum involvement of the assessees themselves in the assessment. When evaluating employees, the manager, on the one hand, relies on the employee’s self-esteem (the employee’s assessment of the results of his work), and on the other, encourages the employee to analyze his omissions, discuss their causes and propose solutions.

Criticism of a subordinate's actions should be constructive (that is, not limited to pointing out what is bad, but considering opportunities for improvement).

To conduct an effective appraisal interview, managers must have a wide range of knowledge and skills necessary to successfully complete the following tasks:

1. Preparing an interview plan, questions for subordinates and monitoring progress interviews. Preliminary preparation of an interview plan, a clear formulation of its goals, monitoring the implementation of assigned tasks (as opposed to unpreparedness, when the interview takes place without a clear plan or when a subordinate is given the opportunity to dominate during its conduct).

2. Establishing and maintaining psychological contact. Establishing and maintaining a favorable psychological climate from the very beginning of the interview, conducting the conversation in a friendly manner, showing attention to the problems of the subordinate (as opposed to establishing a climate of mistrust, alienation or excessive familiarity and familiarity, ignoring the problems of the subordinate). Conducting interviews in this manner helps create an atmosphere of cooperation and increases the willingness of subordinates to take initiative and responsibility.

3. Reaction to a tense situation. Calmness and goodwill even when a subordinate provokes a conflict, a willingness to apologize in case of one’s own wrong, without giving up one’s position, the ability to defend one’s point of view in a situation of attacks or other negative reactions from a subordinate (as opposed to an inadequate reaction to emotionally intense situations , irritation or defensive position in response to claims or accusations from a subordinate and excessive softness and compliance in a clash of opinions).

4. Conflict management. Effectively resolving conflicts of any kind between a subordinate and other employees (the role of a mediator), setting realistic work goals for subordinates that prevent work conflict, assistance and advice that can prevent a conflict situation from arising (as opposed to being too harsh or preachy in discussions that inspire conflicts, failure to provide assistance or proposing solutions that increase confrontation and deepen the conflict of the subordinate with other employees, setting goals that deliberately provoke conflicts between subordinates).

5. Obtaining the necessary information. The ability to separate the essential from the unimportant, the ability to isolate reliable information, the ability to collect information on all key issues (as opposed to being too stuck on individual problems and details, asking questions that are not relevant, the inability to separate facts from opinions, the inability to consider a problem from the point of view of a subordinate ).

6. Employee motivation. Choosing effective means of influencing the motivation of employees, improving their attitude towards the organization and encouraging them to conscientiously perform the assigned work; incentives to work at their full potential to maintain staff performance at the highest standards of productivity and quality (as opposed to failing to offer evaluated employees incentives that will increase their job satisfaction in the organization or force them to work at their full potential in the interests of the organization; lack of support for employee efforts aimed at achieving higher performance in their work).

7. Employee development. Assisting the employee in his professional development, showing interest in his professional growth; identifying the development needs of the subordinate and proposing specific measures that can have a positive impact on the level of his professional achievements (as opposed to refusing the subordinate assistance in matters of professional development, lack of interest in his professional growth, inability to make suggestions for the employee’s professional development, or useless advice that does not take into account its real capabilities).

Without claiming the absolute truth, however, having some practical experience in setting up a system of evaluative conversations, I would like to share it with readers.

So, the company PromPlastTorg LLC is a medium-sized industrial enterprise with well-built procedures for personnel assessment and development. The company conducts personnel certification every three years, operates a system of continuous on-the-job training (mentoring), conducts ongoing training in third-party organizations, carries out psychological testing that reveals the pace of development of necessary personal qualities, periodically reviews the personnel reserve for the enterprise, etc.

And everything seems fine, if not for one “but”. There was no single system that would connect all the above procedures into a single complex. It turned out like this: a person was taught, but in the wrong way; they were promoted to a position, but the person could not cope, was not prepared professionally, or his personal qualities let him down. There was still no feedback at all, i.e. the opinions and wishes of employees were not taken into account. This led to the fact that someone was satisfied with their place of work and did not strive for more, and based on the totality of their assessed professional and personal qualities, they were “moved” forward. Or another example: one workshop manager wanted to work in another production workshop, master another production, but instead he was promoted to a higher position. The result, unfortunately, was disastrous: in the examples given, qualified personnel quit. The first one found a quieter job, and the second one found a job he liked, but with competitors.

That is, a seemingly well-functioning personnel management system gave periodic failures. The staff was dissatisfied, certain fears began to appear in front of all sorts of existing systems of personal and professional testing, as a result of which they tried to raise someone, without asking his desire, almost “to heaven,” and someone with high potential, but not yet reaching, on the contrary, “ "were lowered below the plinth."

As a way out of the current negative situation, it was proposed to introduce a system of quarterly evaluation conversations, which would allow us to establish feedback with employees, listen to their desires and moods, outline a plan for their development that is primarily of interest to the employee himself, comprehensively assess the pace of his development, etc.

The assessment conversations were aimed at resolving the following issues:

Evaluate the completion of tasks that were planned for the past quarter;
- determine the reasons (depending and independent of the employee) of non-fulfillment or poor performance of these tasks;
- evaluate the work performed and develop a joint plan for improving work efficiency;
- set tasks to be completed for the next reporting period;
- determine the direction of the employee’s further development: hear the employee’s wishes regarding his own development, link them with the needs of the enterprise, develop a training plan (external or internal).

Everything seemed simple. We started by having managers conduct these conversations on their own. And as one would expect, formally, as usual, according to the well-known scheme:
1. Called;
2. From the very beginning he reprimanded (gave an assessment of the completion of tasks);
3. “You don’t know how to work, you slacker!” (identified reasons for failure to complete tasks);
4. “Go and work!” (set tasks to be completed for the next reporting period);
5. “Yes, I’ll fire you (option: I’ll deprive you of your bonus)!” (determined directions for further development of the employee)
6. With a feeling of accomplishment and self-esteem, I said to myself in high spirits: “I’m doing great.”

The result is even more deplorable. People have simply become afraid of additional quarterly executions. There was no talk of any frankness on the part of the employee, a joint plan of action, development, or any talk. Another option: the calmly indifferent position of the interviewer according to the principle “Well, they ordered a conversation, I conducted it...” also did not bring anything useful.

Then it was decided to conduct assessment interviews on a commission basis with the involvement of a large number of management specialists. Imagine: an ordinary economist comes in, who had previously only seen the vice president of the company on TV, sits down with shaking knees and in a trembling voice begins to talk about the reasons for the failure to meet the budget. Firstly, a frank, open conversation aimed at clarifying the employee’s development paths will not work here, and secondly, the real reasons (not formal, given in reports) for non-fulfillment of the budget can be of great interest to the vice president, and the evaluation conversation automatically turns into a tough certification according to the first scenario (see above) of the head of the economic service. Which also takes us away from the topic of conducting an effective assessment interview. In this case, as you already understand, the result is also negative. Thus, through trial and error, the company came to understand what not to do. But how should you do it?

Firstly, we conducted training (both group and personal) for all of our managers, the purpose of which was to convey to each boss the goals of conducting assessment conversations, to draw a clear line in their minds between a “call on the carpet” and an assessment interview, we indicated that that communication with an employee should generally take place on a friendly, open basis. Preferably not on Friday evening, when everyone is tired (both the manager and the employee).

Secondly, they stopped creating evaluation commissions in an expanded form. It was agreed that there should be three interview participants: the employee, his immediate supervisor and an HR specialist, whose functions included preventing the dialogue-interview from turning into a boss’s monologue (in any negative or positive form). After all, it is very important to hear the employee’s opinion, even if it is not positive.

Thirdly, the conversation was carried out according to clearly defined rules, otherwise it turned out: we sat, chatted and went our separate ways - there was no point. After each conversation, an Evaluation Interview Sheet was filled out and signed by all participants. It reflected the results of assessing the employee’s performance for the past period, noted the reasons for failures or successes in completing tasks, formed a work plan for the next period, and the stages of subsequent development of the employee based, most importantly, on a comprehensive assessment of his personal and professional qualities. For example, as a result of such a conversation, one ordinary executive was “transferred” from auxiliary work to managing a key project. At the same time, the interview participants, who assessed primarily the pace of development of the employee as a leader and professional, considered him worthy. The employee’s opinion was extremely positive - he was eager for this position. This decision was approved by a senior manager, and the issue was resolved.

Fourthly, but not least, the HR psychologist constantly worked with the team to increase the employee’s openness during the assessment conversation. So that an employee comes to an interview with a ready-made, clearly formulated plan for his own development and openly sets it out, speaking directly about the difficulties that interfere with his work and about achievements and successes that are not his merit, but a consequence of a positive combination of circumstances.

In particular, when preparing for the conversation, the attention of the employee being assessed was drawn to:
- analysis by the employee of the fulfillment of previously set goals with a clear formation of an opinion as to why they were or were not achieved;
- the need to form an opinion, which prevents you from working more effectively;
- the need for a critical look at one’s strengths and weaknesses, professional and personal competence;
- the need to clearly formulate what further steps in development you want to take and what you need to get from the employer for this, how your preferences fit in with the needs of the company, its stage of development;
- the need to clearly formulate 3-6 personal goals on which you want to concentrate in the next period, determine the criteria for assessing their achievement. It should sound something like this: “In the next quarter, I want to lead a project on “....”, for this I need to independently study existing production technologies, undergo training at a third-party company LLC “...” in the “Project Manager” course, and go to exchange experience at JSC "...".

No less attention was paid to preparing managers for interviews. In particular, emphasis was placed on:
- clarity of goals, objectives and expected results. Before the interview began, the supervisor was required to review all necessary documents that were relevant to the assessment interview that took place in the previous interview. Clearly define and formulate what he wants to change in the subordinate’s work, in his behavior, set a time frame and what the subordinate will need help with.
- clearly establishing the day, time and place of the assessment conversation. This is necessary so that both the manager and the evaluated subordinate have time to prepare. The practice of our company shows that the most optimal time is 3-5 days. If it’s more, the employee “burns out”; if it’s less, he arrives unprepared. Try not to reschedule the appointed time and date. A conversation conducted suddenly, at an unplanned time (even if the employee was warned in advance) will be useless. It looks something like this: a surprised, heated, disconnected employee “from the machine” comes running, his thoughts are scattered, his gaze is foggy, he doesn’t want anything specific, he’s not in the mood for discussion. Nobody needs this approach.
- Allocating sufficient time for the interview. There is nothing worse when an employee, in a fit of sudden frankness, is interrupted by a planned meeting. However, there is no need to unduly prolong the conversation, following the lead of overly sociable (usually irrelevant) colleagues. Also, whenever possible, all employees being assessed should be in comparable conditions with regard to the time allocated to them. Again, the practice of our company shows that the allocated hour is quite sufficient.
- determining the location of the assessment conversation. In this case, special attention should be paid to good conditions (comfortable chair, ventilation or, conversely, heating, etc.). There is nothing funnier and sadder, from an HR point of view, than trying to bring an employee sitting in the middle of the room on an iron chair, with the sunlight blinding his eyes, into a frank, constructive dialogue. It is extremely desirable that no one can distract those gathered: turn off cell phones, forward incoming calls from the work phone to the secretary, say that the meeting is not to be disturbed. Otherwise, everything will be formal, without proper results. For example, in our case, an informal atmosphere was offered: comfortable soft chairs, the absence of a standard “manager-subordinate” table, tea, coffee, cookies.
- preliminary collection of all documents necessary for the employee assessment. It is necessary to prepare: a job description, an individual work plan for a subordinate, a personal file, materials from previous assessment conversations, etc.
- mandatory completion of the evaluation form immediately after the interview.

At the beginning of the assessment interview, the floor was given to the manager, who should briefly formulate the main tasks and criteria for the upcoming assessment. Then the employee was asked to evaluate his work himself and talk about the difficulties he encountered during the past reporting period. At this stage, it is important to listen to the employee without comment, trying to understand his logic. However, if the information provided by the assessee is not clear, participants ask clarifying questions. Otherwise, you may find yourself in an unfavorable light when they “hang noodles on your ears.” At the same time, the purpose of the questions is to obtain information, and not to express a personal or professional attitude towards the employee. This circumstance must be constantly combated so that questions are asked in a calm, neutral manner and are aimed at supporting the employee, as well as at better understanding his emotional and professional state.

As a result, based on the information obtained during the interview process, the presented results of professional and personal testing, the training provided and the employee’s opinion on his further development, an Evaluation Interview Sheet was formed. This document confirmed bilaterally a comprehensive decision on the employee’s development path that satisfied both parties. Of course, things didn't always go smoothly. There were situations when a highly potential employee, eager for a higher position, received a temporary refusal due to the lack of a vacancy, or an obviously unready candidate applied for a higher position. It happened that I had to part with such people.

However, speaking in general, there were much more positive aspects. The employees saw the prospects for their development, saw that the organization was not indifferent to them, that the company was ready to invest in them for training, develop them in various jobs, they tried to meet the rather strict requirements of the company. At the same time, upon learning that their development option did not meet the organization’s requirements, few quit; on the contrary, in each such case several alternative options were offered. For example, a leading specialist in budgeting, applying for the position of head of the budgeting department, was offered to become a leading specialist in the business planning department with the prospect (in case of successful further work) of becoming a deputy head of the economic department (a step higher than the position for which he was currently applying time).

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IMPORTANT!

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EXAMPLE

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