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Submitted to: Prof. Chaitanya Dasika

 PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL FEEDBACK AND PERFORMANCE
COUNSELING:
In a performance management system, feedback remains integral to successful practice. The
feedback, however, is a discussion. Both the staff person and his manager have an equivalent
opportunity to bring information to the dialogue. Feedback is often obtained from peers, direct
reporting staff, and customers to enhance mutual understanding of an individual’s contribution
and developmental needs. The developmental plan establishes the organization’s commitment to
help each person continue to expand his knowledge and skills. This is the foundation upon which
a continuously improving organization builds.

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The objective of performance feedback is to analyse the performance and not the personality of
the employee. It is done to reinforce strengths and overcome weaknesses of the employee, work
on the areas of improvement and decide upon a mutually acceptable action plan.
Procedure of Appraisal Feedback:

Rapport building phase

Exploratory phase

Action planning phase

Feedback again

Pre- requisites of successful feedback system:

1. Clarify the time span and area of discussion

2. Both parties should be open to discussion
3. Take feedback in positive spirits and not as criticism
4. Quote examples but do not compare with other employees
5. Discussion should not be personal
6. Support the discussion with documents and verification
7. Descriptive and not evaluative
8. Data based and specific and not impressionistic
9. Reinforces positive new behavior
10. Suggestive and not prescriptive
11. Need-based and solicited
12. Intended to help
13. Satisfies needs of both the feedback given and one who receives feedback.
14. Checked and verified
 EXAMPLES OF APPRAISAL FEEDBACK & ITS IMPACT ACROSS
CORPORATES:

1. Bank of America:

Both Appraiser and Appraisee discuss the subordinate's strengths and suggested
performance improvements. The employee signs and dates the evaluation form and may
write comments on the back. Subordinates who disagree with their evaluations may
appeal to the Personnel Relations Department .

2. Pepsico

Performance review focuses on what a manager actually did during the year to make a
big difference in the business; on whether, for example, the manager's sales target was
achieved or a successful new product commercial was developed. The emphasis is on
outcomes; on results, not personality traits, personal appearance or other subjective
factors .

3. Xerox Corporation's Reprographic Business Group

Had a performance appraisal system that included annual appraisals, during which
employees documented their accomplishments, and managers assigned a numerical
overall rating ranging from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) that determined merit pay increases.
Surveys of employees and managers revealed extreme dissatisfaction with the system.
One major complaint was that 95% of the ratings were "3"s or "4"s (on the five-point
scale). In addition, appraisal discussions had become unpleasant situations for managers
and employees alike because the discussions focused almost entirely on the overall rating
and consequent merit increase. Xerox got this feedback in the post appraisal feedback
session and with due regards to its employees, Xerox altogether re-designed the
Appraisal system with help of employee inputs.
 4. Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd:

MMFSL has Online Post Appraisal Feedback Module to bridge the gap between the
management expectation and the challenges faced by the them through their feedback.
This feedback mechanism takes into consideration even the employee opinion about the
Appraisal system. This initiative is taken to design a foolproof appraisal system.

PERFORMANCE COUNSELLING:

This is done post performance appraisal and it is a vital part of the performance appraisal
process. The help provided by a manager to his subordinates in analyzing their performance and
other job behaviors in order to increase their job effectiveness. Performance counseling
essentially focuses on the analysis of performance on the job, and identification of training needs
for further improvement. Psychological Counselling, a form of counselling is used by the
experts to analyze the work related performance and behaviour of the employees to help them
cope with it, resolve the conflicts and tribulations and re-enforce the desired results.

Objectives of Performance Counseling:

• Helping employee to understand himself-his strengths and his weakness.

• Providing him an opportunity to acquire more insight into his behaviors and analyze the
dynamics of such behaviors.
• Helping him to have better understanding of the organizational environment.
• Increasing his personal and inter-personal effectiveness by giving him feedback about his
behaviors and assisting him in analyzing his inter-personal competence.
• Encourage to set goals for further improvement.
• Encourage to generate alternatives for dealing with various problems.
• Provide empathic atmosphere for sharing and discussing tensions, conflicts, concerns and
problems.
 • Help to develop various action plans for further improvement.
• Help to review in a non-threatening way his progress in achieving various objectives.

Types of Performance Counseling:

• Tell & sell – Directive approach: the manager gives a very autocratic feedback to the
employee and provides him with certain directions to improve. In this case the problem
of the employee may remain unsolved and he would have to work under coercion or
threat of losing the job.
• Tell & listen- empathic approach:
The employer tells the key areas of improvement and then also listens to the employees
reasons for under performance . Accordingly new methods of work are designed
• Problem solving approach
Both employer and employee sit together to find out the key areas of improvement and
what is the exact problem for under performance. The employee does self evaluation and
identifies his own short comings. Both then decide upon improvement methods and
execute it. It is more of a team work.

Three Requisites of performance counseling:-

There are three main requisites involved in counseling
 Communication ,
 Influencing,
 Helping.

1. Communication: Communication involves both receiving messages (listening) giving

messages and giving feedback. Counselors do all three things. Interpersonal
communication is the basis of performance review in which both the employee and his
reporting officer are involved.

2. Influencing: To discuss influence in counseling, we first need to dispel the perception that
influence is negative. The counseling process aims to evoke positive change within clients,
 so they can overcome their problems and live a happier life. Without influence, there would
be no practical purpose for the counseling relationship. Counseling also involves
influencing the counselee in several ways. This influence enables the person to exercise
more autonomy(independence), positive reinforcement so that desirable behavior is further
strengthened
3. Helping: The third element in the process, i.e., helping also functions in a similar way. It
involves three different elements.
 Helping behavior is based on concern and empathy that the counselor has for his
counselee.
 Mutuality of relationship
 Helping primarily involves identification of developmental needs of the counselee so
that he may be able to develop and increase his effectiveness.

Conditions for effective counseling:-

Today's business scenario and the growing competitive environment have raised several
challenges for organizations. One of the biggest challenges that companies face today is the
factor of motivation and retention of talented employees.
The companies are putting an effort to ensure that all employees are treated fairly,
consistently and reasonably as far as work related behavior or performance issue is concerned. In
addition to it, they also see that all ethical and legal considerations are also properly satisfied.
The following are the guidelines for conducting a successful counseling session
1. General climate of openness and mutuality:
A climate of trust and openness is essential for effective counseling. The councilor should put
the staff member at ease by using positive body language. A councilor should avoid expressing
his own views but remain alert to provide information on organizational policies that may help
the staff member to make a decision.

2. General helpful and empathic attitude of management:

The Counselor should have general helping attitude and empathy for the counselee. He should
demonstrate empathy for the staff member and show confidence in his/her ability to solve
problems. He should ask open-ended questions about the staff member’s feelings and thoughts
 and encourage the staff member to identify alternatives to solve the problem or resolve the
issue and seek the staff member’s feelings about the possible consequences of each of the
alternatives. He should also provide support and resources when appropriate.

3. Sense of Uninhibited (not reserved) participation by the subordinates in the performance

review process:
Always develop dialogue with the staff member which eventually contributes to better
understanding on the part of counselee. Managers must ensure that they allow the employee a
fair hearing and the opportunity to state their case, even in circumstances that may appear to be
an unavoidable conclusion.

4. Focus on work-oriented behaviors:

Counseling can be effective if the focus is kept on the work-related goals rather than diffusing
attention into various other areas. Managers must be open minded and objective at all times.

5. Focus on work-related problems and difficulties:

Performance counseling is not related to only to the achievement of goals, but it is also
related to the contextual problems in achieving or not achieving the goals.

6. Avoidance of discussion of Salary and other rewards:

This is basically used in planning and improvement of the employee rather than
sympathetizing the relationship between performance and reward like salary, etc.

7. Summarization of the agenda:

Summarize key points at the end of the discussion to clarify and seek understanding.

PROCESS OF PERFORMANCE COUNSELING:-

1. Describe the problem in a friendly manner.
 The councilor should describe the problem which has to be specific in nature. He should point
out the acceptable levels (quantity or quality) of performance and show the employee exactly
where his/her output doesn’t meet those levels. Avoid discussions about the employee’s
“attitude.” Such comments will only put the employee on the defensive and make it difficult to
have a productive discussion. It’s important to open this discussion in a positive, non-threatening
way. The councilor doesn’t want to alienate the employee or put him/her on the defensive. Give
the employee every indication that the councilor know he/she wants to do a good job.
Remember, this is a discussion to uncover causes for the performance problem and work toward
solutions, not to place blame. When the employee realizes that the councilor want to discuss a
problem, rather than place blame, he/she will be more willing to talk about it.
2. Ask for the employee’s help in solving the problem.
Telling an employee that he/she has to do better may be the most direct way to deal with a drop
in quality or quantity, but it doesn’t stand much chance for success if the employee doesn’t want
to improve performance. The councilor want the employee on your side so you can work
together to get performance back up to an acceptable level. The best way to get the employee’s
commitment is to ask for his/her help in deciding what to do about the performance problem.
This will boost the employee’s self-esteem because it signals that the councilor value his/her
ideas. And when the employee realizes that councilor wants to hear what he/she has to say, and
then councilor is more likely to get cooperation and commitment.
3. Discuss the causes of the problem.
Always remember, the councilor has to discuss about a performance problem, not the
employee’s attitude or personality. The councilor should try to gather all the information by
asking open-ended questions (general questions that begin with
words like “How,” “What,” and “When”). Since these kinds of questions aren’t threatening,
the employee will be encouraged to answer them. As these questions will bring the councilor
closer to the source of the problem, he may find it appropriate to ask some specific questions
designed to clarify and pinpoint causes. Being closer to the job than you, the employee may be
able to provide insights, pinpoint causes, or otherwise get to the heart of the problem. Discuss the
solutions, summarize the causes so that the councilor can identify to make sure that, (1) they both
understand the information, and (2) all likely causes have been identified.
4. Identify and write down possible solutions.
After the councilor has identified the likely causes of the performance problem, he will decide
how to correct it. Again, the employee is closest to the problem - ask for his/her ideas and write
them down. This not only enhances the employee’s self-esteem, but it provides a written
record of possible solutions. These may come in handy if the first solution(s) he tries doesn’t
work out well. Use employee’s suggestions, as the councilor works toward possible solutions -
the employee will be more committed to solving the problem if he/she has a say in the solution.
5. Decide on specific action to be taken by each of them.
It’s time to choose the best solution(s). At this point in the discussion, the councilor is ready to
pinpoint exactly what must be done – by whom and by when – to correct the performance
problem. Assign responsibilities for specific actions and write them down. Remember to support
the employee’s efforts to improve performance, but emphasize that the responsibility for
improvement rests with the employee. The councilor should express confidence in the
employee’s ability to take the agreed-upon actions. This will enhance the employee’s self-esteem
and build commitment to carrying out the actions required to solve the problem.

6. Agree upon a specific follow-up date.

By setting a date to meet again, the councilor can send a message to the employee that solving
the performance problem is important for him. That message also tells the employee that the
councilor want to know how well he/she is handling the actions agreed to in this discussion. A
follow-up meeting allows the councilor and the employee to get together to discuss any progress
or problems and plan further action. Finally the councilor ends the discussion on a friendly note
and gives re-assurance to the employee that he will solve the performance problem.

Hurdles in Performance Counseling:

The biggest bottleneck in employee counselling at the workplace is the lack of trust on the
employee's part to believe in the organisation or his superior to share and understand his
problems. Also, the confidentiality that the counselor won't disclose his personal problems or
issues to others in the organisation. Time, effort and resources required on the part of the
organisation are a constraint. Other major constraints are:
 • Undermines the credibility of management.

• Employees consider the process as “waste of time”.

• Hurts morale.

• Bring employee and manager in confrontational positions that damages motivation.

• Poor systems and execution can provide a false sense of security.

• Managers may suddenly find themselves caught in a situation in which they are helpless
to deal with performance problems.

The expected outcome of counseling is in most circumstances an improvement in work

performance or conduct. If a person's conduct or work performance does not improve in response
to counseling there are a number of options available. These include:

 re-arranging the person's duties;

 movement to an area where a person's skills may be better utilized;
 voluntary reduction in classification;
 procedures for dealing with underperformance; or
 misconduct procedures.

Performance counseling and feedback both are critical issues and must be handled with a
human touch. Judgment skills and empathy play a major role in this activity . Finally an
employer must always remember “ Praise in public but criticize in private”. The ego or
the morale of the employee should not be hurt in an attempt to improve his performance.