How do you set up staff appraisals?

Staff appraisal is an HR practice that can be perceived as a burden and a source of stress for HR managers and employees: it requires time, involvement and preparation. 😮‍💨

But what are the issues involved in staff appraisal and how do you go about it?
How can we ensure that appraisal is seen as a lever for professional development and performance?
How can software help to achieve this?

We give you a few keys to talent acquisition. 🗝️

See all software Performance Appraisal

What is staff appraisal?

Personnel appraisal: definition

Personnel appraisal is a human resources management (HRM) tool used to monitor the professional development of an organisation's employees:

• employees
• management teams
• and HR departments.

In most companies, appraisal takes the form of an annual appraisal interview, with the completion of an evaluation grid (grading), an evaluation questionnaire or a satisfaction questionnaire.

Employee appraisal covers so many areas:

• talent management
• skills development
• performance monitoring
• and training management.

Employers' obligations in terms of staff appraisal regulations

Employers are entitled to assess their staff as part of their role as manager. However, there are certain rules to be observed:

• If the collective bargaining agreement provides for a form of assessment, the employee cannot avoid it. However, the company must inform the employee in advance. ☝️
  • What type of appraisal is involved?
  • If it is an annual appraisal, when will it take place and under what conditions?
  • If it is a performance appraisal, what are the criteria?
• Contrary to popular belief, employers are not legally obliged to assess their employees. The only obligation is to warn and inform employees. Collective agreements govern this practice and define the provisions in force:
  • compulsory appraisal interview,
  • content,
  • frequency, etc.

Why evaluate your staff?

As a management tool, staff appraisals are useful not only for the manager, but also for the employee and the HR department.

For employees

For each employee, the appraisal is an opportunity to take stock of the year and set objectives for the year ahead. 📝

It is also an opportunity for employees to discuss their requests, questions and training needs with their manager, in order to develop their skills.

For the manager

For the manager, the appraisal is the time to assess employee performance.

It's the perfect opportunity to listen to your employees: the appraisal interview also serves to boost employee commitment, ask for feedback on your management methods, and consolidate their support for the company's project. 🤝

For human resources

For human resources departments, staff appraisals can be used to :

• target and propose training courses that correspond to each profile ;
• identify and reward talent within the company;
• identify and deal with requests for mobility ;
• put in place appropriate training and career plans ;
• interact with the company's employees.

How do you carry out staff appraisals?

Choosing a staff appraisal method

There are several evaluation methods:

• solitary or one-way appraisal: the manager fills in the appraisal grid on his or her own and then presents it at the interview, during which the employee gives his or her point of view ;
• self-assessment or co-assessment: both parties are involved and fill in a grid beforehand, then discuss it during the interview;
• 360-degree evaluation : employees, including managers, are subject to evaluation by their colleagues, but also by third parties such as customers, suppliers, partners, etc.

⚒️ And when it comes to staff appraisal, Javelo is the ideal tool. Designed to streamline employee appraisal with its automated system, it reduces your administrative tasks and optimises your efficiency by encouraging transparent and inclusive collaboration. By providing model questionnaires, it makes it easier to :

• managing annual interviews
• managing appraisals
• creating personalised templates
• collecting 360° feedback, whether anonymous or not.

Suitable for all evaluation methods, this secure engagement tool helps you to focus on the concerns of your teams, so that they can be taken into account in your social barometers or training plans, for example.

7 best practices for evaluating your staff

#1 Assess all year round

• Train the managers who will be conducting the interviews,
• Plan regular opportunities for discussion between managers and teams,

gauge the ambitions of each employee to offer them the best career path within your company.

#2 Anticipate

• Prepare interviews in advance and take the opportunity to tailor them to each employee,
• Throughout the year, identify outstanding achievements and areas for improvement.

#3 Don't neglect self-assessment

Employees take stock of their achievements and take a critical look at their work. 💭

This will be a working basis for conducting the interview.

#4 Be a good listener

The interview is an opportunity for the employee to be heard by their line management and human resources.

Be a good listener and let them express themselves... at the risk of seeing your employees become detached from your company.

#5 Communicate

It's vital that all stakeholders know and understand the ins and outs of the appraisal. ☝️

The role of human resources is to explain the process in order to create a climate of trust and exchange.

#6 Draw up a report

At the end of the appraisal, remember to draw up a detailed and exhaustive report.

This will make it easier to follow up your employees and the steps that will follow, in particular :

• requests for training
• requests for mobility
• follow-up interviews, etc.

#7 Involve your employees to assess them better

By getting your employees more involved and giving them the space they need to express themselves, their results are bound to take off!

You meet their expectations, and they get the training they need to progress professionally: their work is better, and your company performs better.

49% of companies believe that their performance management process is "ineffective", and 85% of the companies surveyed aim to improve it.

Cabinet Deloitte

Technology at the service of people: software to help you in your endeavours

We have no doubt that you can now assess your staff like a boss 👏 ... But we recommend that you use suitable software, as the aim is to :

• save you time
• make you more productive
• to make the experience smoother and more engaging for your staff,
• make sure you don't forget anything
• to do things by the book, among other things.

🛠 And to support you, there's nothing like skills and talent managementsoftware .

Eurécia Gestion des Talents, a comprehensive, à la carte HR management solution, lets you manage your human capital from A to Z, from recruitment to training, including skills management and interviews. It includes all the functions you need to easily assess and monitor your employees' performance, and transform this data into concrete actions (such as setting up training programmes). All of this is done with a view to providing support and local management, so that you can retain your talent more effectively.

Factorial Acquisition Talents is 100% online, with a simple to use mobile application and an intuitive PC interface. With the assessment functions, you can easily manage all aspects of your employees' performance and skills. The data collected will enable you to set up personalised training plans for each of your employees. This data will also enable your HR department to set up a successful GPEC within your company.

Qrew helps you manage your annual appraisal campaigns. Track, manage and analyse appraisals in just a few clicks, thanks to a comprehensive, easy-to-use tool. Bonus: employees can self-assess to help them prepare for their interviews.

Skeely simplifies your appraisal interviews with advanced features to help you plan and design your interviews with complete peace of mind, thanks to more than 10 pre-designed templates (professional, annual, etc.). Easy to use and fully customisable, the software lets you generate statistics to monitor the performance of your interviews, transcribe the results into a GPEC analysis, customise your templates and campaigns to manage the skills of your staff, and much more!

Talentsoft Performance and Competencies transforms traditional appraisals into collaborative and spontaneous evaluations, to create a continuous exchange between employees, managers and HR and develop a personalised working environment that benefits everyone.

See all software Performance Appraisal

Optimise your employee appraisals

HR processes are undergoing radical change within companies. Staff appraisal is no exception.

Today's HR departments have access to high-performance software that enables them to put in place appropriate practices.

HRIS software provides greater visibility and operational support for HR management, while GPEC tools help you to assess and manage the skills of your employees.

However, companies are changing their processes and no longer wait for the annual appraisal to assess their employees.

What about you, ready to contribute to the professional development of your employees? 🫡