[Copied over from my earlier blog - storyteller.blogspirit.com] 

It is annual appraisal time at work. I am playing the role of an appraiser for the first time. As I go through that process, the process of appraising other people that is, I realise more and more that it is not an easy job to do. It is very difficult to give feedback to anybody. More particularly when you are appraising somebody for a duration as long as one year.
Most organization have some form of ranking or rating system. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking of just the feedback part of any employee appraisal. The challenges I feel are these -

a) To give an effective feedback you should have observed the person very closely throughout the period.
b) Since human memory fails more often than not, you will be required to make notes of your observation. This is very difficult to practice sincerely.
c) Regular feedback will build to a cumulative feedback at the end of the year. This, again, is easier said than done. Regular feedback, I believe, will bore the appraisee equally. A need based feedback may be a better answer. But then, with a need based approach, it is possible that you see the need only when there is a negative feedback to pass.
d) Not everybody likes feedback or takes it in a healthy spirit. Everybody agrees, on face, that feedback should be accepted graciously as a gift but there are very few who can do that. Feedback flatters and it hurts.

There are more, but I’ll stop at the above points. For my first time, all I wish is that my appraisee believe that I’m taking this process very seriously and that I’m honest about whatever I’m telling them and not faking anything.