Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews

Appendix BSeven Mistakes Employees Make During Performance Appraisals

Robert Bacal

Generally, when performance appraisal goes awry, the primary cause has little to do with employees. For the most part, employees take their cues from management and human resources. However, when individual employees perceive the process in negative ways, they can damage even the best of appraisal processes.

Mistake #1: Focusing on the appraisal forms. Performance appraisal isn’t about the forms (although, often managers and HR treat it as such). The ultimate purpose of performance appraisal is to allow employees and managers to improve continuously and to remove barriers to job success. In other words, to make everyone better. Forms don’t make people better, and ...