Why To Keep Secracy In Appraisals - Jpg Download

Hello Friends,

I am Priya, working with an IT company. I would like to collect comments/suggestions from all seniors regarding Employee Appraisal.

As we all know, appraisals of employees are a very confidential aspect for management, but not for employees. Employees tend to leak information about their increments within 5 minutes.

So, I would like to know the purpose of hiding these types of details from employees, when, in any case, they have to leak this type of information in a few minutes.

In big companies, HR people issue increment letters to the employees, sometimes arranging face-to-face interactions to convey the same. I would like to ask everyone, what is the use of wasting HR time in such activities when employees will leak information about their increments to their Co-Team Members/friends anyway?

Waiting for comments/suggestions.

Thanks,
Priya.

Hi Priya! :)

I agree completely with what you have said. However, in real practice, though the appraisee may talk about their ratings, it doesn't always happen. Generally, people may or may not disclose their appraisal with their colleagues. During appraisals, you may find many people rating their own factors through self-appraisal, and there may be discussions on their work, manager's feedback, productivity, etc. In these situations, no one discusses their personal ratings or their one-on-one interactions with their co-workers. HR doesn't reveal the information, thinking that it is up to the individual whether to share or not. It is the employee's personal choice whether to share their ratings with others. We cannot impose any laws or conditions on the disclosure of appraisal meetings.

Kind regards,
Ramu

Dear Priya and Ramu,

In schools, sometimes they display marks on the notice board. Just ask those who have scored low marks or who have failed. They feel bad, they feel secluded, they feel depressed.

Just imagine a situation where the organization displays on the notice board all ratings from A to E (from excellent to bad). Even those average performers would feel bad, and it will demoralize the entire workforce.

If I rate an employee poorly, and if he or she chooses to disclose the same to others, it is his or her choice. In case the management asks the employee to resign, he can still put up a bold face, saying that he has a better offer and hence is quitting. If the management decides to disclose this publicly, their career will be at risk.

I hope you appreciate.

Siva

Hey guys,

I think we need to discuss another major issue here. Principally speaking, appraisals are not solely the platform for an increment or a raise, which they have unfortunately become. An appraisal is meant for the boss to comment on an employee's round-the-year performance in a face-to-face interaction, to chart out the path for further progress, to highlight both the achievements and the failures, and to motivate the employees for better performance.

In fact, some companies, in their retention bid, have started giving more than the one mandatory appraisal in a calendar year. I personally feel that the appraisal portion should be kept a confidential affair, and the raise portion can be made public without hurting anyone, as everyone does know "Kaun kitne paani mein Hai" or what is his or her actual worth! Comments invited.

Regards,

Navinder

Hi All,
Thanks for adding your comments. But don’t you think that employee should follow the instructions of HR. If HR is strictly saying that "you don’t have to disclose your salary / increments details to other", but still some employee don’t care about that.
I am not denying from your point of views I know that this is important to keep secret these types of details but WHY ALWAYS HR HAS TO FACE THESE TYPES OF CRISES. When employee don’t care about us then why WE ALL care about them??????
“Suddenly one employee would come up and say that you have given Rs. 1000 increment to my colleague while I am getting Rs. 800 and we are doing same type of activity”.
Please participate.
Regards,
Priya.

Hi,

It is too philosophical to talk about appraisals not only being for increases. Let us be realistic. Why should I be appraised if I am not given a reward or punishment? In fact, it serves two major purposes:

1. Reward and punishment
2. Training needs identification

However, I strongly feel that it really does not serve any purpose in training needs analysis. It is better to delink training needs analysis from performance appraisal.

Siva

Thank you for keeping this discussion alive. Siva's comments are appreciated – well, that's the trend, right?

At the cost of sounding old-fashioned, I would still stand by my earlier comments. What reward or punishment needs to be given, has to be given or taken anyway. However, the essence of the appraisal, which is intended for your development, is to understand which part of your effort has contributed to your growth and which part has hindered it. This process will lead to introspection, self-analysis, and self-improvement.

More comments are invited, please. This is becoming interesting. Thanks to Priya.

Navinder

Hi Priya,

You are very impatient. It is important from your viewpoint, but it has to be important from the reader's viewpoint! Is it not? And similarly, the appraisal of mine is important to me. :D :D :D

Siva

Hi Priya,

This is in response to your query. There is a format that has to be followed, and we are all following the format. We all do what is written in the manual, and we don't ask questions about why we are doing this.

The same applies to the appraisals of employees. It is stated in the management manual that it should be kept confidential, so it is kept confidential. The manual says, we do, and no questions are asked. Just look into areas of your life where you follow that manual; you will get an answer.

We all know there is a better way of doing things, but we only do what is written in the manual. I assisted in a training and development company, and I wanted to acknowledge a participant for what she created for me. However, I was not allowed to do that because it's not in the manual.

I hope this clarifies your query.

Manish Awasthi
Born with a passion to touch lives.

Hi Manish,

I agree with your points, and I am pretty much aware of the policies that organizations normally follow. But don't you think we should take serious steps against an employee who basically tries to ignore HR instructions?

Looking forward to your reply.

Regards,
Priya

Hello,

HR does not give instructions. Please avoid using such terms. HR facilitates, and you must understand the role clearly.

Siva

Hi Priya,

I really want to acknowledge you for what you have just written... IT'S AWESOME. But I also want to comment on one thing. Who is stopping you from taking action? Go ahead, talk with your senior if you think there is a better way to do something. Go ahead, please. And one more thing, I want to add I'm not an HR, just a common human who loves to do small things daily.

Why are you waiting for others to take action, dear? Please don't be in a world of inauthentic people. What do you do, by the way?

Manish Awasthi

Birds build nests, and I am creating a world full of transformed people. And I'm in love with my work.

Hi All,

I have read all of your suggestions. It's great. How can we rate employee performance? Please let me know because I am newly joined in one of the IT companies. Here the activities are completely different from yours. I would appreciate it if you could suggest to me.

Thanks,
Srihari

Hi All,
Thanks Manish, Well Siva I agree with your points too but I would like to know from you that if HR is not for instruction then hw do you plan your policies. Let me mention one thing let say if you want to do some changes in your company wht you do in ths case you normally forward or present proposal to the seniors and whn it get sanctioned from their end its become policy and if some employee don’t follow any policy wht you do in that case??
I really would like to know from you.
Waiting for your response.
Regards,
Priya.

Hi Srihari,

Please let me know the procedure your company is following in this regard, then I will be able to help you out with this.

Regards,
Priya

Hi,

Such issues are bound to happen if the appraisal policy is not clear. The appraisal system should be transparent, i.e., the job roles, work expectations, ratings, what each rating means, comments, ratings, and its correlation with the salary band, etc. If such details are clear, then why a dispute?

I think Dell and Siemens have clear, laid-down details on appraisals. In Dell, each work is quantified; therefore, there is no room for dispute. I got this feedback from one of my friends working in Dell. In Siemens, too, the ratings are very specific, so the room for disputes is less.

Asha

Yes, Asha, very well said. The appraisal policy should be clear to all. But if during the stage of implementing these policies, HR is facing these types of problems, then what action should we take in this regard. Please suggest.

Regards,
Priya.

Hi Priya,

Good question, Priya. Generally, all HR people feel that appraisals are confidential, but most people don't understand the need for secrecy. If an employee is found to be performing poorly, the supervisor makes a note of it in the appraisal. Then, all team members can access this information (if there is no secrecy), which can negatively affect the employee's motivation as their colleagues know everything about their performance.

Appraisals provide an opportunity to discuss the employee's performance personally and for the supervisor to communicate their expectations for the upcoming year.

Additionally, employees tend to leak information about salary hikes but not the performance ratings.

Priya, please keep posting questions like this.

Thanks & Regards,
Murty.

Thanks Murty,
Well defined by you. I think this is the good option we cake take in this debate.
Ok…I question I have from all. In month of September 07 we given a good raise to one of our employee and we strictly told him to not to disclose ths other because rest wud be create unnecessary issues but guess wht HE DISCLOSED HIS INCREMENT TO ALL.
Then we hold his increment for two months means we revised his salary in November 07. So, please suggest it ws our good decision or not?
Regards,
Priya.

Dear friends,

In my opinion, a Confidential/Self-Appraisal/Appraisal is a report on the efforts made by an employee regarding his contribution to the development of an organization. Based on his performance, an employee is rewarded through promotion or an increase in salary. If his performance is not up to the mark, he is asked to improve his efficiency by acquiring additional skills, qualifications, undergoing training, etc. The five parameters of the report are outstanding, very good, good, satisfactory, and unsatisfactory. The first three are positive, but the last two are considered negative.

The question arises: why is the report kept confidential? In this regard, I would like to explain that if the Confidential Report (CR) is open to all, it can have a cascading effect. Before a reward or punishment is given, employees may start protesting and could influence management decisions. Therefore, management keeps the CRs confidential to avoid such scenarios. However, in some cases, management may misuse this confidentiality by showing favoritism or bias.

For your information, if you wish to know your own CCR, you have the right to access it. Still, you do not have the right to view the CCR of others. The primary reason for keeping appraisal reports confidential is to prevent chaos among employees, which can adversely affect the organization.

I would also like to mention that the full form of CR is Character Report. Subsequently, it was realized that since it also encompasses an individual's character traits (such as discipline, punctuality, honesty, sincerity, etc.), it should be kept confidential. Hence, it became the Confidential Character Report (CCR). The CCR not only evaluates the individual's performance but also assesses his character. Since both performance and character are personal attributes, they cannot be shared with others without the individual's consent. This is why CRs are kept confidential. I hope this explanation clarifies why CRs are treated as confidential.

Thank you.

Hi, Priya

I told you I'm not in HR, although I admire the work you and your colleagues do. Unfortunately, I can't assist you any further. I am currently in the final semester of Engineering (Computer Science) and am seeking a job in an IT company. Can anybody help me secure a job in IT?

Manish Awasthi

Hi Priya,

I told you I'm not an HR, although I'm in love with the work you people do. I tried to help you as per my knowledge, and I can't help you further. I'm in the final semester of Engineering (Computer Science) and looking for a job in an IT company. Can anybody help me to get a job in an IT company?

Regards,
Manish Awasthi

"Be the change you want the world to be in."

Thanks Murty,
Well defined by you. I think this is the good option we cake take in this debate.
Ok…I have one question from all. In month of September 07 we given a good raise to one of our employee and we strictly told him to not to disclose ths to anyone otherwise thy will create unnecessary issues but guess wht HE DISCLOSED HIS INCREMENT TO ALL in next 5 minutes.
Then we hold his increment for two months means we revised his salary in November 07. So, please suggest it ws our good decision or not?
Regards,
Priya.

Hello Priya,

Yes, I do agree that employees at the workspace do share their ratings with others despite HR not allowing it. It may be out of friendship or curiosity to know others' ratings. HR does not allow this because of the Equity theory, which we studied in our MBA program. The theory states that when an employee knows others' salary/appraisal, they start comparing their own package with others'. This can lead to thoughts like, "Why is my package less than theirs?" which can either demotivate or motivate the employee. That's why HR recommends not sharing one's package with others.

Hi Priya,

First thing I would like to say is that appraisals are directly related to your performance and increment. So, if your co-worker got a higher increment than you, it directly indicates that you may not be a good performer or you may lack something that your co-worker possesses, who received a higher increment. This situation can lead to feelings of jealousy and animosity towards your co-workers, ultimately affecting the work environment around you.

Thank you,
Sainath

Hi,

An employee's salary or appraisal is confidential. We have managed to calm down issues with this policy in our organization. Often, when employees compare their salary or increments with their coworkers, they tend to differ on many occasions. However, we address this by stating that comparing another person's salary is against the company rules. Failure to adhere to this rule may result in both parties receiving a pink slip.

We have successfully implemented this policy, even though everybody may be aware of what is in the other person's "basket."

Regards,
Sandeep Sable

Hi Priya,

Thank you for your response.

Here, we have a simple template (predefined format). Usually, it is filled out by the employee (who is on probation or in training). The concerned heads or project managers are not participating in performance appraisals. The decision is made by our Head of Operations in India or the Managing Director in the USA. Additionally, our HR Manager is also not participating in these performance appraisals.

Please help me out if you can. It would be greatly appreciated. I hope for an early response.

Thanks,

Srihari Sirigiri
Hyderabad

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your participation on this topic. Thank you once again for the valuable suggestions and advice. I will surely work on the above comments.

Regards,
Priya.

Hi Priya,

I feel that the instruction to employees to keep their increments a secret affair does not hold any meaning. In any case, workers move in and out in groups, and they do not hesitate to share any secrets they have with their co-workers whom they trust. Management must always be transparent in its dealings with employees. Appraisals are conducted to show how an employee fares with regard to the goals he/she had set for themselves, and accordingly, they are rewarded or punished. More comments from other readers would be interesting.

Take Care! Debashis

Hello Priya,

I also completely agree with your point that why HR has this added job responsibility of informing employees about their appraisals individually and its confidentiality, despite they share it with their colleagues the minute they are out of the office premises.

And why only appraisals, even the salary of the employees is meant to be a confidential affair, but yet it has the same story.

What I believe is that if everything is fair and justified, there is no need to hide anybody's salary or increment. Why shouldn't an employee know what his colleague in the same job is earning and what his boss is getting?

In fact, I believe if an employee is aware of such details about the salary and increments, it makes him aware of his position and where he stands in comparison to his colleagues, which in turn gives him a motive and reason to work hard and improve. And if he is aware of the salary of his superiors, it again gives him motivation and aspiration to someday reach the same level, which will again make him work harder.

The only requisite thing here is the right approach within the organization that needs to be developed by the HR team.

I hope one day there is an organization developed where everything is fair and justified, and is open for everyone. What would count is only efforts and hard work.

Regards,

Priyanka

Hi Priyanka,

That is what exactly I meant to say. Well, yes, as you said, we just can wait for that day when everything would be fair and justified for all.

Thanks,
Priya

Hi Priya,

I am happy that our thoughts match. Well, the names are similar so this was obvious.

Thought to share this with you all, you know the first time I faced my appraisal, it was like my boss had called me into his cabin, and only he and I were there, as it required confidentiality.

He appreciated my efforts and my work, saying, "You have performed outstandingly and much above my expectations and have performed the best in the department," and informed me about my increment. He asked me if it is fine. At that point, I was on cloud nine, thinking, "Wow! he said all these good words for me," and that increment meant so much because of those appreciative words.

The next day, I found out that two colleagues of mine, who were working at the same position and joined 4 months after me, had been given almost the same increment. And then I assumed that the words of appraisal which my boss said the last day were all meaningless. This is what I assumed because I did not have the complete picture of what he said to others.

What I exactly mean is that even today I am assuming that he did not do justice to me, just because the things were not transparent and did not look justified. :(

For any employee, satisfaction is important, and they can only be satisfied if they are correctly motivated and recognized for their efforts in the right manner.

What do you say?

If being in HR, this can demotivate me, then what about employees and how to deal with this motivation?

Regards,

Priyanka.

Hi friends,

I just feel like sharing my views on the whole topic but being a bit rude and harsh to everyone. I'm free to do that.

Manish

Hi Priyanka,

I think your manager wants to keep motivating his team with his words. But yes, I agree with you that there must be some way to appreciate someone who truly deserves it more than others.

As per my knowledge and experience, you should focus on one thing: dedication, hard work, and honesty towards your job. If you are performing well, then nobody dares to say or do anything against you. Try to keep your boss happy through your efforts.

Am I right??

Regards,
Priya.

Hi Again,

Priya - You are right! Mine was just an example. I just wanted to communicate that if the appraisal becomes transparent and justified, things would get much simpler and easier to understand for every employee. Either he will get to know that he needs to perform much better to reach the level where his other colleagues are, or he will feel motivated as his boss would appreciate him openly and motivate him to perform the same always.

Manish - I think you are also right when you say that "we have to follow the manual." If at our respective levels, we don't have the power to amend the manual/policies, if given the opportunity, we can at least suggest. We should not lose hope to make things better for our employees - as this is also one of our job responsibilities - "Employee Welfare." What do you say?

Cheers :)

Hi Priyanka,

I agree with your points. I would also like to thank the person who sent the appraisal format to all of us. It's really good and useful for us.

Regards,
Priya

Dear Priya,

On one hand, your decision is correct, but the employee feels that "I have no freedom to share my feelings with others (meaning colleagues and friends)."

One more thing, Priya. As per human tendency, people feel happy only when their increment is known by others. Monetary terms satisfy their general needs, but recognition from colleagues and friends increases their prestige in the office. We have to balance these aspects; it's part of our job.

Thanks & Regards,
Murty
93921 58797

The appraisals are kept confidential everywhere. However, salary is not kept confidential everywhere. In government sectors and semi-government sectors, salaries are not confidential. In private sectors where there is a package deal, they may keep the packages offered to different employees confidential. But in government sectors where basic pay, increment rate, and scale are defined, it is not secret at all.

Dear Priya,

Let me take a different view; I feel appraisals shouldn't be kept secret. In our organization, we have two appraisals done in September and March. We never maintain any secrecy in the appraisals. Indeed, we encourage the employee to speak and discuss the appraisal. We see this exercise as employee development and necessary changes for the better work of the employee and the organization. The employee has every right to understand and discuss his appraisal. Of course, though the increment is based on the appraisal, we don't see appraisal only from an increment point of view.

Coming to the salary issue, it's not wise to think that people will not share if asked to keep it confidential. They are bound to compare, however, to try not to do so. So, it's better not to ask them to keep it confidential and can be left to their discretion. However, HR should not divulge any details of employees without their consent.

Regards,
Hima Bindu

Dear All,
Normally we are all using the appraisal system is for increment of the employee. We forgot one thing. In HR being, we are the responsible for all activity of an employee. We are the masters to them. So we want to treat the appraisal system as a tool for identification. Then only we can make them on the right way. So please don't treat the appraisal system is the only reflector of the employee. It is one of a system to read the identification of an employee. If we feel an employee is bad, we can meet them face to face and develop them on the right way. Here no any hide and seek. We can say directly about his/her performance. It may be a chance to change them.
“THE GREATEST SECRET OF SUCCESS IS: THERE’S NO SECRET”
M. ARUL
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Hi all,

I am new to this community, but I just wanted to add that why to rate an individual on the basis of grade or number because performance depends upon his abilities and his efforts. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's satisfactory. According to me, appraisal should be a kind of feedback rather than giving it in the form of numbers or grades; it should be descriptive.

It should also be kept confidential because it can motivate or demotivate employees. Don't you all agree with this? Taking a positive side, employees can use this feedback for their motivation and work even harder to get to the top of the list.

Comments invited.

Regards,
Gaurav Mishra

Hi Priya,

I really appreciate Siva's comments, having gone through his previous blogs too! If we are told about our weakness in front of everyone, we'd rather be sad, and if we are appreciated, we'd be happy... same goes here... and HR's job is to find and create a balance in employees.

In large companies, though I have not worked with one, the concept works as all info can't be displayed. The employees can never be demotivated by announcing their bad appraisal. These chats have to happen in closed rooms.

As Siva rightly pointed out, I agree with the fact that everyone likes to be rewarded; no one likes to be punished. The punished ones would never even want to be disclosed about.

I must say, it is a good brainstorm. 😄

Amit Pandey

Hi Amit,
I agree with Siva's & your points.
But my concern is: "WHILE GIVING INSTRUCTIONS TO EMPLOYEES TO NOT TO DISCLOSE THEIR INCREMENTS TO OTHERS, BUT STILL THEY DO", thn I think we should stop expecting from the employees tht thy follow our instructions (we are just fulfilling the formality by saying this – tht DO NOT DISCLOSE YOUR INCREMENT AMT. TO OTHERS - thts it).
Wht say???
regards
priya.

Hi Priya,

Your concern is fine, but I guess it's an individual who decides these things. It happens in families also; people do not keep secrets. It was there, it is there, and it will be there. The only way to control it is to have justified decisions that will make people talk less about it, as they will be convinced. A good decision will be appreciated, and people will think twice before talking it out. It also depends on the rapport that an individual creates. If you have the rapport, people will respect it. I hope I'm making some sense.

Amit

Dear Ms. Priya,

Most companies maintain secrecy in appraisals. The purpose is to control the influence in management. Some employees have good influence with management (meaning references) but lack good knowledge in their work. At that time, secrecy is very helpful to the management.

Regards,
Srinivas B

Hi Priya,

You can't stop anyone. What you can do is let them know the impact of leaking information and the consequences it may have on other employees. However, to effectively convey this, you need to establish a background of trust and relatedness with the person before discussing the potential outcomes.

Hi Priya,

Since it is a big question mark for me as to who has made the appraisal system confidential and disclosed one. In the present scenario, everybody expects transparent management. Appraisal should be designed in such a way that each person is satisfied with what they receive based on their performance. They should also be content that their colleagues are receiving higher ratings based on performance alone.

So, every HR person, please change the trend. Why is their performance confidential in an organization? Please change the appraisal system.

Thanks & regards,
N. Srinivasan

Hi Srinivasan,

I completely agree with your points. HR should change the trend to keep secrecy in appraisals. Because I think competition is very important between employees. When they get to know each other's increments, then they will feel the need to do something extra, something best to become the top employee.

Regards,
Priya.

Hi Priya,

I do agree with you, but the competition should be in a healthy manner. My view is, suppose an appraisal motivates one person, it should not demotivate the others. We should take utmost care in this system.

Regards, N. Srinivasan

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