A friend of mine was really disheartened when she learnt that  successfully handling her job profile and working even on her day-offs had fetched her annual appraisal of only 10% whereas one of her other colleagues who was often found surfing a social networking site on his computer, was granted 20% hike. This disparity in the increment surfaced just recently when this colleague himself boasted of how he got a better increment than many of his colleagues and what a great rapport he shares with his superiors. But naturally, this news had a demoralizing effect on people present there, particularly my friend who left no stone unturned to perform her best not letting her challenging personal life shadow her professional commitments. With the price rise swinging in the double digits the whole year; a 10% rise was clearly not a solace.

The usual outcome of such a situation is that the person getting a raw deal either decides on a confrontation or plans to leave such an apathetic organization. Mostly people go in for the second option knowing well that confrontation in most cases fetches nothing.  In this case subjective inclines of the manager has cost his company one of the most committed and hardworking employee. An appraiser should have following points in mind as he takes on this very responsible task of appraising his workforce:

1. It is very important to treat all employees impartially despite personal likes and dislikes. It is crucial that the appraiser never loses his objective sight. He must not abuse his position by manipulating the appraisal process due to favoritism.

2. It is very important that the appraiser conducts regular meetings with his employees to discuss what he sees as the key result areas for them. This exercise would to allow employees a fair chance to deliver up to the manager’s expectation.

3. A manager should be on his guards not to be taken-in by swanky talkers. Presentation is important but so is the intention and commitment towards work.

4. If the manager is returning the favour of a flatter by bestowing on him a generous increment, then they should not. If he thinks that his objectivity will make his so-called devotee sulk, then let him. We need true and honest people around ourselves who respect us for our integrity, not because they can twist and turn us by smooth talking.

Appraisals are time when a manager can show it to his team that he values work the most and is completely free of any kind of prejudices.