Navigating Disappointment in Appraisals: How Do You Balance Career Growth and Salary?

Hi All,

On 19th Dec 2005, I joined a software company (4th in India) in HR. Basically, I am from the manufacturing industry, and my previous employer is also a very large industry. In May, the appraisal process started, and my boss is very happy with me. He informed me that I am doing exceptionally well. In fact, he also mentioned the same in my CDP. However, when it came to the rating, he gave me less, mentioning that I shouldn't worry about it since I am very new. He assured me that next year my salary would be doubled. He also advised me to focus more on my career development rather than just salary. He is a very senior-level person (Director) and a genuine guy.

Though I felt disappointed initially, I am now looking at it from the organization's perspective and have comforted myself with what I have received. Please share your thoughts.

Thank you.

Hi, I am happy that you proved your talent to the boss within a short period. As he mentioned, keep concentrating more on your work. All the best!

Dear Prab,

You are the best judge in this situation and should do what your instinct tells you to do. However, from the point of view of HR, I would like to emphasize that whatever is put in writing becomes part of the record. Verbal assurances hold little weight, especially in my opinion. In a worst-case scenario, your appraiser may leave the organization, or may not be available in the future - in such cases, what evidence would you have to show? It would be the documented Performance Appraiser Forms.

Ultimately, you are the best judge of the situation. I am not trying to influence you, question the integrity of the individual, or doubt your instincts and abilities. However, we, from the old-fashioned management school, believe in documenting everything, as you never know what tomorrow may bring.

Kind Regards,
SC

I presume CDP is some kind of Development Plan. And I guess that his commending comments about you are what he actually wrote up in your formal performance appraisal sheet. If he didn't, I would be tactfully suggesting to him that he write his verbal comments in the report. If he refuses for any reason, the alarm bells should start ringing (meaning that you should become very concerned).

You are in a politically difficult position, so I would not enter into any kind of heated argument with him over his written comments or the rating. Just suggesting a course of action, I feel, is really the best approach at this phase of your career in this organization. Reading between the lines, I suspect that he is keeping the rating down to keep his costs down. He will be under budgetary constraints, and so keeping his salary overheads down will help him meet his objectives (though, of course, not yours).

Now this is assuming that he must meet his own department's salary costs. I may be mistaken on this as well as my overall intuition. I have only what you say to go on, so I speak *very* tentatively. On the basis of what you have said, I would not raise a fuss this year and see what happens next year. Keep working to the best of your ability and in the meantime, you could try to find out whether your manager is responsible for the salary costs in his department (or maybe for the whole company). If he really is a Director of the company, then this could be assured.

If the same things happen next year, at least you will have proved your worth in the meantime and you would be feeling more comfortable about your bargaining position. Next year, you could start to apply some gently pressure to get salary justice. If you really are good, your bargaining position will have improved as it will cost the company a fair amount of money in recruitment costs, missed productivity and training costs to find a replacement for you.

I wish you the best of luck.

Vicki Heath

Human Resources Software and Resources

http://www.businessperform.com

Hi Kiran,

I agree with what Swastik73 said. Oral communication does not hold any value in an organization. If someone else checks the records, you are not rated high, and that is what matters. So, you know the situation well, and you are the best judge for this situation. If you think that you deserve a higher raise in your pay according to your work with this organization, go ahead and fight for it. If he says that next time you would be having a double hike, ask him to put that on paper as of today's date. The written way of communication is always best in any profession.

Regards,
Kiran.

Hi Prab,

I strongly agree with Mr. Swastik regarding your case. In the HR field, everything must be kept or shown in writing or in a document for it to hold value. Verbal statements do not matter at all in professional life. Anything needs to be put on paper or documented. Verbal statements can only provide satisfaction to your heart but do not accurately measure your capabilities.

I believe that a solid document or file should always support any verbal statements to be proven. As Swastik said, "who knows Kal Ho Na Ho."

Regards,
Kiran N

Hi! :)

On the face of it, it does seem to me that your boss is taking you for a ride. Acknowledging something verbally and not keeping up with it in writing is just a show of words.

In case your boss has taken this to be a way of hinting/informing you about your weaknesses, try to perform your SWOT keeping in mind your role and your boss's expectations regarding your work. Be proactive and identify and develop those skills, knowledge, and abilities that you lack.

Surely, if the health of the organization is fine and you do perform as per expectations, you will be rewarded. (But do ensure that your role/goal expectations are made clear to you at the beginning of the year).

Another thing to do would be to keep your top boss (your boss's boss) informed about it and/or to receive letters of appreciation for your commendable work. Later, even if your boss changes, it will act as a safeguard for better appraisals (irrespective of who your new boss is).

Lastly, never forget to trust your instincts. If you think you are going to get the sack, be prepared.

All the best!

Regards,

Shyamali

Though he has assigned low ratings to you in your PA, your boss could have written a qualitative statement such as: "This new employee has shown exceptionally good performance in a short span of time. Given that he is new to our organization, his exceptionally good performance needs due appreciation, and he holds the potential for shouldering more responsibility in the future and therefore would deserve better emoluments accordingly. We will evaluate his performance for consistency and make appropriate decisions regarding his future career assignments and suitable compensation."

I cannot see a reason as to why he could not have given such a comment even though he gave a lower rating.

But, since you have mentioned that your boss is a quite senior guy, he may prefer to keep his views confidential to prevent you from facing jealousy from your co-workers, which could work against you, especially considering you are at the budding stage of your career in the company. It is uncertain how confidential the PA ratings are in your company. Furthermore, who knows if you may not share the information with your colleagues out of sheer happiness.

Or, perhaps he did not want to appear positively biased towards you before you have demonstrated consistency in your performance to everyone in the company.

Give the benefit of the doubt and proceed with consistently good performance.

Nothing can stop you from getting what you really deserve. It is not just one single rating today that will decide the rest of your career.

Cheers.

Hi Prabs,

I strongly agree with Swastik and Kiran because in this world of change, everything needs to be documented, and nothing should rely solely on verbal commitments. It is better if you can get something in written form for all your achievements and outstanding work.

Regards,
Julie