Mid-Year Appraisal Dilemma: Should I Recommend an Appraisal for a New Joiner?

Hi All,

I would like to have your view on this. We have an Annual Appraisal Cycle in our organization, which runs from January to December or July to June, depending on the employee's Date of Joining. There is one candidate who joined us in October. Now, he is asking for his appraisal. As per his joining date, he will be completing his 1st year with the company in October 2006.

What should I do in this regard? Should I recommend him for an appraisal or wait until January?

I am waiting for responses ASAP.

Regards,

Sujata

Hi,

Go by your HR Policy Manual. If there is no mention in the policy, then consider how similar cases were handled in the past.

In my opinion, you should follow the organization's cycle. In this scenario, the employee should be appraised after December. The evaluation should cover the entire period since the employee joined. Any calculations for performance rewards should consider 1.2 years.

Regards, Sunil

Hi,

Go ahead, get his appraisal done. There is no harm in being a little flexible when he has completed 1 year. The employee will feel happy and will respect you and the organization. Most of the time, we delay it to fall in line with the cycle, and what we reap is discontent. Why do you want to make him look out for better pay? How will you react if he comes up with an offer? You will be forced to negotiate, and I am sure if he is a valuable employee, money becomes irrelevant, and you will do everything possible to keep him on board. What do you say?

Regards,
Rekha

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

Hi Rekhaa,

Thanks a ton for your suggestion. I think your suggestion is good. If we don't appraise him, he will definitely look for another option as he is performing well, and I don't think he will wait. I go by your suggestion.

Thanks once again to you and Career-First.

Regards,
Sujata

Sujata,

Just to add to Rekha's comment - I suggest making an amendment to the HR policy to conduct an annual appraisal after one year of an employee's joining. (Give a significant raise in this first appraisal!)

Remember that one of the objectives of HR policy is retention. Amend it to suit the changing requirements of the market.

What's your opinion?

Avinash

Hi Avinash,

Not a bad idea, but for that, we will have to do an appraisal every month. That would be somewhat more complicated than this, isn't it? Let me know your view on this.

Regards,
Sujata

Sujata,

To search, train a new employee is more complicated than this. Else, you can keep 2 appraisal cycles in such a way that the employee is appraised in either of the appraisal cycles. This time can vary from a minimum of 6 months to a maximum of 12 months.

Example:
1. Cycle in Jul - employees joined from Jul to Jan
2. Cycle in Jan - employees joined from Jan to Jul

Most big organizations follow this practice.

Thank you,
Aviansh

Hi Avinash,

You are right that searching for and training a new employee is more complicated than this. In our organization, it is from January to December or from July to June. I had mentioned it in my post as well :D. The employee had joined in the month of October. So, I was asking whether to give him an appraisal this time or wait until January.

Regards, Sujata

Sujata,

As I mentioned earlier, he falls in the Jul 2 Jan cycle, so he should have been covered in July itself. However, now you should do it in this cycle. The waiting period should be from 6 to 12 months only, not more than 12 months.

➡️ Do it now and avoid new search!!

Avinash

Company rules are guidelines only.

In your case, when an employee completes 12 months in continuous service, the employee must have his/her performance appraisal done. This is in the interest of the employee who wishes to know where he/she stands.

As an employer, you should know the achievements of this employee. So, logically, ethically, and from an HR perspective, performance appraisal must be done now.

Regards,
Leo Lingham

Hi Sujata, I have read all the posts in this thread, but somehow I don't agree with what all of them have suggested. In my opinion and as per my experience, I don't think the appraisal is given to the employee now. We (HR) always expect other employees to abide by the policies and systems, but in this case, what example are you setting? As per your policy, the period for appraisal is Jan-Dec, or June-July. If this person has completed his one year in October, the salary should be raised in January and not now. What happens if, keeping this in mind, all other employees will come to you for appraisal? I think then you will only be doing appraisals and not other work. Retaining is an important function of HR, but not at the cost of the systems. If the employee cannot understand the policies and systems, do you think he or she is worth being retained? Think about it in the big picture. Cheers, Archna

Hi Archana
Thanks for your reply. You might be right however this person is asking for appraisal because somehow he got to know that few of our sales guys (who have joined the same date on which he has joined) have got the appraisal. Actually in our company there is a system to give appraisal to Sales Guy within 10 months if they achieve their target. I don't know the policy is like that. I can't help because it is designed by our management long time back and I am not in a position to change it all of sudden.
Now let me know what do to in that case.
Regards
Sujata

Hi Sujata,

You did not mention that. I think no option is left but to give him/her an appraisal. However, why is there discrimination in the policy for Sales guys? Instead of an appraisal, they can be given incentives for completing targets. In the long term, this disparity may lead to more serious problems.

Think about it.

Cheers,
Archna

Hi,

Actually, I didn't want to disclose any negative things about my current company :D although I totally agree with you. I thought I would be able to make a decision based on that query alone. I know you are right, and I will definitely discuss this issue with my seniors once it is resolved.

Thank you for your suggestions.

Regards,
Sujata

Hi Sujata,

To shed light on your query, initially, check your company policies. Then, with flexibility in the appraisal policy, you can proceed with the procedures for performance appraisal. I would suggest that in the future, you should ensure that each new employee joining the organization is accommodated within the appraisal timeline already in place as per policies. This can be facilitated by being mindful during the offer.

Happy working.

Best regards,
Abhi

I recommend him for the appraisal. Change the Annual Performance Appraisal policy of the company. Take the appraisal twice in the year. Set some eligibility criteria for the appraisal like personnel who have completed 4 months in the company are eligible for the appraisal. Thank you.

Hi, I feel Rekha is right! Please go ahead and do his appraisal. Employees are very important to us. We have to provide them with motivation at the right time. Also, I would like to add a word saying recognition is also very important. Like appraisals and birthdays, his performance should be noticed, and the right motivation factor should be provided to make them feel that they are working in the right organization, so they will provide their best service to the organization.

Now you are too late. You should never expect an employee to ask for the appraisal and recognition. We should analyze it and do it before they could ask for it. ALL THE BEST

Regards,
Rajendran R
Span Outsourcing Pvt. Ltd.
Bangalore

Hi,

If you want any employee appraisals to be done every January, please update the HR policy accordingly. Make sure to inform new employees about this policy when they join.

Regards,
Rajendran R
Span Outsourcing Pvt. Ltd.
Bangalore

Hi Everybody,

Welcome to all who have given their valuable time with valuable views. I thought I should also share my rough idea.

Forget the issue of a single employee. Let's focus on the general issue.

First and foremost, THERE SHOULD BE A FORMAL INDUCTION PROGRAM for newcomers.

1) Informal Induction: This means simply placing an employee to do the job without educating/informing about company policies, procedures, rules, norms, standing orders, etc. This can lead to issues similar to what SUJATA's company faced.

2) Formal Induction: This means the employee starts the job after full education/information/training on all the above-mentioned points as per point no. 01. This leads to a SOLUTION for SUJATA's company.

Now, the solution to overcome this problem:

1) If the employee is a real asset to the organization, conduct a performance appraisal and make decisions regarding increments/promotions, etc. Keep this decision confidential until the PA cycle, but informally inform the employee that they have been considered for certain benefits effective from a specific date.

2) If the employee is a general contributor to the company, inform them straightforwardly that their PA will be conducted as per the cycle, and they need to wait like other employees.

3) If the PA period is 12 months (April 2006 to March 2007), and an employee has served more than 75% of this period, make a policy for PA considering this.

4) If an employee has served less than 75% of the PA period, implement as per point no. 2.

5) In some cases, make tough decisions keeping the company's interest in mind. For example, if losing one valuable person saves more than one valuable person due to a suitable decision, we should proceed to let go of the employee who is detrimental to the organization. In other words, we can draw parallels with the sacrifices made by freedom fighters for a noble cause.

Note: I hope you understand my views. Comments are welcome.

Regards,

Sidheshwar

Hi Lakshmi,

As per our organization's policy, the appraisal period is from January to December. Therefore, employees should wait for that period; otherwise, we will have to conduct daily appraisal work.

Thank you,
Sujata

Hi,

I think the best idea is to conduct appraisals twice a year and consider all employees for appraisal. Based on market conditions, the employee's criticality, and the number of months served in the company, provide a salary hike ranging from 0% to 15%. This approach ensures that you are aligned with the market and meet employees' expectations.

In this scenario, you should have a discussion with the employee, explaining that their tenure with the company will be considered as 1.2 years, and assure them that they will receive a good salary increase.

Regards,
Patra

Hi Sujata,

When a person is selected and is given the offer, he is normally briefed about the policies and the appraisal cycle as well. I think you should stick to the company's policy and not go as per this new employee's demands. I am sure if you give him a raise, there will be questioning glances from other employees, which will be really difficult to answer unless he was told that if you perform well, you will be appraised or unless it's a critical position that he filled.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Anandita

Hi Sujatha,

Whatever Sujatha said, I agree with it. If the candidate is worth it, we can proceed; for bigger decisions, we may need to adhere to HR policies.

If we need to replace a candidate or employee, that is a different matter. We can discuss this with the Team Lead or Project Manager, and then make a decision.

Cheers,
Venkat

Hi Sujatha,

His appraisal has to be done in June as there is no way to conduct an appraisal for a person within 6 months since there is nothing you can judge him on.

Regards, Kavana

Performance appraisals have to be conducted at least twice before the middle of the year because evaluating an employee's performance is crucial for them to identify their work potential during that period.

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Hello Sujatha,

After having read all the comments, I would like to put across my opinion. Whatever decision you take should be in line with the vision of your HR department. Secondly, systems are designed for our convenience, and we should not let them become our masters; rather, we should not become their slaves. There should be room for flexibility if it serves the purpose of HR & Co. Flexibility, however, does not mean changing the system every other day. But in cases where the retention of a specific employee is crucial for the company and the system poses a hindrance, I believe you should have the liberty to deviate from it.

Nevertheless, you are in the best position to make the decision since you are the one facing the problem.

All the best.

SAI_KIRAN