– by Pete Kmet
Evaluations are a critical part of every employee’s work life. Stewards find that many employees are confused by their role in the process. Sometimes employees find out for the first time during an evaluation that their supervisor is having problems with their performance.
This is such a critical issue needing employee education that we are rerunning this article from last year. If you have any questions about evaluations and how you should do them, don’t hesitate to contact a steward. -The Editors
It’s that time of year again, when your supervisor evaluates your performance over the past year (Oct, 1, 2007-Sept. 30, 2008) and sets your performance expectations for the next year. Evaluations always seem to come at the busiest time of the year. They ought to be a time to celebrate accomplishments and set goals for the coming year. But for many staff, evaluations are viewed as a necessary evil, while for others evaluations can be a traumatic experience.
Many stewards at Ecology are long-term employees, having gone through many evaluation cycles. Some stewards have supervised staff and experienced evaluations from a supervisor’s perspective. This article attempts to gather that experience to help you through the evaluation process. We hope even experienced staff will find some pearls of wisdom you can use.
What is an Evaluation?
An evaluation has four parts:
- Performance Feedback
- Performance Expectations
- Training and Development Needs/Opportunities
- Organizational Support
It’s important to remember that an evaluation is just your supervisor’s opinion. You should try to negotiate an evaluation that you agree on and that tells the story of your work accurately. But if you can’t agree, remember that Part 4 is the place where you can state your own opinion and provide a rebuttal of anything the supervisor says that you don’t agree with.
Before the Evaluation
Read your previous year’s evaluation. Reflect on the performance expectations identified for you and what you accomplished over the last year. Note which expectations you met, which ones you didn’t meet and what things you accomplished beyond the expectations.
Anticipate what your supervisor might say about your performance and how you can professionally respond. Make a list of what you accomplished over the last year. It’s helpful to look at your monthly reports. Look through your emails and electronic files and make a list of all the times you helped another employee, answered a letter, solved a problem for a citizen, or any of those other little things that that take our time but usually don’t get recognized.
Where you didn’t meet an expectation, reflect on why. There could be a wide variety of reasons: lack of training or proper equipment, budget constraints, actions or lack of action by clients, peers or supervisors; different work taking precedence; or, underestimating the effort it would take to accomplish the expectation (by you or your supervisor).
Think about what you want to accomplish next year. Set realistic expectations. Remember, next year’s performance will be measured by these new targets.
Think about training you need to do your job better or to help you progress in your profession development. Identify specific training courses you would like to attend. If you cannot identify a specific course, identify a category of training you would like to take. Be realistic in recognition of our tight budget times. Ask for support for a tuition reimbursement opportunity.
Reflect on your supervisor’s performance over the last year. How were they helpful? How did they make accomplishing your job more difficult?
If you expect a particularly contentious evaluation, consider asking people you’ve worked well with (either clients or peers) about your performance. Where possible, ask them to use e-mail to document their responses. This will be useful information you can refer to in part 4 of your evaluation.
Some supervisors provide a draft evaluation prior to the evaluation meeting. Consider asking for the draft and then revising it to your satisfaction. Many issues can be worked out this way. At the very least, you can go into the Evaluation Meeting with your different drafts and your focus on the issues needing discussion.
During the Evaluation Meeting
Some supervisors will have two meetings—the first to reflect on last year’s performance and a 2nd to set performance expectations for next year and to follow up on issues discussed during the first meeting. Some supervisors will accomplish both in one meeting and through the use of e-mail.
During the meeting, listen carefully to what your supervisor is saying. Use active listening techniques (asking clarifying questions). Don’t accept a statement like “your co-workers think you are a slacker”. Ask more specifically who said this and when and for what reason. Ask for comparative data comparing your performance to peers to back up the assertion. Remember, your evaluation is supposed to reflect your performance over the entire year, not just one recent incident.
Make sure you fully understand the expectations being asked of you for next year. If you think they are unrealistic, say so, providing concrete examples why.
Keep cool and professional! Getting into a shouting match is not productive and will stress your relationship with your supervisor even more.
If you are taken by surprise by an unfavorable comment, express your surprise. Ecology and DOP guidance clearly states supervisors are not supposed to surprise employees in their evaluation. Surprise statements may be grounds for a grievance.
If you think the conversation will be contentious, consider asking a steward to join you in the evaluation meeting. It’s amazing how simply having a 3rd party in the room to take notes will make a supervisor think twice about attacking you.
After the Evaluation
Agency rules require you to sign your evaluation, whether you agree with it or not. You can note that you are not in agreement in the signature block.
If you think the evaluation does not accurately reflect on your performance, use part 4 of the evaluation to rebut specific statements you disagree with. Make your response professional and factual. Remember, your evaluation can be reviewed by other supervisors considering hiring you in the future. If you are uncertain how to respond, consult with a steward. Stewards can also help polish draft part 4 responses before you include them in your evaluation.
If you are surprised by a statement placed in the evaluation, or confidential health information is placed in your evaluation, or the evaluation process is not followed, you may have grounds for a grievance to challenge your evaluation. Consult immediately with a steward. Stewards have only 21 calendar days to file a grievance. And before they file a grievance they will want to try to contact your supervisor to see if the issue can be resolved without filing a grievance.
In Conclusion
A key role of any supervisor is to help employees be successful. A successful employee is not only productive, but helps a supervisor get more resources to make everyone’s life easier. The evaluation process is one tool a good supervisor can use to help employees be successful.
Evaluations can be a great opportunity for you and your supervisor to build on a positive relationship for everyone’s benefit. Unfortunately, some supervisors on a power trip save up chits during the year and use the evaluation process to unload them on staff. We hope you will find the information in this article helpful in responding if you find yourself in this situation.
