SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT APPRAISAL REPORTS

Appraisal reports of many of the officials may not be true reflections of their real status/position.  Generally, the bosses may not want to come in the way of the progress of their subordinates and hence they may avoid giving adverse appraisals, probably except to those who have quarrelled with the boss. However, an adverse report needs to be substantiated adequately. Relations with such persons may become sour and even violent, and they may appeal to the higher ups or the courts of law and win. Then even the boss may get into problem and so he may play safe. After all, no one has time for all these things. Also, very good appraisals may be given to some persons, who may be having linkages with the boss due to caste, language, religion, state/village or some such thing. Generally the boss may play between good and very good, but when it suits the boss, it will be told that good is no good. Also sometimes the boss may not like to give excellent report, since it may undermine his own position. Outstanding may be reserved for those people who are closely related, who give something special and out of the way, in cash or kind so that the boss is under obligation to give an inflated appraisal to them. Some lazy boss may draw heavily from last year’s appraisal report, for writing the current year’s appraisal, without proper reassessment. Sometimes the top boss may suddenly give an order to the lower level officers, to give the grading of their own subordinates on an adhoc basis, due to inadequate time for fresh assessment. This may even contradict the appraisal made earlier by the same person at the due time of reporting. Generally, writing of appraisal report has a schedule. Some persons may resort to dinner diplomacy or some such unfair means to influence their grading in the report. If we happen to see the appraisals of some persons for their entire service life, we may find that different bosses have adjudged the same person from outstanding to below average at different times. This present system/type of reporting is neither in the interest of the organization nor the individual. May be, a reporting system for performance should be worked out on weighted average basis, based on feedback from all others, with whom the person has dealings, both inside and outside the organization, just like students give the feedback on the performance of the faculty in some institutions. Since no one is perfect, the subordinates should be made aware of the feedback/shortcomings and given guidance for improving. We must have a long-term point of view, both for the individual and the organization. The boss may think that the organization is running only because of him, but we must accept the fact that the organization runs with the collective efforts of everyone, by getting the best out of the whole team.