Appraisal - is it supposed to be 'A Praise All' ?

This week at work was pretty torrid. We had to close out appraisals by the 15th and so there was a beeline to finish up things ASAP.

When it was my turn to hand in my self appraisal, I rated myself decently on the various tasks. Probably my maturity levels are really high or its a direct reflection of the time one spends at work, but whatever it is, basically I didnt over-rate myself. Actually, even 3-4 years ago, I never did that.

Does not mean that I dont take pride in my work. Of course I do. So does everyone. But I also accept reality.

So tasks where I did just what was expected, I rated myself against the grade that said - met expectations.

Unfortunately, thats what I expect my reportees also to do. I know very well that not all would follow my principles. But the sheer audacity with which some rankings came up in front of me, absolutely shocked me.

People who havent even met the very basic of expectations, had rated themselves as having exceeded exceptions. I didnt know if I had to laugh or take offense at that.

Then there were people who assumed that having spent long hours at work was tantamount to having excelled in work. Cant they just look around. Is (s)he the only person who is working long hours? If not, then obviously the entire team is having to face the music of improbable deadlines, caused by mistakes made by their superiors - people like me. In which case, I will rate myself badly and will still have to rate them against people who are stretching as much as they are.

If they find that (s)he is the only person being overloaded, again it either means:
1. Probably their ineptitude is the cause
2. They have somehow been assigned more work by their lead or manager and they have the right to stand up and say - 'I feel I am having to do more work than others and am afraid that the quality of my work will be affected'.

The second option may sound too utopian for one's comfort. If there is a fear to escalate such things and keep quiet, how come one is able to talk back all stuff during the appraisal meetings? All that I ask is that one shows this communication skill much earlier.

I have given bad ratings to people earlier too. Most often, the appraisees tend to dispute that, which is completely normal. But people are generally open-minded to accept the feedback and at least strive to work towards improvements.

Not the few people I interacted with this week. The moment they saw negative feedback - bhoomph... TEARS from one person, total stubborn behavior from another and another taking the 'by-pass' route and escalating to superiors.

The last two, I can face. No issues. There is at least a communication going on and there is at least a possibility of arriving at a conclusion. But what do you do when one cries? This person was literally crying. Is this how things work in an office? Should we get this emotional?

I agree, there are a lot of things associated with the ratings. But shouldnt that have motivated one to actually perform. Claiming that having spent long hours or coming on weekends directly means a high rating, is quite pathetic. And I even dug up the attendance records of these people. If I show it to my superiors, there is no way, they will agree to the appraisee's claims of having worked extended hours or during non-business days.

If one doesnt even have the data to back themselves, how can one make such fantastic claims? I sound like a real old man, but I seriously dont get the attitude of the youngsters coming in to work. They have a gala time during office hours and then rate themselves to a level that implies that the company has grown only because of their work.

Another fundamental problem I saw was that each one was comparing their rating with the other. One of the most basic fundamentals preached in an organisation is that the ratings should not be discussed amongst each other. But these people basically show all information to one and they all come out like a consortium with the same set of remarks and claims.

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH.....

I know I have babbled a lot in this posting, but then I am basically totally drained with all this emotional drama that I had to endure this week.

I only hope these kids dont try these things with their next manager. I dont think any other manager will even spend so much time listening to their unearthly demands.