14 Nov 2011 published in Economic Times

Performance appraisals can influence both employees and employers significantly. Good performance ratings also go a long way towards increasing the credibility of an organisation and assuring employees that they will be treated fairly.

"A well-structured performance appraisal system gives the employee and employer a focused approach on deliverables and its measurements. Further, performance appraisals provide a scope to enhance the skills and competency of an employee through gap analysis and finds the opportunity for recommendations to appropriate training and development programmes," says Shailesh Tewary, regional HR director, South Asia, G4S.

"From an employee perspective, the performance appraisal process presents a huge and an equivalent opportunity to discuss performance and related issues as well as current and future prospects," says K L Sheela, HR head, Collabera.

"Regular appraisals help employees understand their strengths and areas of improvement in order to achieve their career goals. The appraisal is also a platform for employees to share feedback about their manager and the organisation. At Symantec, performance appraisals help employees chart out their career path in consultation with their managers and optimise their goals in accordance with their skill-sets and interest areas," shares Sudhanshu Pandit, director HR, Symantec.