V.

Explain key points in how to use the appraisal interview to boost employee engagement

Slide 1 Employee Engagement Guide for Managers

Use the Appraisal Interview to Build Engagement

1. Employees who understand how they and their departments contribute to the

company’s success are more engaged. Therefore, take the opportunity to show

the employee how his or her efforts contribute to the “big picture”—to his or her

team’s and the company’s success.

2. Another study found that employees’ engagement rose when they experienced

what the researchers called “psychological meaningfulness” (namely, the perception that one’s role in
the organization is worthwhile and valuable). Use the interview to emphasize the meaningfulness to the
company of what the employee is doing.

3. Employees who experience “psychological safety” (the perception that it’s safe to bring oneself
to a role without fear of damage to self-image, status, or career) were more engaged. Therefore,
be candid and objective but do so supportively and without unnecessarily undermining the
employee’s self-image.
4. Efficacy drives engagement, so use the interview to make sure your employee

has what he or she needs to do a good job.

5. Managers should be candid and honest but don’t unnecessarily emphasize the

negatives. Doing so undermines employee engagement. In one survey, Gallup

asked about 1,000 U.S. employees to respond to two statements: “My supervisor focuses on my
strengths or positive characteristics” and “My supervisor

focuses on my weaknesses or negative characteristics.” It found that about

three times more employees whose managers focused on strengths were engaged,

compared with those who focused on weaknesses.96

6. Involvement in decision making and letting employees voice their opinions

improve employee engagement.97 Use the interview as an opportunity to show

your employees that you listen to their ideas and value their contributions.

7. Engagement rises when employees have an opportunity to improve their

careers

8. Research shows “a significant positive association between (1) distributive

[what rewards people get] and informational [what information they get] justice

dimensions, and (2) employee engagement.”100 Bottom line: Make sure that the

interviewee views the appraisal and the rewards or remedial actions as fair.

9. This is why self-appraisals – sometimes referred to as “self-assessments” or “self-evaluations” –

come in extremely handy. They unearth the aspects of work life that managers aren’t aware of.
In terms of process, an employee writes down their own strengths, weaknesses, rates their
overall performance, and prepares discussion points so they can talk through the evaluation
with their manager.The result of self-appraisal is increased employee engagement, bolstered
workplace culture, and it also helps to boost productivity.