HOW TO DEAL WITH A BAD APPRAISAL

Any and every one of us who have worked in a corporate set up will agree with what I am about to say next. Performance reviews and appraisal times are generally one of the worst aspects of your entire working life. On the occasions when the reviews are good and you get that raise, all may be fine. But that still doesn’t throw the tension out of the window. The days that countdown to the review day could be as bad as experiencing pre-wedding jitters.

A Hypothetical scenario -

It’s ‘D’ day. Your performance is going to be reviewed. You’re pretty confident that all will go well. After all, your boss has been impressed by your consistent performances. All this, however, backfires when you’re rated badly. Your performance doesn’t get appreciated. Paradoxically, you are at the receiving end for all those mistakes that you considered ‘minor’.

There’s nothing you can do or say to get out of such a situation. It’s just one of those things that you have to learn to deal with. You can’t bypass your way out of this one, no matter how hard you wish you could.

What makes things worse is that you’re going to be under the scanner in most of the next meetings and reviews. They’re going to keep a hawk’s eye on you.

Sounds familiar? If you’ve felt the heat of a bad appraisal any time in your life, you’d be able to relate to the situation above. Learning how to deal with a bad appraisal is important. Take these tips seriously, and we hope it’ll ease the pain felt, along with helping you to avoid such a situation from reoccurring.

Keep your emotions in check -

It’s easy for the toughest of us to break down when you’re being ‘judged’ bu your superiors at work. Being in that position, is, in itself really tough. This is apart from the fact that you may be getting a bad review. That just makes things worse. The first thing that has to be kept in mind is that it will take a great deal of level headed-ness on your end. Self-control is the keyword here. Don’t let your emotions show up on your face, it will make you look extremely vulnerable and incapable of dealing with situations.

The key, then, lies in looking beyond the present context that you’re in. Listen and absorb the criticism that is coming your way. Apply your head and your heart to the task at hand, and make sure that the same mistakes do not happen again. This way, you’ll avoid the chances of having a bad appraisal the next time.

Ask for advice

You could try having a word with your immediate superiors. Ask him/her about how you could improve your performance. Keep asking them questions about how they can help you perform better and give your optimum. It is important, however, than you don’t pester them. You wouldn’t want them giving you a bad rating either. That will end up doing more harm than good.

Set your mind on the finish line

Your finish line is the day of the next appraisal. Make sure that you bring in the necessary changes that are expected on you. Improvise your working style. Check for issues that may be pulling you down. Once you’ve identified your problem areas, start working on them. Learning how to deal with a bad appraisal will help you better your performance, so that you never have to be in the same shoes again. Keep these tips in mind, work your way up, and we’re sure you’ll do fine.

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