Taking the dread out of annual performance evaluations

Many employees and managers alike dread annual performance evaluations. However, there is a way to get past the "dread" factor. Annual performance evaluations can be a positive experience and even motivational. They can be a time for affirming good work of the past year and planning together what will be accomplished in the year to follow. By keeping employees informed of the larger picture, helping them to see how they fit in, involving them in setting performance objectives, dealing with performance problems as they arise, and noticing when they have achieved their objectives can make evaluation a positive experience.