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Should staff prepare for appraisals in work time or at home?

The issue

When should staff prepare for an appraisal? Should it be done during the working day, or, as an element in personal development, in ‘personal time’? What policies exist and what guidelines should be provided?

The responses

The raising of this issue has sparked off a lively debate and opinions are expressed on both sides. Some contributors see the appraisal process as belonging strictly within the working day and preparation for it therefore belonging within working hours also. Isn’t this implied in the employee’s terms and conditions and isn’t participation in the process compulsory? Others see the advantages of using non-working time to prepare – the quiet time when work pressures are over. Home may sometimes provide an atmosphere more conducive to reflection, but again, any feeling of compulsion to prepare at home might make it seem a chore. Perhaps, it is suggested, behind the original issue lies the wider one of how useful appraisals are perceived to be by employers and employees. Does this affect individuals’ responses to the question of when appraisal preparation should be done?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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