Making the most of staff appraisals 

At a time where staff recruitment and retention are only getting harder Sue Birchall, long-standing SBL, explains why investing time and energy into proper appraisals could help

Read the full article below or on page 18 in our March magazine

Life has become harder financially for us all, but our industry has never suffered so much from the lack of ability to recruit staff and, to some degree, retain them. The shortage of teachers and school leaders has been an issue for a while but is now joined by support staff. Recruiting for roles such as cover supervisors, teaching assistants and other classroom-based staff has become quite cut-throat – often causing a justified increase in salaries. 

At a time when schools are feeling the pinch of higher costs, salaries have and are set to rise for teachers and support staff; oncosts can only go up in line with this and efficiencies are being sought across the board. Recruitment of staff can be an expensive business and shortages often lead to schools having to use agencies, and more expensive ways of recruiting, adding to the strain.

It seems prudent, therefore, to put in place effective staff wellbeing and retention policies to minimise turnover and reduce these costs. There are many ideas and solutions out there, but I would suggest concentrating on developing the one that is already in use and, hopefully, embedded and effective; staff appraisals. If done well it offers incremental reward, career development, job satisfaction and is of benefit to both the employee and employer. 

Historically the system of pay and reward in schools has been a slightly contentious affair, partly because of the different terms and conditions of teaching staff and support staff. This has led to somewhat fragmented approaches to appraisal and a less than uniform approach for most. Whilst this is understandable when you look at the different terms of pay, leave and benefits of education staff, it should not influence the fundamental benefit of having your contribution recognised and appropriately rewarded financially – however, appraisal should not be just about pay.

When done well it can not only be an opportunity for a proper assessment of a role but also an introduction to new ideas, change of direction – a chance to celebrate an employee’s contribution. It is proven that receiving recognition and praise is as rewarding as a financial increase, and contributes to staff feeling settled and secure in the workplace. This, along with an appropriate salary, rewards loyalty, hard work and commitment, all of which adds to staff wellbeing and happiness, vital in retaining staff. 

Dedicated time together

When you carry out an appraisal you are offering the individual your dedicated time, as the term suggests, to appraise their performance. The meeting should always be held somewhere that allows for you to hold your review without interruption, and the employee should have had the opportunity to consider a self-evaluation of their performance which they bring with them. 

When given the time and attention it deserves it should be a positive experience for all concerned -it is an opportunity to share good practise and make changes. I have often started an appraisal with a colleague and, halfway through, changed direction on targets and outcomes; all of your staff are professionals and well-placed to offer suggestions for change and improvement. Obviously, one of the key elements is to recognise when someone has gone over and above and to use the process to reward appropriately; after all, we work primarily for financial reward.

Some pitfalls to avoid! 

Whilst it is tempting, and often easiest, to offer the highest of awards, year-on-year, doing this takes away the benefit; if staff are aware that they ‘earn’ their grade each year, it can be much more beneficial. Last year’s outstanding performance is now this year’s way of working so to achieve the highest grade but there needs to have been further development. 

The meeting should be used as an opportunity to ensure that the job description is appropriate and it should never be used to discuss any under-performance that has not been addressed previously. 

Our staff are our most expensive and valuable resource; good staff hard to find, and even harder to retain. Investing time and energy into proper appraisals will reap rewards through the development of your workforce and retention of your best staff.