Conducting an appraisal remotely

Where an appraiser and the appraisee are unable to meet to face-to-face to conduct an appraisal in person, e.g. due to social distancing or working on different sites, we recommend that appraisals take place via telephone or, ideally, via Microsoft Teams.

Step one

Agree a date and time where both the appraiser and appraisee are in rooms with the necessary equipment and where they can hold a confidential conversation.

Step two

It is useful prior to the appraisal for the appraiser to undertake a pre-appraisal check. This can be done over the phone and will help the appraisee to understand how to prepare for their appraisal.

Step three

The appraisee should email their completed form to the appraiser one week before the meeting.

Step four

Ideally, the appraisee should be seated in front of a computer, so the appraiser can share their screen via Microsoft Teams and complete the relevant sections with the appraisee's input.

If the appraisal is carried out by phone, the appraiser will need to complete their sections and send the form to the appraisee for them to check.

Stop and check

During the conversation, the appraiser will need to ensure that their communication is clear, the language used is appropriate and that the appraisee can hear the questions and information discussed.

The appraiser will need to also ensure that the appraisee agrees and understands with the objectives by asking open questions. 

Record

During the conversation, the appraiser can write/type the information into the relevant sections, again checking with the appraisee that the information is correct.

Once the previous appraisal form has been completed and signed off, the new objectives can be agreed.

If the form is not completed via screen sharing, the appraiser should email the appraisal documents to the appraisee for them to read and confirm the information.

If a scanner is not available to scan a signed copy, the appraisee can confirm via email that they are happy for the completed form to be placed on their personal file.