What would you do? Employee ‘goes ballistic’ during performance reviews
August 7, 2008 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: Behavior, Communication, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Performance appraisals, What would you do?
Periodically, we ask three HR managers how they’d handle a difficult situation at work. Today’s problem: an employee who gets angry during performance reviews.
The scene
HR manager Stella Carville slid the folder across the desk as she spoke: “That should be everything you need to do Denny Doyle’s performance review. Any questions?”
Supervisor Michelle Higgins forced a smile and said, “How ‘bout a suit of armor to go with the file?”
Stella laughed while responding, “You’re expecting problems with Denny?”
“I keep thinking about his last review,” Michelle answered. “He went ballistic when I didn’t give him a glowing appraisal. Denny obviously has a different perception of his performance than I do.”
“I’ve picked up on that,” Stella nodded. “But are you really expecting trouble with Denny?”
“Well, last time he started yelling and screaming about the ratings I gave him,” Michelle said. “I communicated with him during the year, documented every one of those ratings, and tried to explain during the review meeting. He just wouldn’t listen.”
Middle-of-the-road ratings
“Denny’s performance hasn’t been awful or anything like that, has it?” Stella asked.
“No,” Michelle shook her head, “just sort of middle of the road. Problem is, he thinks he’s great and goes wild when he doesn’t get an outstanding review. And this review isn’t going to be outstanding, by any means. At this point, I’m not sure how to approach this.”
If you were Stella, what suggestions would you make to Michelle for handling Denny’s performance review?
Jack Carlson, HR manager, Livingston, WI
What Jack would do: The supervisor in this instance should give Denny a chance to do a self-review prior to the supervisor’s periodic performance review. That way, the supervisor can get a clearer picture of what Denny is thinking and prepare for dealing with the situation at the review.
Reason: Obviously, the emotional atmosphere during the review prevents the supervisor from giving thoughtful responses to Denny’s objections. Seeing those objections in print first will provide a better setup for the review.
Tammy Dawson, HR manager, Oklahoma City, OK
What Tammy would do: I’d suggest that as soon as Denny starts behaving that way, the supervisor might ask Denny to write up a rebuttal to the appraisal, with the promise that they’d do another review in 90 days, taking the rebuttal into account.
Reason: You’ll be giving Denny the responsibility and opportunity to do something about his objections other than just screaming during the appraisal. Then it’s up to him to help with the problem.
Linda Russo, HR director, Holden, MA
What Linda would do: I’d suggest that the supervisor and Denny meet before the appraisal and discuss the problem and how to avoid it happening again.
Reason: Experience has shown that it’s almost impossible to deal with Denny and the problem when trying to do the actual appraisal, so meeting prior to the appraisal might uncover some hidden problem or show Denny how his attitude doesn’t do anyone any good. During that pre-meeting, the supervisor should be firm in explaining to Denny that his behavior is unacceptable.
Tags: appraisal, performance reviews, ratings
Loading ...
August 7th, 2008 at 9:00 am
In this situation it might be best to have another manager or supervisor set in. Explain it as an “audit” or “training” for the manager. If his behavior during the review is unacceptable that needs addressed and then their is a witness. Being emotional is one thing but reverse harrasement should be addressed and corrected.
Perhaps integrate a performance improvement plan between reviews.
Clear expectations of what is expected sometimes “turns on the light” for employees that think they are great performers but in reality are average. Have his past performance reviews available and show him where he is as compared to where he was.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Did the employee have objectives set at the start of the performance period? Were they all achieved? If they were all achieved, how were they achieved? Does the company have values and supporting behaviors identified? Does this expected outburst demonstrate support of those values? If not, performance cannot be as outstanding as the employee thinks.
August 11th, 2008 at 11:54 am
I agree with Bob, you might also asked in the beginning if he has any objection to taping the review. As a female supervisor of men, i would definitely require that either a second person be in attendence, or the session be taped. If the “ballastic” gets out of hand, I would end the review, and ask him to return when he had calmed down and could discuss the situation rationally. Under no circumstances, would I permit the review to continue. This should also be documented for future anger management issues.
August 11th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
For this review, if Denny starts getting emotional, then I would stop the review and ask for another member of management to attend, and if that doesn’t work, I would give a copy to Denny for his review and re-schedule the meeting so they can continue the review when he can be more professional. (at some point, it would be delicately pointed out that his behavior is unacceptable, unprofessional and hurts his ratings for performance). My suggestion is that Denny’s supervisor conducts a mini appraisal half way through the year with Denny to let him know how he is doing - both positive and negative - so there are no surprises and Denny knows what he has to work on for his review. The other option is to get self assessments to all employees prior to their review so you can get an idea of what they think their performance is.
August 11th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I think all of the suggestions given in the article are excellent, as well as the one about having someone present as a witness during the review. In addition, I would be prepared with several specific examples of how his performance was average and what you would expect from him if he wants to improve. Ask him how you can support him in his endeavor to improve and be prepared with a plan that can be built on and modified during your discussion.
Sometimes, just starting out the meeting by stating up front, “Denny, I know you believe you are an outstanding employee. From my perspective, you are a good employee who has made some important contributions to the team and to our success, but your overall performance is not outstanding. Let’s talk about some of the things that I see holding you back and figure out how I can help you truly achieve your goal of excellence.” It doesn’t always work, but it does sometimes help to set the tone in this manner.
August 11th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
As far as self reviews - they don’t work! Most employees mark themselves average on about everything, even if there was an obvious problem since the last review. The same holds true if they did something outstanding, most do not like to “brag”. Submitting a rebuttle only prolongs the pain of the the evaluation to a later date. If you were telling them the truth from the begining, there would be no reason to change anything that was in the review. I like R. B.’s response - give them examples of what you are talking about - Documentation, Documentation, Documentation!!!
August 11th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I feel having another person present at the interveiw is an invasion of his privacy and I would go ballistic too. Did Denny give any written feedback or comments about his last review? Did the reviewer follow up last year with a memo (for the file) explaining how negative his behavior was in the review?
Set the ground rules up front: we are going to communicate reasonably during this review. And if you cannot share your feedback in a professional way, consider this a final warning about weak communication skills.
August 11th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I cannot get beyond the fact that the employee “goes ballistic” at each performance review and that this behavior is tolerated. Workplace conduct policies should address this behavior and the employee should be counseled that it is inappropriate and intimidating. I also wonder if he exhibits this type of behavior at other times with superviors and/or co-workers. I agree with Richard Parker, the employee’s unprofessional behavior should be documented and he should be informed that if it continues, there will be consequences, up to and including dismissal. If he has difficulty dealing with his emotions, he should be offered a referral to your company’s employee assistance program if you have one.
August 21st, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I have experienced this type of situation, here is what I did:
1. Scheduled a pre-evaluation meeting, to discuss process
2. I gave the employee a blank evaluation form and asked him to complete his own evaluation, giving specific examples of his work, good/bad
3. I also asked him to write down some goals he wanted to accomplished
4. I explained that I would do the same and that we would meet to review his evaluation and my
In my situation, he worked well, for one reason that the employee shared with me, and I am quoting him ” This is the first time someone cared about what I though” and “Wow, this was hard, it made me look at things differently”
I made this employee feel that what he had to say was important and made him be part of the system, so he would understand that this process is never easy for a supervisor.