As an employee, you have to perform and your performance does get measured, qualitatively and quantitatively. It is not only normal that organizations tend to measure employee performance but it is also mandatory – an organization is nothing but a group of people working together towards common business objectives and when employee performance is measured, it means that the organization is measuring its own performance against standards. This, technically, is called Performance Appraisal.
If the term, Performance Appraisal, made you jittery hitherto, you would see that there is no need for you to get unnerved henceforth. There are cases where Performance Review creates a lot of stress and anxiety among the working class, with stress levels zooming past normal levels and with the worst scenario popping up the imagination. This is especially the case when layoffs abound and when the economy is not yet out of the grips of recession. Organizations are more concerned about return on investment now than ever before, and this makes Performance Review a disaster waiting to happen.
Relax, there is no reason why you should sweat out and palpitate violently. You can be assured that Employee Performance Appraisal is not any grudge that the management holds against you, but is actually an opportunity for you to highlight what you have done in the past and what you do at the moment. While it is a fact that every problem is an opportunity, you need to realise that Employee Performance Review is no problem at all for you to fret about.
If you have not had the chance to project your contributions at work earlier, now is the time. When you treat your performance appraisal as an opportunity that you can use for career development, you would have to get yourself prepared for your career opportunity. Make sure you do not get tensed up; be relaxed without worrying about the consequences as to what may happen after the review is over – being in the present and not worrying about the future makes a whole lot of difference to your stress levels.
Do a careful preparation for the performance appraisal, as you would with a meeting planing session, by going through your contributions to the company. Treat the performance review session as a sales opportunity to pitch for yourself, highlighting the positive aspects of your work. At the same time, be receptive to what your manager has to tell you. Do not be on the defensive as you receive criticism, nor should you get into denial mode. Inculcate positive thinking and communicate what you are doing at present to enhance your contribution to your organization. And acknowledge what you receive in the form of performance appraisal feedback.
Performance Review is an opportunity for you to communicate to your management what they may not have noticed in your performance – and it is up to you as to what you do with the review, with a thorough meeting planning.
Passion for Writing and Business; Post-graduation in Management; Some useful managerial experience and International Exposure; Belief in Risk-taking and in the spirit of the entrepreneur. That's me. 
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