Launching an effective 360 appraisal system within your business isn’t just a matter of choosing the right provider – there are important steps you can take that will help to ensure is it a smooth-running success before it even begins:

Third party provider or internal staff?

If you want to get honest and appropriate feedback, then it’s vital that everyone knows that their anonymity is guaranteed and their responses confidential. One way many companies choose to convey this is by using a third-party, such as our Appraisal360 network of practitioners. Respondents often feel more at ease giving feedback to someone who isn’t directly involved in their company and recipients are more receptive to that feedback when they’re being told by someone neutral. You should consider which solution is better for your business – remember, at Appraisal360 we can help train up internal employees if they are the ones who will be delivering feedback to ensure it’s done appropriately.

Educate everyone

We’ve said it before but it can’t be stressed enough – follow these golden rules to ensure everyone understands BEFORE you launch – WHAT, WHO, WHY, HOW AND WHEN:

What: What is a 360 appraisal Explain how 360 feedback can help people improve in their roles.

Who: Who will see the results? Are they completely confidential? Will anyone else be able to see my scores?

Why: Why is it being done? Tell people the purpose of it. Explain what it is used for – to help people become more effective in their jobs – and what it isn’t used for. Reassure that it’s not designed to weed out people who aren’t doing a good enough job.

How: How will you decide who is taking part and who will respond? Explain how respondents are chosen – will you do this, or can people choose their own?

When: When will the new 360 appraisal start, how long do people have to respond to how will the results be delivered?

Timescales

Remember that for every recipient, there will be several respondents who are being asked to give feedback on that person. If you try and do too many 360 appraisals at once, especially within a small organisation, you’ll find that people will quickly become bombarded with requests to give feedback. This could lead them to miss deadlines you may have set for responses, or simply not bother to respond at all, as people have to take time out of their daily jobs to do it. Roll out 360 appraisals in stages across the organisaton. Remember that the Appraisal360 system is all online, so there are no laborious forms for respondents to fill in, and all results are tabulated for you automatically, saving you time.