TranslateGeneral Appraisal FAQs
What is an appraisal?
Your appraisal is a two-way conversation between you and an appraiser (usually your line manager). This conversation allows you to take stock and discuss your role and contribution at LUHFT, as well as how you can bring your best self to work. You will look back over the last 12 months, and chat through what’s gone well and what could have gone better. You will discuss your wellbeing and look ahead to the next 12 months so you are clear on the ask of you (setting objectives). It’s also an opportunity to discuss any next steps in your career and agree any personal development.
Your appraisal conversation is an opportunity for you to have a meaningful and quality conversation with your colleague, to help you feel valued, supported and clear on goals.
Why do I need an appraisal?
Appraisals are intended to be positive. It provides a chance for you and your manager/appraiser to step back and reflect on the past year, recognising your hard work and to share feedback on some of the great things you have done. It is also the time to look to the year ahead, and to agree any development needed, whether that be to support you in your current role, or to help you work towards the next step in your career and what's important to you.
From 1st April 2022, a national mandate on pay progression will come into force. This means that to be eligible to progress to the next point in your pay band on your increment date, you will need to have had an appraisal within the last 12 months. For more information, check out our FAQs on Pay Progression.
I am a Doctor/Medic/Dentist, does this new appraisal process apply to me?
The new appraisal process and framework does not apply to Medics/Doctors and Dentists who currently use the L2P system for their appraisal and revalidation. The current process and method for appraisal for these colleagues will remain unchanged.
How do I prepare for my appraisal?
You will get the best from your appraisal if you prepare well and do some thinking beforehand. Your manager should give you some time to do this before your appraisal. Take a look at the Appraisal template and make some notes. Further detail and support can be found in the Employee’s Prep Guide in the Resources (liverpoolft.nhs.uk). By preparing, you will go to your appraisal ready with examples to share. Your manager should also prepare so you can have a two-way conversation.
How do I complete my appraisal?
The appraisal template can be used flexibly, either printed off on paper or used electronically and typed into. You can begin to complete parts of it before your meeting. Please visit the Resources (liverpoolft.nhs.uk) page to download all of the documentation you will need. You and your appraiser will also need to record your appraisal date on ESR to ensure your appraisal is captured in compliance. Look at our step-by-step guide and video tutorials on the resources page to help.
How long should an appraisal conversation take? Will we have dedicated time to do this?
Rough guidance from evaluation shows average conversation time at 60 minutes with a typical range from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. We are aiming for a quality and meaningful conversation to happen between two colleagues. Depending on how regularly you meet, this may impact on how long your conversation takes.
We are asking you to be sensible and spend time where you need to focus most. If you have recently talked about wellbeing for example, a catch up rather than full review may be all that’s needed.
Please avoid this as a tick box exercise. Aim for a quality and meaningful conversation where colleagues feel valued and clear on their objectives.
Is my appraisal the only opportunity I will have for a contribution conversation?
Your appraisal should form part of an ongoing conversation between you and your manager, about you and your role within the organisation. The appraisal gives you a formal opportunity to have a focused conversation about your health and wellbeing, your last 12 months at LUHFT, what you’ve learnt and the contributions you’ve made. You will agree development goals to support you to continue to grow and learn in your role. However, you should also be having regular 121s with your manager to check in on your wellbeing and your development.
How will the quality of appraisals be assessed so it's not just a tick in the box, for the numbers?
To support colleague experience of a quality and meaningful appraisal conversation, the Organisational Development team will work with Site and Corporate Service People Leads to undertake an annual check across all sites in clinical and non-clinical areas. Using a randomly sampled selection, this review process will support an assessment and continuous improvement of the appraisal conversation experience for colleagues.
If contacted, you will be asked to supply a copy of your last appraisal conversation record, and to give feedback in a short pre-arranged interview about your experience of the conversation and the administrative process of your appraisal. Colleagues will also have an opportunity to give feedback through the annual staff opinion survey.
Will there be an appraisal window?
At LUHFT we have no current plans to introduce a formal appraisal window. Managers/appraisers should however be clear on how any team or individual goals are linked to the Trust strategic priorities. NOTE: the trust’s new strategic priorities are to be published following sign off by the Board in May 2024. Guidance is provided to support the setting of team and individual objectives, making that important link to the trust aims and objectives.
Guidance to managers/appraisers:
- If your colleague’s annual appraisal conversation is overdue, please act to get this completed now, do not wait for the new trust objectives to be published after they are signed off in May 2024.
- Then the only requirement is to use your next scheduled check in with your colleague to up-date on any new strategic goals. There will be no need to repeat a full annual appraisal until it falls due again after 12 months.
How do we factor in a values-based approach to our appraisal process?
The framework covers our trust values and behaviours. After setting objectives, there is an opportunity to discuss how the appraisee demonstrates the values and behaviours, what they mean for the team locally and whether there are gaps they will need to fill and do more of in the coming year.
How can we track or review goals, record achievements and set check-in reminders?
ESR does not provide this function and so local arrangements will need to be made for check-in and review. Individuals are able to upload information into their personal ESR records.
What reasonable adjustments can be made for appraisals for staff with additional needs for support?
A: The framework template is a word document that can be printed out to specification of individual needs or used electronically and adjusted to size/requirements. Appraisal conversations can be face to face in location to suit or virtual as needed. Should any further support be required for conducting appraisal conversations, it is recommended to discuss with your line manager and any queries on requirements can be sent to organisational.development@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
Appraisal Guidance for new employees at LUHFT - do new starters need to have an appraisal?
Current trust policy is that new employees are added to appraisal reporting as soon as they start. Managers and appraisers have two options, wait for 3 months and then have a full appraisal, or use their local induction as an opportunity to have a ‘lighter touch’ appraisal conversation covering the following important areas of best practice:
- Health and Wellbeing - check in on health and wellbeing- does the colleague need any support, signpost to Life at LUHFT offer?
- Values - discuss how LUHFT’s values and behaviours show up in the local team e.g., what does caring, fair, innovative look like in the new employees role
- Contribution – short term objectives – what are the immediate goals and team contributions you would like your colleague to know about to help them land well and focus on for the coming months until full appraisal?
For the ‘lighter touch’ appraisal, you can still use the appraisal template as a tool for your discussion and record the conversation in ESR. If you take this option, please ensure that you also book a full appraisal conversation with up-dated objectives and a discussion about development and career aspirations within six months of start date.
My manager is on long-term sick leave and I’m due an appraisal – what should I do?
Your appraisal doesn’t have to be completed by your official line manager, so whoever is in charge in the interim can have your Contribution Conversation with you. You can record this on ESR and set them as your main appraiser.
What if my manager is too busy to do my appraisal?
Our Chief Executive James Sumner has confirmed that appraisals are not optional, they are business as usual and all colleagues need to have experienced an appraisal, so they are clear on goals, their contribution and they feel valued and supported.
Do I hold off from having my appraisal until a set date? Do we need to start the new appraisals now?
Please complete an appraisal conversation as soon as possible if you have not had one in the last 12 months. Please ask your manager to book you in. Appraisals are not optional; they are a business-as-usual activity and help colleagues to feel valued and supported and to be clear on goals and their contribution.
As a manager, do I have to wait to have my own appraisal before I can start appraising my staff?
Ideally you would take a cascade approach through the team so that there is consistency and clarity around strategic objectives. However, this isn’t always practical, so please continue with your staff appraisals to keep up compliance. The appraisal framework covers important areas on health and wellbeing, development, values and behaviours as well as contribution. Once you’ve had your own appraisal, you can use the Contribution Catch-up meetings to have a shorter check in to clarify objectives with the staff you appraise.
I have no private area to undertake appraisal conversations as I am in a shared office. Where can we book a space to carry out our appraisals and 1:1 meetings?
A: If you feel you don't have the space to carry out appraisals, please click here for information on room bookings at LUHFT.
What support is there for managers with many staff to appraise? Are we able to delegate appraisals of junior colleagues to other senior team members?
With a large team it would be sensible to share the responsibility of appraisal within the team. We recommend colleagues are appraised by a senior colleague who works closely enough with them to comment on their contribution and development. Training is available on the new appraisal framework and skills support as needed for any appraiser. It would be the responsibility of the team leader to monitor completion progress with their delegated appraisers.
What’s the actual timeline to describe the steps in the appraisal process?
You no longer must complete a three-step preparation process. Simply get a date booked in with your colleague, and we suggest 2 weeks before you give them a copy of the contribution conversation framework template together with the employee guidance and ask them to reflect and prepare. You can also do your own preparation using the framework and appraiser guidance.
Immediately after the appraisal conversation managers should update ESR to record completion and store documents. This process is explained in the appraisal briefing or ESR training in more detail.
How do you store appraisal conversation information?
Your record of your My Contribution Conversation can be stored using the guidance below. Please note managers need to ensure that appraisal records should be stored electronically in a central folder for managers only so that it remains confidential from the wider team but is accessible by more than one individual:
- Paper version - can be scanned and up-loaded by the appraisee to their personal record on ESR. Please note that supervisor/appraisers will not be able to view this and so will need to make local arrangements to score electronically in a shared and confidential manager folder.
- MS Word template – conversations can be recorded using the MS Word template then treated as a. above.
- ESR template – this is a template built into ESR on the appraisal record so you can complete fully in ESR. If this is your preference this is stored against the appraisee’s record.
What support is available to managers to ensure they have skills to conduct a quality and meaningful conversation with a colleague that has a balance of support and challenge as needed?
There is a range of guidance and skills development support available to appraisers. Click here to access our Learning and Development hub for a range of learning opportunities to support you.
Do you still have to give a self-assessment score on performance, or do appraisers score?
No. We have removed all scoring from the appraisal conversation for both manager/appraisers and employee/appraisees. Focus is on discussing and being clear about personal strengths and any gaps to fill in living our trust values and behaviours, as well as personal impact and contribution to the team so we deliver great patient care.
How do we factor in a values-based approach to our appraisal process?
Section 3 of the new framework covers our trust values and behaviours. This is an opportunity to review together how the appraisee currently demonstrates the values and behaviours, what they mean for the team locally and whether there are gaps they will need to fill and do more of in the coming year.
Is the appraisal linked to succession planning?
There are plans to develop our talent programme in the coming years and this will include succession planning. Currently we are re-setting with better basics of a quality and meaningful appraisal conversation.
