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'Sloppy work appraisals' can be 'grossly unkind', says social services champion Gerard Ee

SINGAPORE — “Sloppy work appraisals” are an act of unkindness because they are disrespectful and dismissive of an employee’s hard work and dedication, and can negatively affect the person's career, social services champion Gerard Ee said.

'Sloppy work appraisals' can be 'grossly unkind', says social services champion Gerard Ee
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  • “Sloppy” work appraisals are an act of unkindness, social services champion Gerard Ee said
  • This is because such appraisals are disrespectful and dismissive of an employee’s hard work and can negatively affect the person's career 
  • The chairman of the Agency for Integrated Care made this point in a keynote speech at the National Kindness Conference 
  • Conference participants told TODAY they agreed with Dr Ee’s comments, saying that being honest in work appraisal is a kind act

SINGAPORE — “Sloppy work appraisals” are an act of unkindness because they are disrespectful and dismissive of an employee’s hard work and dedication, and can negatively affect the person's career, social services champion Gerard Ee said.

“An appraisal is important in evaluating an employee’s performance and can have significant consequence on their professional growth and development,” Dr Ee added.

“If the appraisal is inaccurate or incomplete, due to a lack of effort or attention to detail, it could lead to unfair evaluations or missed opportunities for the employee.”

The chairman of the Agency for Integrated Care made this point in a keynote speech at the National Kindness Conference on Tuesday (April 25). The conference, which returned after an 11-year hiatus, was jointly organised by Singapore Kindness Movement, a charity that aims to cultivate kindness in society, and social enterprise Happiness Initiative.

It was attended by some 500 people from more than 340 organisations, with Health Minister Ong Ye Kung delivering the closing address.

Themed "Kind People, Happy Workplace", this year’s conference focused on promoting kinder and happier workplaces by calling on individuals and key stakeholders to introduce kindness as a core value in their workplaces.

‘UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES’ EVEN IF NOT INTENTIONALLY UNKIND

In his 17-minute speech, Dr Ee spoke about how kindness in the workplace could lead to increased productivity, workplace satisfaction and better outcomes for organisations.

He also highlighted the importance of kindness as a value in a rapidly ageing society, and pointed towards gratitude as a powerful tool for promoting kindness.

On “sloppy appraisal”, he said that while it may not be intentionally unkind, it could still have unintended consequences.

Using an anecdote from his earlier career as an auditor, he recalled how the management would typically begin booking or assigning staff members at the end of year for projects that would start in January and February of the next year, which was a peak season in auditing.

“When you go to the booking board, there are always about half a dozen individuals that nobody seems to want to work on their projects,” Dr Ee recalled. Yet, frustrated managers continued complaining to him that they were short-handed.

“So, what I used to do was, I would pull up the appraisals and find out which manager gave (these individuals) a satisfactory appraisal,” he said, adding that he would then approach them to take these employees into their project teams.

If the managers objected, Dr Ee would remind them that they had given these staff members an appraisal of satisfactory performance — thereby challenging them on whether their assessments had been an act of “straight, outright dishonesty”.

Reporting officers have the obligation and responsibility to mentor the staff members who work for them, Dr Ee said, and the lack of honesty in a sloppy appraisal is a “gross act of unkindness”.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS SAY

Participants at the conference approached by TODAY agreed with Dr Ee’s comments, saying that being honest in work appraisals is a kind act.

Mr Ng Zi Xiang, a 31-year-old civil servant, said: “I think transparency would be the key word.” He added that it is important to be kind, but it should not come at the cost of masking one’s true feedback.

Human resource executive Daniel Chen, 32, said that the point Dr Ee made about a dishonest good appraisal had struck him.

“Sometimes you think you’re giving a good appraisal, life goes on and everyone is happy.” 

However, he continued, this could mean misleading an employee into thinking that he or she was doing well in the role, when he or she really lacked the required knowledge or competency for it.

They would later also be perceived negatively, if their current supervisor were to leave and be replaced by a new one. Mr Chen added that at the end of the day, it is the organisation or company that suffers.

Ms Denise Lee, 28, an associate counsellor, said that it should be safe for both employees and supervisors alike to give and receive feedback, but workplace psychological safety is overlooked at times.

In the case of Ms Rani Sherin Idris, an honest appraisal was of much help to her because her low self-esteem in the past had led her to consistently under-appraise herself in her previous role.

A boss at the time would call her out on her appraisal, before providing a balanced assessment of her good points, and what needed improvement, she recalled. The boss would also remind Ms Rani of the need to see her own worth.

Hearing Dr Ee’s point on the importance of honest appraisals also prompted Ms Rani, who now runs her own wellness startup, to immediately reach out to her ex-boss, remembering what she had done. 

Ms Rani showed TODAY a WhatsApp conversation between she and her ex-boss on Tuesday afternoon, where Ms Rani thanked her ex-boss for her “annual kindness”.

Speaking to TODAY, Ms Rani added: “I was fortunate enough to have really good bosses who put in a lot of effort in their appraisals.”

Related topics

kindness Singapore Kindness Movement appraisal employer

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