This being the time for the annual appraisal, the question is whether HR be allowed to see all details on how employees rate each other in annual reviews or should they be restricted to only access to the overall scores? Can you share some best practices in how HR can facilitate the performance process while maintaining confidentiality of feedback?

In your company, it seems there is a practice wherein employees rate each other. Honestly, I have no idea as to what is the purpose of such a practice and what is achieved as a result; hence, it is very difficult to comment on the role of HR.

In normal course, the managers do the performance evaluation, rate the employees and set the targets for the next year. In this process, HR certainly has an important role of facilitating the process, ensuring fair play, ensuring the performance is well distributed, and the performance rating scores are utilized for the rewards and recognition. HR also plays an important role in the target setting exercise for the next year. This role is mainly that of a facilitator, ensuring full alignment and existence of SMART objectives that are well articulated with minimal ambiguity.

Vivek is a Senior HR professional with over 35 years of experience, ranging several leadership positions, in India and abroad. He leads his consulting practice since 2003 and presently works as a Strategic HR Advisor to Reliance Industries, and is also an independent Director on the Board of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd. Prior to this, he was based at Singapore for several years where he was Director HR - Operations at Hewlett Packard for the Asia Pacific Region. Allow Vivek to clear your career and professional dilemmas by writing to us at ask@peoplematters.in