Training managers to be better appraisers

In the present era of COVID-19, which creates an abnormal work situation, we propose that supervisors understand that when appraising their workers under these circumstances, they have to “deduct” employee situational factors in their employee assessments. They need better focus on the workers’ inputs, namely, what the employees bring to the job in the way of effort, skills, and knowledge, and so on. That this approach is viable was established in Jawahar’s (Reference Jawahar2005) study that indicated that managers are capable of understanding (and being lenient) when their employees are performing under challenging conditions. The severe conditions incorporated much of those extant during the coronavirus period, such as

1. 1. Working from home. People found themselves working from home without available workspace: in a shared family space, such as the dining room, with all the prevailing disturbances that entailed, such as children requiring supervision. Others who have a workspace at home may have discovered that it was not adequately equipped for prolonged work. For instance, regarding their computer: The computer screen was old and hard to look at for long periods; there were no speakers; or the space itself, and the mouse and keyboard, were not ergonomically designed. All these factors, among the other anxieties and inconveniences at home, build up the frustration and pressures, all the more when the employee is now expected to work additional long hours in a family environment.

2. 2. Adapting to new technologies that require swift adjustment. Under the conditions and restrictions of the pandemic, many workers are required to operate ICTs in their new domestic work situations, actions previously performed in a physical workspace. These ICT activities include, for instance, lecturers now teaching classes on Zoom or office receptionists who have to switch their service, employing electronic measures. It is by no means uncommon that workers, apprehensive about using technology, are forced to leave their comfort zone by learning to acquire new skills. Learning new skills removes “rust” and refreshes the mind, but that innovative process also involves performance anxiety (“Will I succeed?” and “What a shame it if I fail!”). Not surprisingly, the older generations’ concern about employing technology is at a higher level than that of the younger generations (X and Y). The latter populations, who were born into the technology, feel at home with communication systems (e.g., Bencsik etal., Reference Bencsik, Horváth-Csikós and Juhász2016; Gallup, 2016; Gilson etal., Reference Gilson, Maynard, Young, Vartiainen and Hakonen2014). Furthermore, and not unexpected, is the finding that techno-stress (in the work context) is higher among people for whom technology is not their primary occupation. For example, human resources workers who have to conduct interviews online or university professors who have to teach classes using Zoom are more anxious about using the technology than ICT workers who communicate electronically on a regular basis (Maier etal, Reference Maier, Laumer and Eckhardt2015). Notably, many employees are afraid that using technology that is available 24/7 will cause work intensification (Ross etal., Reference Ross, Ressia and Sander2017). They are wary that their supervisors will expect them to work beyond regular work hours (because they can log on from home) or to find (nonessential) solutions to issues late at night, just because they possess work laptops in their homes.

3. 3. Quantitative overload. Employees defined as essential workers, especially medical personnel, are forced to work long hours, often without enough sleep hours to recover from the stress. Recovery from work pressures constitutes an essential factor in maintaining employee mental and physical health (Sonnentag & Fritz, Reference Sonnentag, Fritz, Ones, Anderson, Viswesvaran and Sinangil2018). In the course of a workday, however, many cannot afford a lunch break or a short rest. Significantly, during this crisis, workplaces reduced the workforce and many employees are on unpaid leave, leaving the remaining staff to do the work of many. Some of these latter employees may be exceedingly stressed by the increased significant quantitative and qualitative overload and are likely to make more mistakes or wrong decisions more frequently.

4. That is not to say that under normal circumstances when work conditions are relatively straightforward, managers should go easy on their employees’ work; they should, indeed, appraise their employees strictly. The point is that, for example, during lockdown periods, all other things being equal, managers should deliver job appraisals to workers who are parents (that do not manage to achieve their expected outputs) that are on par with those of the childless employees. The manager thus “deducts” the external effects and focuses on the employees’ input. Having stated this, however, employees may yet be concerned and stressed out when contemplating that their managers are unaware of their harrowing conditions and, consequently, may not make the necessary adjustments to their performance appraisals.

5. The pressurized environment created by the coronavirus has opened up opportunities for managers to improve and highlight the soft people skills needed in the process of performance appraisal. They could now better exhibit caring and empathy, be attentive to difficulties and fears, and, in the face of the stressful and touchy circumstances, serve as role models of vigilant conduct while exhibiting creativity, optimism, hope, and resiliency (e.g., Rabenu, Reference Rabenu, Muhlbauer and Harry2017). They could, perhaps, with enhanced consciousness, now get more familiar in person with each of their employees and their particular needs (e.g., pregnant, anxious, in a financial bind, with young children at home). In general, they could divert their attention to providing their workers with appropriate emotional support and maintenance, beyond their concerns of achieving their organizations’ productivity goals.