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Who
We Are |
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Branch looks after people employed in the Telecoms industry in the
Essex (outside the M25 area), South East Herts. (Bishop Stortford area), and South
Suffolk (Ipswich area). A number of the Company's whose members we represent
include BT, Telewest, Marconi, O2 & Global Marine. |
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Welcome to The South East Anglia branch of the CWU |
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW-
ADVICE TO MEMBERS
One of the biggest issues the branch answers questions on is APRs.
First of all, while to many of us, APRs are a complete waste of
time, it is important to understand just how important your APR
might be in terms of your career path, or indeed, whether your
career continues, should you have the misfortune to fall foul of the
company's disciplinary processes.
There should be no secrets revealed at an APR. Simply a "coming
together" of the 1:1's of the last twelve months. Given that
opinions visa vi performance and contribution are between the
recipient and the manager giving the APR (and, possibly, the
countersigning manager), the union's role is obviously confined to
advising members on their approach - and if necessary, their appeal.
BT DO NOT allow members to take "a friend" with them and
the company would argue - with some degree of accuracy - that
although union representatives have a useful part to play in terms
of briefing members on APR procedure, they have no say in the
content of the APR itself.
We hope therefore that the advice below will be helpful to members
who may be preparing for their APR and we hope it answers many of
your questions. Indeed, we'd recommend you saving or perhaps
printing this advise.
What Use Is My APR?
Potentially, a great deal! Put simply, a poor APR may prevent you
from applying for promotion or rule out a move to another group or
geography
A good APR however can be worth its weight in gold in these respects
and can open a lot of doors – because it is hard evidence of a
member’s performance and value to the company. It can also carry a
lot of sway should a member find themselves disciplined by the
company
Your APR comes into its own when your unit is looking to reduce
headcount and is a major factor within the Identification of
Redeployees process
Why Do I Get an APR?
Your APR should be part of a dialogue between you and your manager.
It should highlight:
your achievements
areas for improvement and development
your potential for other roles within BT
What Should Happen?
Before you meeting with your manager you are entitled to request:
A blank APR form to prepare a self-assessment before the interview
– this is for your own guidance and not to be given to management.
A set of guidance notes
Enough time to prepare for the meeting – at least 24 hours from
receiving a copy of your APR
At The Review
Discuss your APR with your manager
If you disagree with any markings or comments, insist on being given
examples of what has been said about your performance (at 1:1’s
with your manager, for instance– the APR guidance note allow for
this
Ensure that your comments are accurately recorded
A bad APR should never come as a surprise. An APR should simply
"pull together" the events of the past year.
So, Challenge the assessment if your performance has not been
criticised during the year and the APR is bad.
How Can I Challenge My APR?
Firstly with your manager at the review meeting
If you are not satisfied you may go to your countersigning manager
(tier 2)
If you are still not satisfied, request a meeting with your third
line manager (tier 3)
If you feel you have been discriminated against or seriously
disadvantaged, you may ask for a review by a senior manager outside
your division. This takes the place of the appeal to the third line
manager
We hope this brief guide helps. As with any job worth doing, members
should:
spend some time preparing your case - do it properly or not at all
make a note of any supporting evidence you wish to present –
don’t simply rely on your memory
be prepared to refer to other managers or departments you have
served well over the past year
refer to any recognition awards, “bouquets” or favourable
customer comments you may have received
In a nutshell no member should ever have to put up with being
undervalued. We have lost count of good people that were held back
from promotion, refused sideways moves or found themselves
redeployed onto lower grade work, simply because they avoided the
inevitable hassle of challenging their APR.
Quite simply, if your APR is not so good, but its accurate – you
have no argument. If however that’s not the case, members owe it
to themselves and their own pride in themselves not to let their
manager get away with rubbishing them and should always challenge,
if necessary, line by line their APR. Failure to do so means their
will only be one loser – You!
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