The impact of Covid-19 has not only hurt the businesses, but the future of employees too. With great uncertainty still prevailing, saving your job itself seems like a big accomplishment. However, the achievers will always have an outlook beyond the current tides. The real question is, should one expect a Performance Appraisal during COVID-19 pandemic?

Your Brand Is Struggling

When the lockdown began, most of the businesses except the essential services went on an indefinite halt. The matter of observation is that all of this began by the end of March, just a week before the official appraisal month. The tables turned for all those who were confident about a good hike or just an industry standard increment. 

Many small and mid-sized businesses went broke, and startups lost their traction completely. As a result, a lot of people lost their jobs within the next two weeks of the lockdown. Those who did not lose their jobs either have their employee privileges revoked or salaries cut down.

Identify What’s Important

If you still have a job that allows you to work from home or with all social distancing norms in place, you already are in a better place. That does not mean you should stop expecting more from your Employer. All you need to do is expect tomorrow, and act today. 

With a sudden shift from office work to remote employment, the complete organization is going through a restructuring. Top employers of India including TCS, HCL, and WIPRO have parked the entire process of increments and appraisals. This clearly states that giving a performance appraisal during COVID-19 is not one of the primary concerns for businesses.

What About Promotion?

Every crisis brings with it an opportunity. While the hope for appraisals and increments is quite faint, promotions can be one of the immediate achievements you can have. Your brand is already struggling to sustain itself. 

Those who ooze out passion will surely take a step ahead taking more responsibility than assigned to them. As a result, they will get promoted for proactive participation and management. For instance; if you are a sales person with good communication skills, taking up small tasks of the marketing team can help you.

Keep An Eye On The Market

The sudden growth of the unemployed population in almost every industry has brought an imbalance to the supply-demand ratio of work. Due to this, a lot of those who are getting hired again are working at lower salaries than their previous jobs. 

Before increments become a possibility, you will get back your normal paychecks without the salary cutdown. That is the time to start noticing changes in the organization in terms of how aggressive the hiring is, or if someone is being officially promoted. Quickly check your worth in the market by applying for a similar role. If you get a higher salary offer than your current employment, you will realize that it is time to talk to your current employer too.

Performers Always Get Rewarded

The impact of COVID-19 on performance appraisals may diminish before March, 2021. Take this time gap as an opportunity to show your loyalty, inclusiveness, and importance to your employer. A good employer will always retain its top performers at any cost. When the time comes to reward those who stood by them during the tough times, make sure you are in the front line. We are in the middle of a pandemic which has no sign of going away anytime soon. Holding hands to keep each other from falling is utterly crucial right now, and will benefit both in the long run.