Entitled To appraisal during mat leave?

[babsie007]

I am in the uk and have worked for my employer for nearly 3 years. I have been on maternity since the end of December 2013 and I am returning to work on 1st April (I have taken 3 months leave).

Everyone has been emailed an appraisal form by hr apart from me, and I haven't had an appraisal meeting booked in either (and it doesn't seem to be on the radar!!).

Am I entitled to my appraisal during mat leave? Or would they only do this upon my return?

[Casmama]

I'm not sure on the legalities of it but i know that I will have a keeping in touch day in order to do my appraisal while on mat leave so I would ask HR

[babsie007]

It's HR that have excluded me... And I don't think it's right. They haven't consulted with me. I thought the legalities where that I was still entitled to it but I'm
Not 100% sure now

[FunkyBoldRibena]

I would think they are waiting until you are back. If they booked an appraisal in, would that be additional pressure during your mat leave?

[nowwearefour]

I also think they are prob trying to be considerate during your mat leave. But if you want one i am sure they will schedule one for you?

[babsie007]

I have emailed her to ask about it. It's annoying as I'm back in a weeks time and I had already told them I wanted to come in for my appraisal. I have been in touch pretty much every day so I don't see why they couldn't have communicated this to me.

[flowery]

It would be unusual to do someone's appraisal during maternity leave. It's more normal to do it earlier, before they go, or defer it to when they are back. Appraisals are far more valuable when someone is actually working- if you did one now you'd be talking about work you were doing several months ago, up to a year depending how much leave you've taken.

In a situation where someone is due back in a week I certainly wouldn't be recommending they are appraised. I would probably recommend it is deferred for perhaps two or three months, to give the employee a chance to get back into things before having her work assessed, and to make sure there is sufficient evidence of performance to make an appraisal worth while for both manager and employee.

What's the rush?

[flowery]

Sorry I've just seen you've only taken three months off. But I still wouldn't recommend an appraisal immediately, perhaps in a few weeks, and if you're due back in a week, surely you can talk to your manager then about setting a date that works for both of you?

[Casmama]

There should still be evidence of the work OP has done during the year and if a pay review is dependent on the appraisal why should she wait?

[flowery]

What, not even a week until she's back at work?!

If her employer feels they have enough evidence to appraise her and she's happy to be appraised, then fine, but talking about "legalities" being "excluded" and not having been "consulted" for the sake of delaying her appraisal a week until she's in the office anyway is way over the top.

Most employees would be upset at the idea that they should have to go through an appraisal immediately on return from maternity leave without having had a chance to be back into things and performing well, although most obviously take more than three months off.

Appraisal time in most business is over the space of a few weeks an yea, and there's no reason to think any pay increase wouldn't be backdated if she wasn't appraised in time.

[HungryHorace]

I was appraised on the day I returned to work, after 10 months off, to make sure I qualified for a bonus of sorts next pay day.

It was a bit weird / ridiculous, but that's what they wanted to do.

3 months off wouldn't have been so bad, I don't think, but I'd still have wanted to wait til I was back and not go in for a KIT day for it.