How Do You Write a Rebuttal to a Performance Appraisal?
To write a rebuttal to a negative performance review, an employee should quote the erroneous sections of the review that need rebuttal. The individual should keep a positive tone throughout the letter and express optimism regarding the resolution of the matter. The letter must be factual and display minimal emotion.
A worker should note all the significant errors in the performance review and highlight these points in the rebuttal letter. An individual should highlight highly subjective comments and any success criteria ignored by the reviewer. A person should also cite any reasons that made it impossible to achieve the set targets, such as sick leave or lack of adequate resources.
An employee should keep calm throughout the performance review meeting so as to avoid making a bad situation worse. After the review meeting, an individual should request a copy of the performance review to review later. A staffer should ask the reviewer or HR department for guidance on the rebuttal process in order to abide by the necessary guidelines when submitting the rebuttal.
A staffer should request the HR department to include the rebuttal letter in her personnel file and oppose the addition of the negative review to her personnel file during the review. An employee should follow up on the rebuttal letter if the employer does not respond within two weeks.
