H is for… HR
Your HR department will have played a role in designing and implementing appraisals. HR also usually have the role of sitting down with your reviewers to ensure that the appraisals are carried out correctly and fairly and that they consider the peer group appropriately.
It is likely that they constantly asked questions and have heard everything before. Before your appraisal make sure you read the guidance carefully. Ideally the criterion of performance appraisal should be very clear and transparent. However, this is not always the case due to the nature of the language used. If there is anything you are unsure of about the process make sure you raise it with your HR team. You shoudl raise questions before your appraisal takes place so that you have time to prepare.
Any process driven or critereon questions should be directed to your HR team so make sure you note down any questions.