Performance Appraisals

Performance Appraisals. Two words that can make the hair stand on end for both employeesand managers.Poorly done, performance appraisals can leave you with underperformers who lack the direc-tion to change their behavior, good performers who feel unrecognized for their work, and,worse yet, problem employees who should be dismissed, but a lack of appropriate documenta-tion prevents this.
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Performance Appraisals Expert Reference Series of White PapersPerformance Appraisals – How to Make Them Work For You1-800-COURSES www.globalknowledge.comPerformance Appraisals –How to Make Them Work For YouSteve Lemmex, Global Knowledge Course Director, PMPIntroductionPerformance Appraisals. Two words that can make the hair stand on end for both employeesand managers.Poorly done, performance appraisals can leave you with underperformers who lack the direc-tion to change their behavior, good performers who feel unrecognized for their work, and,worse yet, problem employees who should be dismissed, but a lack of appropriate documenta-tion prevents this.Performance appraisals can be a rewarding experience for both the employee and employer ifthe appraisals are carefully planned, geared toward the right objectives, and form part of anongoing process aimed at continual performance improvement.Purpose of Performance AppraisalsPerformance appraisals provide a review of how well employees are able to meet expectations.Most organizations have a general idea of what target performance looks like but fail when itcomes to communicating this target.Imagine your job is to sell tires and you sell more than anyone else. You rule! What if you didnot know that management expects you to concentrate on selling the more expensive brands,that something about your work behavior alienates your colleagues, and that your lack ofattention to detail and paperwork creates confusion for other people? But you did sell the mosttires, so what’s the problem?Employees need a detailed plan to show them how to succeed at their jobs. They need specif-ic targets in all areas of responsibility and they need to know where they stand at any giventime.There are three reasons why employers need to use performance appraisals. 1. To set performance standards and, in some companies, form the basis of a reward system. 2. To form the basis of a coaching plan. 3. To document poor performance as part of a dismissal process.Copyright ©2005 Global Knowledge Network, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 2Part 1: Preparing for the AppraisalCollecting Background InformationOne of the most difficult aspects of conducting the performance appraisal is substantiating theperformance of an employee, whether positive or negative. Unless you have a consistent,organized method of collecting information, the performance appraisal will usually be based onrecent incidents or those that stand out in your mind. This will provide an unfair evaluation ofperformance.In order to collect information on employee performance, you must look to several sources:Incident Reports/PraiseAn incident report should be used to collect both negative and positive feedback from col-leagues, management, and the employee’s peers. These reports should provide the basicdetails, the context in which the incident happened, the date and time, and what was doneabout it.When performance appraisal time rolls around, these incidents will form the basis of theirappraisal. There should be no surprises to the employee! With continual communication, theyshould always know how well they are performing.Incident reports could include: • comments from peers, other supervisors, or management • comments from customers • examples of work performed • how the employee handled difficult situations • positive and negative examples of work behaviorJob DescriptionThe job description is a key element for preparing a performance appraisal because it capturesthe job responsibilities and expected behaviors. Make available to the employee changes to ajob description as soon as they are approved.Previous EvaluationsIt is a good idea to review previous evaluations to see past performance; however, you mustbe careful not to rely too heavily on these documents. Previous evaluations can influence youropinion whether they were written by you or by a previous supervisor.Employee Self-AssessmentYou might think that giving employees the chance to self-assess their performance is simply anopportunity for them to show how wonderful they think they are, but you would be surprised atwhat they reveal. Employees should be given the performance appraisal form and an explana-tion of its scale and be asked to evaluate themselves on each of the criteria. They will need toprovide some detail to justify the evaluation they have given themselves.Copyright ©2005 Global Knowledge Network, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 3The supervisor will be able to spot discrepancies between his or her evaluation and theemployee’s and be prepared to discuss them. The employee should be asked to comment on: • any accomplishments or training they have taken during the current review period (includ- ing on-the-job training) • career aspiration ...