performance appraisal – a tough time for both manager and company
TRANSCRIPT
B Y C O M M U N I C A T I O N S & L E A D E R S H I P E X P E R T S
P E R F O R M A N C E A P P R A I S A L – A
T O U G H T I M E F O R B O T H M A N A G E R
A N D C O M P A N Y
Here are some issues that canhappen with employeesperformance appraisal.
P E R F O R M A N C E A P P R A I S A L S C A NB E A V E R Y T R I C K Y M A T T E R F O R
A N Y M A N A G E R , N O M A T T E R H O WE X P E R I E N C E D T H E Y A R E . I T I S A
S L I P P E R Y S L O P E T H A T S H O U L DB E C R O S S E D V E R Y C A U T I O U S L Y ,
T H O U G H I T I S A N E S S E N T I A LC O M P O N E N T O F A N Y
O R G A N I Z A T I O N .
T h e r e a s o n s m a n a g e r s f i n da p p r a i s a l s t o b e a d i f f i c u l tp r o c e s s c a n v a r y f r o m t h em a n a g e r s l a c k o f t r a i n i n g t o as i m p l e m i s m a t c h o f p e r f o r m a n c ea p p r a i s a l e x p e c t a t i o n w i t h t h ea c t u a l b u s i n e s s n e e d s
Managers are Poorly Trained
Absence of Outcome Based PerformanceMeasure
Lack of Regular Feedback
Inconsistency in Ratings
Performance Appraisal Not Used forImprovement
Managers are Poorly Trained
It can be a mistake for an organization toassume that managers know how to
conduct a performance appraisal effectively.Even if a manager has years of experience,the process can differ from organization to
organization. Hence it helps both thebusiness and the manager to be trained
specifically in the way the current businessconducts their appraisals. This shouldinclude a review of the forms, the rating
system and how the data gathered is used.
Inconsistency in Ratings
Different managers are from differentbackgrounds and may have different
standards and expectation so ratings maybe significantly different on a manager by
manager basis. Something that isconsidered as acceptable performance byone manager, can be considered as notacceptable by other. This can be a big
challenge for organizations as the appraisalcriteria they use are subjective instead ofmeasurable performance outcomes.
Absence of Outcome BasedPerformance Measure
In most cases, performance appraisals aredone on the basis of subjective criteria suchas leadership or customer service skills.
Such criteria can lack specific outcomes totrack measurable results. Performanceappraisals should be done in a way thatallows both managers and employees toevaluate their performance based on
measurable outcomes.
Performance Appraisal Not Used forImprovement
The best practice is to use the performanceappraisal as an opportunity forimprovement. It is great way fororganizations to learn about their
employees' strength and opportunities forareas of improvement and development to
be an asset to the employee.
Lack of Regular Feedback
The whole idea of this process is to identifyand resolve performance issues before they
become problematic; so executing theprocess only once a year is not in the bestinterests of the employee or the employer.Remember to build in 121 meetings and
generate a cycle of more frequent feedbackto get the best results and no leave anyoneopen to any nasty surprises when annual
appraisal time comes around.