JLG-RICA Executive Summary

Performance appraisal is an important issue in human resource management and has a significant effect in the performance of an organisation. It is the system of evaluating the performance of employees regarding the accomplishment of their responsibilities and determining their potential to grow and develop. Bias in the evaluation process can affect the accuracy and appropriateness of the performance appraisal. Bias is a serious issue because it affects the ability to make appropriate decisions about the promotion of employees. A performance appraisal system that works to the disadvantage of members of a group can also pose legal issues.

Performance appraisals, performance reviews and/or appraisal forms are a part of the performance management process. In general, performance appraisals are not favored. People in organizations would prefer not to be advised they did not do tell this year compared to the previous years. Managers would prefer not to put themselves in a scenario that could possibly turn into an argument from an employee about a performance appraisal that was not that great. If the ultimate goal of a performance appraisal is employee development and organizational improvement, we have to consider moving to effective performance management system to avoid any conflicts. The successes of performance management strategies sound favorable to many, however, there are managers and supervisors that make decisions that affect the moral and performance of the employees. Moral can become the heart of an employee’s motivation to succeed and be happy at work.

A performance appraisal is a key element in organization and can be one of the greatest tools used to record employee production. Organizations can establish their goals and objectivities, while involving the employees in the process. Conducting a performance appraisal increases productivity and morale and can prove to be effective in performance production.

For this assignment I will referencing the Arizona Department of Corrections rating system, and touching on the current evaluation process and discussing options to improve on the process. I work in the department of corrections and the evaluation system currently implemented is the managing, accountability, and performance (MAP). This system is far from perfect, and very susceptible to subjective evaluations. Most employees do not agree with the evaluations they receive and for the most part this is due to the supervisors not putting in the required effort to properly evaluate each employee. It is not uncommon for a supervisor to rate all of their subordinates exactly the same, regardless if one employee excels and the other shows little to no interest. Supervisors often justify their vanilla evaluations by stating that the evaluations do not have any effect on your employment, since pay raises are not based from the appraisal. As you can imagine this method does little to raise the moral of the motivated hard working staff, and in my opinion needs to be revamped. I would prefer an evaluation based more on objective performance and behavioral observations.

The practice setting I am currently interning at is the Community Mental Health for Ingham, Clinton, and Eaton counties (CEICMH), specifically within the Families Forward department. This department within the CEICMH works closely with children who are experiencing serious emotional disturbances and behavioral concerns, as well as offering needed support to their family. The services provided include inpatient and outpatient therapy, emergency services and urgent care, early intervention services, and wraparound services. My role within Families Forward is as an intern in the Wraparound program. Wraparound facilitators provide service to families by creating a plan to help the family navigate through the child’s treatment process to assure

Development of a performance appraisal system that is effective in a human service organization is of benefit for the organization and the employees. For a performance appraisal system to be effective, the system has to be strategic, designed to fit the specific needs of the organization, non-discriminatory, non-bias, with correct implementation and administration. Many different components, must to be incorporated to make this type of system beneficial for all who use it, and all who are evaluated by the system.

I am interning at Pittsburgh Mercy’s Behavioral Health Service Coordination Unit (PMBH-SU). The unit serves 500-700 clients (consumers), and includes six teams. Each team includes a supervisor and 10-to-15 service coordinators (SC) and aids a specific population, such as adults, adolescents, and children. Additionally, all service coordinators’ clients have a mental health illness(s) diagnosis. PMBH-SCU provides outpatient services and individualized supportive services to clients of the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System. Employees in this unit typically obtained a social work or human services education or related professional experiences. The Unit’s goals are to coordinate services, offer support, and empower consumers to live healthy, fulfilling

The purpose of a performance appraisal is to be used to improve employee performance. It should be used as a guide for recognizing outstanding behavior that is in line with departmental policies and work objectives, but should also be used as a tool for feedback to improve observed employee deficiencies. Performance appraisals should never be a surprise when it is presented to the employee. It is important for subordinates to understand what they are being evaluated on and what it takes to be successful.

The performance appraisals process is flawed in many ways. Lack of preparation, time, training, and professionalism are a few examples of how the system is flawed. The individual completing the application often has many tasks that supersedes taking the appropriate time necessary to accurately keep notations of an employee's performance throughout the year. The lack of time leads to an employee receiving a performance review on the most recent accounts of his or her job performance instead of his or her performance throughout the entire year. Lack of professionalism can also hurt the appraisal process. An employee should be rated by his or her job duties instead of the personal opinion or feelings the manager or supervisor completing the form. All

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service for young people aged 13 to 17 who require assessment and treatment for a range of multifaceted mental health difficulties. The service it provides for the institution are crisis care, home base treatment, early intervention, community mental health team, medication and occupational therapist in group. The similarities in of the treatment are the same in the Florida mental health

In a conclusion, strengths of the negotiated performance appraisal are its ability to promote candid two-way communication between the supervisor and the person being appraised and to help the latter take more responsibility for improving performance. In contrast, in this case, the supervisor acts more as a judge of employee performance than as a coach. By so doing, unfortunately, the focus is on blame rather than on helping the employee assume responsibility for improvement.

During my interview with Ms. Willie Mae Berry, I learned the many roles and functions of a social work administrator in a mental health facility. She is responsible for the oversight of the Community Support Services department at Hinds Behavioral Health Services,

A commanding performance evaluation is obtained from several different resources. A proper evaluation is not issued only from management but also with input from peers and subordinates. It is also not uncommon to have customers; both internal and external contribute to the appraisal process. Self-appraisal is also an effective tool for appraisal as it can assist with establishing goals for the future. This type of 360º degree appraisal process can provide a complete assessment of the employee’s strengths and weaknesses. Often times, this type of appraisal process can assist to identify area of concern that traditionally would not have been recorded. All evaluations should be recognized for their source. A self evaluation may be slightly biased and not overly critical where an appraisal from a peer could be affected by the employee’s willingness to properly cooperate with the process. The self evaluation has a tendency not to be objective in relation to the requirements of the position. An affective self evaluation must be based on the requirements of the position and not based on the judgment of the individual performing the activity.

My current position as a Community Support Worker at First Home Care allows me to work with children and adolescents in the Washington D.C and surrounding areas who have mental health disabilities. In working with this population, I have the opportunity to decrease crisis in the community, educate youth on positive decision making skills, how to communicate in an appropriate manner, and implement proper /effective coping skills. This upcoming school year for my field placement, I will have a caseload of five adolescences

“Performance appraisals can enhance employee performance as well as advance the mission and goals of an organization. There are many advantages of performance appraisals if they are applied fairly, consistently and objectively. Performance appraisals not applied fairly can be counterproductive and even destructive to