Performance Appraisals : Performance Appraisal

Performance appraisal is a method which is increasingly used to evaluate employees to determine the degree to which they are performing effectively and encourage them to direct their energies towards organizational performance. Although the appraisal is being practiced, there are criticisms made against the system which generally arise from within the Orthodox and radical management frame work.

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.

An effective performance appraisal system strives for as much precision in defining and measuring performance dimensions as is feasible. Some of the major problems with the Darby appraisal system are:

Within my setting a process we use to monitor, evaluate the performance of individuals and teams is appraisals. “All contracted staff should receive some sort of appraisal with their line manager” Daly M el al (2004 p.2070). Appraisals are good process for both managers and the staff team to openly discuss performances and quality of production and output at work. “Appraisals are regular meetings between employers and subordinate, providing a non-threatening routine occasion when work standards cam be discussed and suggestions for improvement can be jointly decided”. Sadek and Sadek (2004 p.134). To carry out a successful appraisal there is a few stages to make sure that all the correct

“Performance appraisal is the process through which employee performance is assessed, feedback is provided to the employee, and corrective action plans are designed.” (Youssef, 2012). Performance appraisals can be very effective, by doing them carefully it will improve employee performance. Consistency with the evaluations is an important part of the process. During the evaluation express positive and negative accomplishments from the employee by using examples. Use goals, job related data that support ratings and focus on outcomes the employee can control and work towards. List specific areas the employee can improve on. Also it is important to compliment and show your appreciation to the employee.

It can be observed that major focus of assessment is on personality traits and many of the methods suffer from lack of clarity for employee with respect to expectations and targets. Table 4 shows description, advantages and disadvantages of modern appraisal methods. These methods focus more on employee development, setting achievable goals beforehand and leadership development.

shown marked improvement or progress. Lack of personal performance growth would result in consequences for the employee including a probationary period or dismissal. Personal conflicts between manager and employee should not be reflected in the appraisal process. Manager accountability would be reflected by the performance of the employee; hence, an ineffective manager could as easily be discovered through the process as an ineffective employee could be. The process would actually be a system of checks and balances. Ideally, this would promote team players and identify any weak links. The goal of performance appraisals is utilizing the employee’s performance and their behavior or attitude. With correct implementation, the attitude and behavior will not be the issue or focus of the manager. “For any performance improvement to take place, both parties must agree that improvement is necessary, that a plan for improving performance has been jointly formulated, and that periodic progress improvement sessions will take place, as needed. Thus, improvements in employee performance and attitudes can truly be enhanced.” (Peggy Anderson, 1998)

In today’s business world, performance appraisals are still widely used, yet at the same time very criticized. One of the reasons appraisals are criticized is some feel that they are a waste of time and are not value added. Samuel Culbert, author of the book,“Get Rid of Performance Reviews” states, “This corporate sham is one of the most insidious, most damaging, and yet most ubiquitous of corporate activities” (Culbert). He goes on to say that, “Everybody does it, and almost everyone who’s evaluated hates it” (Culbert). He feels that appraisals are worthless and should never be a method used for giving employees feedback. After doing more

Several types of assessments can be used to evaluate employee performance. The most commonly used assessments are the top-down evaluation, management by objectives, self-assessment, and 360-degree feedback. Top-down appraisals are evaluation 's given from a direct supervisor which base the completion of pre-set goals. This method has productivity and goal achievement set as measures. Outcomes of this process result in promotions or raises. Management by objectives involves management and employee collaboration on goal setting. Once managers establish goals, it is used to provide feedback. The 360- feedback method is more collaborative to the organization since management has a significant amount of

“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

As today’s businesses continue to expand, workers are expected to perform well on their jobs. This is what truly happened to management who has a tendency to measure how well they are doing on their job. The job done in a certain period of time is frequently evaluated by performance appraisal. Performance appraisals lead to enhancing employee’s performance, internal communication (relationship), and quality improvements as well. Some experts argue that formal performance appraisal is somewhat useless and many of them contemplate performance appraisals can be detrimental to quality improvement and convey some negative perceptions to the management (David Law, 2007). Albeit many professionals pointed out disadvantages associated

Performance appraisal is made up of several components. Youssef states…” A holistic approach to performance appraisal means viewing performance as a multidimensional system of

Critical elements of any performance appraisal are its reliability, validity, and objectivity. Reliability is the consistency with which something is measured; validity is the extent to which an instrument measures whatever it is intended to measure (Saal & Knight, 1995). In terms of performance appraisal, questions addressed are if the appraisal is consistent across employees and those doing the appraising, as well as ensuring the appraisal is actually measuring employee performance and not an outlying characteristic. It is in this area that the 360-degree appraisal is effective. Several authors have agreed that one observer does not effectively provide a thorough performance assessment (Rothstein, 1990). Employees possess valid information and insight regarding performance, and are useful because they have an

2. Create policies on when and how to rate performance. Feedback should be given frequently and as close to the actual performance as possible. The appraisal process should include day-to-day instruction, in which a manager provides employees with constant, immediate, and specific feedback on performance. Formal evaluations should be made annually or semi-annually.

The criteria for appraisal are separate for officers and workers. (Employees of grade H1 and above belong to the officer cadre and those in H2 and below are in worker cadre). For officer grade the appraisal consists of four parts. The first part consists of self-appraisal in which the employee will judge himself on various parameters already defined in the