Appraising Employee
Performance
Performance Appraisals
(Both an evaluation and a development tool)
A review of past performance that
emphasis positive accomplishments as
well as deficiencies, and a means for
helping employees improve future
performance.
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Performance Appraisals
Traditionally used as a key
determinate in pay and promotion
decisions.
And viewed frequently from the
Employee perspective with fear and
loathing.
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Performance Appraisals
Appraisals should occur on a Formal
basis at least once a year with semiannual reviews recommended as a
better practice.
Informally, performance reviews
should be conducted on a day-to-day
basis with ongoing feedback from the
supervisor.
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Who Evaluates
Most employees performance
appraisals are conducted by
supervisors. But usually not alone.
Additional input is often obtained
from Peers, Customers, Subordinates,
and it is not uncommon to solicit a
self-evaluation from the incumbent.
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What Processes are Used
Most companies tend to standardize some
some appraisal procedures in order to
ensure that EEO requirements are met.
The consequence is that supervisors have
limited discretion in evaluating employees.
The process in place will in large part
dictate what and how the performance
appraisal data is reported and managed.
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Who Sets Expectations
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Supervisors
Incumbents
Job Descriptions
Organizational Goals and
Objectives
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Performance Feedback
Generally feedback comes in two forms:
Intrinsic: Self-generated.
Extrinsic: Provided by an outside
source.
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Legal Issues
Performance appraisal policies and
procedures, as set forth in
employee handbooks, are being
increasingly construed by the
courts as binding unilateral
contracts.
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Legal Issues
Supervisors must do everything
possible to avoid the appearance of
prejudice and discrimination.
The appraisal criteria, methods,
and documentation must be
designed to ensure that they are
job related.
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Appraising Appropriate
Criteria
Individual Task Outcomes
At the end of the day what have you
accomplished….
Behaviors
How does one go about doing their
tasks….
Traits
How does one appear to be….
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Performance Appraisal
Methods
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Absolute Standard Methods
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Written Essay
Critical Incident
Checklists
Graphic Rating Scales
Behaviorally-Anchored Rating Scale
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Performance Appraisal
Methods
Relative Standard Methods
Group Order Ranking
Individual Ranking
Objectives Method
MBO
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Performance Appraisal
Problems
Leniency Error: positive or negative
leniency that over or understates
performance, giving an individual a higher or
lower appraisal than deserved.
Halo Error: a tendency to rate an individual
high or low on all factors due to the
impression of a high or low rating on some
specific factor.
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Performance Appraisal
Problems
Similarity Error: rating others in a way that
gives special consideration to qualities that
appraisers perceive in themselves.
Recency Error: rating others in a way that
appraisers recall and give greater importance
to employee job behaviors that have occurred
near the end of the performance measuring
period.
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Performance Appraisal
Problems
Central Tendency Error: appraisers’
tendency to avoid the “excellent” category as
well as the “unacceptable” category and
assign all ratings around the “average” or
midpoint range.
Inflationary Pressure: a tendency for
evaluators to be less rigorous and to reduce
the negative repercussions from the appraisal
process by generally inflation or upgrading
evaluations.
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Overcoming the Hurdles
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Continually document performance
Use behaviorally based measures
Combine absolute and relative
standards
Use multiple raters
Rate selectively
Participate in appraisal training
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Team Appraisals
Peer evaluations by team members is a
helpful adjunct to the supervisor’s
rating…….
And
Supervisors should consider the benefit
of downplaying individual contributions
by substituting Group performance
measures.
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Performance Counseling
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360 degree feedback
Discuss performance strengths and
weaknesses
Identify development needs
Redefine goals and objectives
Establish an action plan
Act ethically
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