Resource Information for Supervisors & Managers
Strictly Classified
An Informational Bulletin Published by the Personnel Commission
The Importance of Performance Evaluations
Frequently, supervisors and managers claim they are too swamped with meetings and deadlines to regularly evaluate
their employees. Additionally, many supervisors and managers postpone the completion of evaluations because they
find it difficult to approach employees with constructive feedback, or simply find it awkward to talk to employees about
their work performance. Although conducting performance evaluations can be time consuming and challenging, ultimately it is an invaluable process that will benefit both the institution and the employee.
Benefits of Regularly Evaluating Employees
Regularly conducting performance evaluations serves as an opportunity to establish an open line of communication between you and your employee in order to discuss your expectations of the employee, as well as to discuss the employee’s
work performance. Providing employees with constructive feedback about their work performance, as well as praising
employees for work well done, will improve your department’s productivity and boost employee morale. Additionally,,
during your meeting with the employee you can discuss and review the department’s goals, the employee’s role in accomplishing those goals, as well as the employee’s job duties and career goals. Supervisors who regularly evaluate their
employees will find that:
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Their employees have a clearer picture of their role within the department, and thus will be able to better perform in
the future.
They are able to address and rectify performance problems in a timely manner.
Employees who receive positive recognition will be motivated to continue working hard, improving their skill set,
and accomplishing their goals.
Consequences of Not Conducting Regular Performance Evaluations
In addition to being in violation of union contracts and/or District rules, supervisors and managers who fail to conduct
regular performance lose an opportunity to:
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Establish better communication with staff.
Develop an action plan to correct concerning work performance or conduct.
Officially document concerns about employee performance. Should concerns about performance lead to termination, it is important to have established a paper trail documenting warnings given to employees.
MEMBERS OF THE PERSONNEL COMMISSION
James A. Srott, Chair
July 2006
David Iwata
Calvin W. Hall, Ed.D.
Karen Martin, Personnel Director
(213) 891-2333
Tips for Completing Performance Evaluations
Part of the difficulty supervisors and managers have with completing evaluations in a timely manner is not knowing how
to honestly and fairly conduct an evaluation. Though the process may seem laborious, when done appropriately its value
to the institution is tremendous. When preparing to conduct an evaluation, supervisors and managers should:
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Be sure to evaluate employees based on their overall performance, rather than simply focusing on one event whether
it was positive or negative.
Not allow non-job related factors to influence the evaluation, such as participation in union activities.
Provide an honest assessment of an employee’s performance, even if it isn’t all positive.
Keep in mind that in addition to an annual performance evaluation, they should regularly provide informal feedback
to their staff.