Peformance Evaluation

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.

This process is designed with the intent to identify, encourage, measure, evaluate, improve, and reward employee performance.

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.

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

Performance assessments are ingrained in many businesses and used as a way to determine pay for performance. This evaluation format according to Daniel’s is because there is not a better option available and that they are often well defined ad thus should not be used. Furthermore, all sources agree that conducting a performance assessment has negative emotional associations with staff. During a performance assessment, staff often received good and bad news. When money is directly tied to this association, staff often skimming over the good news and listening only to the bad as it indicates their potential pay raise or not.

Performance evaluations, when implemented properly, act as a tool for improving employee productivity, team performance and individual development. They can serve to raise self-esteem, increase motivation, strengthen relationships and foster ongoing communication and commitment (Simpson, 2001). I feel that these reviews play a critical role in the workplace and should remain a part of standard operating procedures, however many are beginning to disagree.

Maintaining consistent performance appraisals help supervisors review and discuss an employee’s performance. The performance appraisal measures the employee’s accomplishments, skills, progress, and can provide training for problem areas. This process helps with effective communication and creates relationships with your employees. Correctly done appraisals will show the employee respect and improve work performance.

Performance evaluations are a very important part of a business organization and places promotion and retain ability in the hands of the worker. According to Robbins and Judge,” Evaluations provide input into important decisions such as promotions, transfers, and terminations. Evaluations also identify training and development issues.”(pg.595 2009). There are several different theories and ways to conduct performance evaluations such as behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS), critical incidents, graphic rating scales, Forced comparison, group order rankings and individual ranking. Each of these systems can be used on their own for ranking employee performance but some organizations use a combination of systems.

CIPD (2012) ‘While performance appraisal is an important part of performance management, in itself it is not performance management: rather, it is one of the range of tools that can be used to manage performance. However, it is a common mistake to assume that if organizations implement performance appraisals, they have performance management. Performance management is a holistic process bringing together many activities that collectively contribute to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organizational performance. The process is strategic, in that it is about broader issues and long-term goals, and integrated in that

Performance Management Within the Workplace The basis of the mainstream of performance appraisals within the modern workplace is one person (a manager or executive) rating one more, an intrinsically individual process. There are distinction such as 360 degree appraisals that include the judgment of others such as clientele and peers/colleagues in the process but it is the action of one person transitory judgment upon another that is subjective in nature and the root cause of many of the problems encountered in the research associated with performance appraisals. Performance appraisals are of importance to the organisation, as they often provide the only measure of an individual's contribution and

Good performance review techniques and methods come in a variety of forms ranging from the use of management coaches to the establishment and distribution of written evaluations. Evaluations should include all direct reports from those employees who work within the department; from beginning to end, the process of using a questionnaire benefits gloriously to a manager and their employees. Discovering what employees genuinely think of a manager’s work and leadership abilities proves crucial as it becomes an essential step in maintaining strengths and improving weaknesses. The use of a hired management coach can help during the performance reviews immensely; as their job is to aide in the facilitation of meetings, coaches can assist in assuring that the review

Some managers were reluctant in differentiating between their employees and allow any unfamiliar person to evaluate them. Because of this true performer might miss his/her rewards and incentives.

Although performance reviews have been in place for generations, until recently, very little effort was given to understanding whether the process motivated employees or irritated the. One may develop the most technically sophisticated, accurate appraisal system, but if that system is not accepted and supported by employees, its effectiveness ultimately will be limited (Fischer, 2010).A review of the evidence supporting the use of feedback (such as performance appraisal) suggests that providing personnel with feedback is like gambling in the stock exchange: On average, you gain, yet the variance is such that you have a 40% chance of a (performance) loss following feedback (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996 Vol 119(2)).

Performance appraisal process if made clear and transparent can help a lot to avert low morale in employees. Fair, trustworthy, and transparent processes for performances management and resource allocation help to meet people’s drive to defend.

Today, performance appraisal is used for developmental and motivational purposes in the organization. It is not a stand still evaluation activity, but a dynamic process which should be viewed as follows- planning the employee’s performance and evaluation, and improving the performance of employees. The process brings the new concept Performance Management. Performance Management is essential for today’s organization to integrate the management goals and employees performance. It is a system for integrating the management of organization and employee performance in order to support and improve organization’s overall business goals.