Week 3 Knowledge Check Study Guide

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.

In this paper I will be describing effective performance appraisals and how they can increase employee performance. I will provide examples of strategic advantages in the performance appraisals process and also give examples of potential unfairness in the employee appraisal system.

Activity #3This activity involved performance reviews and how the employees felt that they were not being appraised fairly. It was apparent that there was no formal structured appraisal system in place which contributed to this problem. The need in defining four outcomes of the appraisal system will resolve this issue while remaining within company policy.

The performance appraisal system used by our organization is done annually. The purpose of the review is for employee as well as manager, to aptitude performance from the past year relating to the specific responsibilities and objective of that employee. This gives the opportunity for managers to give feedback on the strengths and development areas that are summarized from that previous year. Employees must also use this opportunity to give feedback on how they can best perform and develop themselves. This

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)

Determining the criteria for each element that should be present in an appraisal system such as the following:

The annual performance review seems ineffective, a waste of time, or it becomes demotivating for employees and thus counterproductive. Employee appraisal is a method of measuring and evaluating employee job performance. The employee evaluation consists of regular reviews at different intervals every six months or yearly reviews. The evaluations are a pre-determined set of criteria centered on organizational goals. A manager conducts performance evaluations and discusses the employee’s strengths, weaknesses, employee behaviors, productivity. A performance appraisal is essential for refinement, maintaining, or increasing job performance. These reports give the employee insight to where improvement is needed, and it provides an opportunity for development.

“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

Despite not being looked upon unfavorably by employees, performance appraisal systems have become common place in businesses today as a way for the employees and managers to determine if an employee is accomplishing their assigned duties and tasks. It is designed as a vehicle to convey what is expected of the workers and supervisors as well as establish standards of achievement (Lawler, Benson, & McDermott, 2012).

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

an appraisal system is a regular review of employees performance in work. The main objective of this study therefore, is to examine performance appraisal and workers performance.

Performance appraisals are needed in the healthcare facility to ensure that the staff members can perform according to the organization’s standards. Performance appraisals help managers prepare their staff to walk in excellence. The performance appraisal process is one that few look forward to. However, understanding the process can help managers and employees conduct a more fruitful appraisal. At the University of Texas at Dallas, managers are taught that "A chief purpose of any performance appraisal program is employee development. This goal is accomplished by helping the employee to do a better job and by developing in the employee the knowledge and skill to meet the future needs of the work unit and the institution." (Mayhew, 2014)

Performance appraisal aims at improving employee development, the employees work expectation, assessing workforce development and linking pay with performance (Peter, Matt and Colin, 2011). It prepares employees to be aware of the management expectations after the performance evaluation that helps them to boost their performance (de Waal, 2004). Performance appraisal looks smooth but researches explains that it is generally used in identify individual weaknesses, performance feedback and employee’s strengths (Ruddin, 2010). The practice of performance appraisal system by industry and business has been estimated between 74% to 89% (Idrisb). Performance appraisal systems are used for various purposes, that include feedback, human resource decisions and evaluation (Kline, & Sulsky, 2009).

When doing anything meaningful, humans have a natural desire to know how they are performing. In particular, if they are doing a job, they need to know if they are doing horrible, great, or somewhere in between. One of the best potential ways of providing this feedback is through the use of performance appraisals. By definition, “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) If properly designed and administered, a performance appraisal can provide a great benefit to the

Appraisals are conducted in order to fulfill their obligation, some others do it to fill a report in their file but the successful organisations understand the benefits of appraisals which are to strategically manage performance of employees. The process provides a record of individual performance recorded over a given period of time. The process gives every one an opportunity to reflect on future development and how to meet one’s expectations. The output of the performance appraisal helps the supervisor in determining salary increases and gives an opportunity to focus on future goals through identifying the underlying issues and correcting them to attain better results in the future which benefits both the employee and the organization (Sanchez & Levine, 2009, p. 53).