Performance Appraisals

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Performance Appraisals are integrative assessment tools which are advantageous to organizational effectiveness. The administrators of the performance appraisals usually are managers or human resource professionals. Making sure the appraisal tool is valid, reliable, standardized, and appropriate for the position is only part of the process. Unfortunately it’s not uncommon for employees to be in the dark regarding their performance, or areas of weakness, if a lack of communication exists. The ability to be proactive with one’s employees is where I feel the success lies. “Research shows that managers with poor communication or interpersonal skills are often the downfall of a company's otherwise sound performance management program (“Setting up a performance management system”, 1999). Communication skills are of high importance when communicating scoring results and giving constructive feedback. When constructive feedback is handled professionally and with empathy, employees build trust and are more eager to improve on areas of weakness. Training, workshops, and shadowing others can help with both weaknesses and strengths. The performance appraisal tool can provide insight into strengths that can be of importance to the organization. Strengths can be honed in on, and often an employee can be an asset within another position or department within the organization.

Performance Appraisals unfortunately are often seen as a time consuming hassle to managers and human resource professionals. They are frequently unaware of the benefits they provide if devised and assessed properly. In order to meet department goals and maintain the vision of the organization, they must know where the employees stand in their performance. When uti...

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... feedback. Problematic issues can be caught before they escalate. Questions employees have can be answered on a more regular basis. Focus should also include making sure the employee’s vocational aspirations align with the company career track. Lastly, in my opinion I feel ongoing performance management reduces stress for manager and employee alike. When they meet and tweak the issues mentioned above, less anxiety is on the BIG yearly performance appraisal. Teamwork is bridged as they work together refining goals and objectives aligned with the company.

References

Aguinis, H. (2009). Performance management. (2nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Setting up a performance management system. (1999, January). Dun and Bradstreet, Small Business. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.dnb.com/human-resources/workforce-management/1384-1.html

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