Employee Appraisal and Assessment

EMPLOYEE APPRAISAL AND ASSESSMENT Employee appraisal may be defined as an organised formal interaction between a subordinate and supervisor, that usually takes the form of a periodic interview, in which the work performance of the subordinate is examined and discussed, for identifying weaknesses and strengths as well as opportunities for improvement and skills development In other words, Performance appraisal is a formal system of measuring, evaluating, and influencing an employee’s job-related attributes, behaviours and outcomes to determine how productive an employee is, and to determine if an employee’s productivity can be improved ISSUES IN PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL •      Establish a common understanding between the manager (evaluator) and employee (evaluatee) regarding work expectations, mainly, the work to be accomplished and how that work is to be evaluated. •      Ongoing assessment of performance and the progress against work expectation. •      Provisions should be made for the regular feedback of information to clarify and modify the goals and expectations, to correct unacceptable performance before it was too late, and to reward superior performance with proper praise and recognition. •      Formal documentation of performance through the completion of a performance and development appraisal form appropriate to the job family. •      The formal performance and development appraisal discussion, based on the completed appraisal form and ending in the construction of a development plan •      Translate organisational goals into individual job objective. •      Communicate management's expectations regarding employee performance. •       Provide feedback to the employee about job performance in light of management's objectives •      Coach the employee on how to achieve job objectives/requirements •      Diagnose the employee's strengths and weaknesses •      Determine what kind of development activities might help the employee better utilise his or her skills improve performance on the current job •      Supervisor rating of subordinates: Rating of employees by supervisors is based on the assumption that the manager is the most qualified person to evaluate the employee's performance realistically, objectively and fairly. Drawbacks: First, the superior may have an ethical bias against 'playing God'. Second, the superior may not have the necessary interpersonal skills to give good feedback. And, lastly, the superior - having reward and punishment power - may make the employee feel threatened and alienated. METHODS FOR APPRAISING PERFORMANCE Performance actually can be appraised by a wide variety of methods and techniques. The most commonly used performance appraisal methods can be distinguished into three major categories: •              Comparative appraisals •              Behavioural appraisals •              Output-based appraisals •              Rapid Appraisals Comparative appraisals           Managers directly compare the performance of their subordinates against one another in comparative appraisals. Comparative techniques include •              Ranking, •              Paired comparisons, and •              Forced distribution. Behavioural Appraisals       In contrast with comparative appraisals, behavioural appraisals allow supervisors to evaluate each person's performance independent of other employees but relative to important job-related behaviour, which when exhibited can lead to job success •              Graphic Rating Scale •              Checklist •              Critical Incidents •              Essays •              Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) Output-based Appraisals    While the methods described above focus on job behaviours or processes, output-based appraisals focus on job products as the primary criteria. The most commonly used output-based appraisal is Management-by-Objectives (MBO). The objectives that each manager sets are derived from the overall goals and objectives of the organisation. Implementing an MBO appraisal system comprised four basic stages •           Job Review and Agreement •           Development of Performance Standards •           Guided Objective Setting •           Continuing Performance Discussions Rapid Appraisals Rapid appraisal methods are quick, low-cost ways to gather data systematically in support of managers' information needs, especially questions about performance. Rapid appraisal methods fall on a continuum between very informal methods, such as casual conversations or short site visits, and highly formal methods, such as censuses, surveys, or experiments •        Key informant interview •        Focus groups •        Community interviews •        Direct observation •        Mini surveys