Performance Management
The "halo effect" is a tendency in performance appraisals to assess an employee as outstanding because of one very impressive trait or accomplishment on the assumption that her other accomplishments were equally impressive. For instance, you were so impressed with the speed at which Patricia works that you ignore her rudeness to customers or failure [...]
While documentation can protect you in a legal issue, supporting your assessment when questioned in court, it also ensures you conduct accurate and effective appraisal discussions with your employees. Consequently, you want to be sure you document helpful information. Which means, for instance, you shouldn’t document hearsay ("Tim says Roger is starting to drink at [...]
Most lawsuits related to performance appraisals are based on the failure of a manager to: Follow the program’s procedures consistently. Have sufficient documentation to support evaluations. Be objective in assessments by applying criteria consistently. Tell Me More Let’s assume, for instance, that your organizational policy calls for quarterly reviews but you review one employee only [...]
Yes. Performance appraisals can influence compensation, promotion decisions (and the opportunities to gain promotions through training or a high-visibility project assignment), layoffs (downsizing tied to job performance), and termination for cause. Consequently, appraisals are targets for legal action by disgruntled employees who charge bias in your evaluation or the way you implement the appraisal system. [...]
By suggesting that you add "stretch," your manager is suggesting that you are not setting challenging goals. They are easily reached because they either reflect the same level of performance over the last few years or demand minimal performance on the employee’s part. Of course, the more "stretch" you put into an objective, the more [...]
It may help if you remind your employees that such evaluations are part of everyone’s job; even the CEO’s job performance is assessed. A more concrete step is to involve the employee in the assessment early on, before appraisal interviews and before you present the employee with the goals against which his or her performance [...]
Begin with an action verb, describe the immediate results if necessary, include the date by which you want the goal achieved, and define the overall result desired (in terms of quality like greater customer service or quantity like increased sales or reduced costs). Tell Me More As an example, the goal might state: "Interview four [...]
Next to their job performance, nothing has more bearing on your employee’s influence or stature within the organization than their reputation for integrity and honesty. Consequently, you may want to include, as part of the behaviors that will be assessed, those that protect your employees’ credibility. Thus you will discourage your workers from taking any [...]
Standards or objectives are based on the history of productive workers. Review the employee’s job description, assuming it is not dated, and study the department and corporation plans. These should help you to identify goals or standards against which the worker’s performance will be measured. The goals or standards set should be defined in clear [...]
The single most important ingredient is the setting of objectives or standards that reflect aspects of an employee’s job that contribute most to the overall success of the job and that offer the greatest benefits to the organization. Once you have these in writing, and you and your employee have agreed to them as the [...]
Formal evaluations provide a framework for discussing the overall work of an employee. The information that comes out can lead to corrections of deficiencies and improved performance. Formal assessments can give employees recognition for past work and reinforcement for continued performance at that level. It can also identify employees who could benefit from coaching, to [...]