Performance Assessment

How Do I Figure Out The Right Category?

One of my subordinates does a very good job . . . not breathtakingly outstanding, but solid and strong and better than average. Should I rate her in our middle category of fully successful or...

Should I Rate Her A Three, A Four, Or A Five?

Our rating scale is numerical: one, two, three, four, and five, with five being the highest on the scale. Sally basically did a good job this year. Should I rate her a three, a four,...

How Should I Rate Her Performance?

The individual failed to achieve an important objective, but there were extenuating circumstances. How should I rate her performance? This is a situation where the narrative section of the appraisal form is critical. As a...

What Are “Rating Errors”?

Rating errors are mistakes in judgment that result from allowing extraneous factors to influence our decisions about the quality of someone’s job performance. For example, consider the guilt-by-association error: The employees that Samantha hangs around...

Should I Include The Employee’s Successes And Failures?

Should I include the employee’s successes and failures in completing the development plan as part of his formal performance appraisal? No. Development is development—it’s not job performance. Giving someone a high performance appraisal rating because...

How Can I Appraise Her Performance Accurately?

One of my subordinates works in a different city and I don’t see her very much. How can I appraise her performance accurately? This is an easy one. The mistake appraisers make in this case...

I Have To Write A Performance Appraisal. Where Do I Start?

Here is a four-step process for writing an effective performance appraisal: 1. Gather all of your information. 2. Get the big picture—the core message—clearly in mind, by asking: ‘‘What is the single most important message...