Appraisal Forms - Employee Training and Development



Chapter 6: Gathering Performance InformationAppraisal FormsAt the core of any performance management system is the assessment of performance. The information on performance is collected by using forms, which can be filled out on paper or electronically. Electronic assessment advantagesInformation is stored and can easily be sharedCan help subsequent analysesForms can be revised and updatedAppraisal forms usually include a combo of the following componentsBasic employer informationAccountabilities, objectives, and standardsCompetencies and indicatorsMajor achievements and contributionsDevelopmental achievementsDevelopmental needs, plans, and goals Stakeholder inputEmployee commentsSignaturesCharacteristics of Appraisal FormsThere is no such thing as a universally correct appraisal form, instead there are desirable features that make appraisal forms particularly effective and they include:SimplicityRelevancyDescriptivenessAdaptabilityComprehensivenessDefinitional clarityCommunicationTime orientationDetermining Overall RatingOnce the appraisal is complete, there is now a need to compute an overall performance score. Two main strategies to do thisJudgmental Considers every aspect of performance and then arriving at a defensible summary.Relies on the rater to arrive at a fair and accurate overall scoreMechanicalConsiders the scores assigned to each section of the appraisal form and then adding them up to obtain an overall score. When adding up scores from each section, weights are typically used based on the relative importance of each performance dimension measuredAppraisal Period and Number of MeetingsHow often? Appraisal periods can be annually, semi-annually, or even quarterly Annual appraisals might not provide sufficient opportunity for the supervisor and subordinate to discuss performance issues in a formal setting. Recommended that the period be six months or three months. It provides fairly frequent opportunities for a formal discussion about performance issues between the subordinate and the supervisor. More convenient if the completion of the appraisal form conincides with the fiscal year so that the rewards can be allocated shortly after the employee has received his of her performance review. +Best time?On or around an annual anniversary dateAdvantage: Not all reviews are being done at onceDisadvantage: Because results are not tied to a common cycle for all employees, resulting rewards cannot be tied to the fiscal year. Toward the end of the fiscal yearAdvantage: Facilitates cross-employee comparisons as well as distribution rewardsAdvantage: Individual goal setting can be more easily tied to corporate goal setting because most companies align their goal cycle with their fiscal year.Disadvantage: Creates a major time-work burden for supervisors.Performance management systems can include six formal meetings between the subordinate and the supervisor: (in order)System inauguration: includes a discussion of how the system works and the identification of the requirements and responsibilities resting primarily on the employee and on the supervisorSelf-appraisal: Employee’s assessment of themselves. Informal, supervisor does not pass judgment on how the employee regards their own performance. Classical performance review: The employee performance is discussed and includes both employee and employer perspectivesMerit/salary review: Discusses if any compensation changes will result from the period’s performance so that the employee can focus on performance first and then on rewards. Developmental plan: Discusses the employee’s developmental needs and what steps will be taken so that performance will be improved during the following period. Objective setting: Includes setting goals, both behavioral and result oriented regarding the following review period. Not all six meetings take place separately. However, it is best to separate the various types of information discussed so that the employee and supervisor will focus on each of the components separately. Who Should Provide Performance Information?SupervisorsAdvantage: They are usually in the best position to evaluate performance in relation to strategic organizational goalsAdvantage: Seen as persuasive due to hierarchical organizational structure Disadvantage: Alternative sources should be considered PeersAdvantage: Promotes successful teamworkDisadvantage: Eval’s may not be readily accepted when employees believe there is friendship bias at workDisadvantage: Peers are less discriminating among performance dimensions than are supervisorsDisadvantage: Likely to be affected by what is called contest effects. Context effects is the effect of an employee to compare behaviors in context to what they believe is the right way to do thingsSubordinates: good source for information regarding the performance of the managersSubordinates are asked to rate their manager’s ability to Remove barrier that employees face, shield employees from politics, and raise employees’ competence. Employees may hesitate to provide feedback if put on the spot, however, if managers take the time to involve employees in the process by soliciting their input, employees are more likely to give honest feedback. Performance information provided by subordinates is more accurate when the resulting ratings are to be used for developmental purposes rather than administrative purposes. SelfAdvantage: Increases acceptance of decisionAdvantage: Decreases defensiveness Disadvantage: Should not be used as sole source of information in making administrative decisions- more lenient and biasedWays to improve the quality:Use comparative as opposed to absolute measurement systemsAllow employees to practice their self-ratingEmphasize the futureCustomers/ Other StakeholdersAdvantage: Particularly useful for jobs that require a high degree of interaction with the public of with job-related individuals Disadvantage: Costly and time-consumingDisagreement Across SourcesIf performance information is collected from more than one source, it is likely that there will be some overlap in the dimensions measured.Misunderstandings may uncover misunderstandingsA Model of Rater Motivation Rater is likely to be affected by biases that distort the resulting ratings thus incorrect decisions can be madeRating behaviors are influenced by:Motivation to provide accurate ratingsDepends on if the rater expects positive and negative consequences of accurate ratings and by whether the probability of receiving these rewards and punishments will be high if accurate ratings are provided. Motivation to distort ratings Depends on if the rater expects any positive and negative consequences of accurate ratings and by whether the probability of experiencing such consequences if ratings are indeed distorted. A supervisor may provide inflated ratings to:Maximize the merit raise/rewardsEncourage employeesAvoid creating a written recordsAvoid confrontation with employeesPromote undesired employees out of unitMake the manager look good to his/her supervisorA supervisor may provide deflated ratings to: Shock an employeeTeach a rebellious employee a lesson Send a message to the employee that he should consider leavingBuild a strategy documented, written record of poor performance Ways to increase accountability with reviews:Have raters justify their ratingsHave the raters justify their ratings in a face-to-face meetingPreventing Rating Distortion through Rater Training ProgramsTraining programs may cover the following topics:Reasons for implementing the performance management systemsHow to identify and rank job activitiesHow to observe, record, and measure performanceInformation on the appraisal form and system mechanicsHow to minimize rating errorsHow to conduct an appraisal interviewHow to train, counsel, and coach ................
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