Some Problemsw with Performance AppraisalsEssay title: Some Problemsw with Performance AppraisalsSome Problems with Performance AppraisalsPerformance appraisals are more or less formal reviews of a subordinates work performance by a supervisor. They are preformed to identify strengths and weaknesses as well as to discuss areas of improvement. They are often linked to incentives such as raises and promotions for workers whose performance is reviewed as high, and job loss or cut-backs for those whose reviews are low (www.performance-appraisal.com).
There are a number of problems that can arise when managers need to complete their workers performance appraisals. Many of these problems can be directly linked to decision making. Some of the problems that arise involve: complexity, flexibility, clarity of objectives, and the halo effect. This paper will discuss how the four mentioned problems occur in relation to performance appraisals and suggestions on ways that managers can eliminate or reduce each problem.
ComplexityOften managers weaken the effectiveness of their performance appraisals because they make them too complex. Many managers use performance appraisal software to make their job easier. However, these programs offer managers numerous evaluation options to include in their reports. Many managers choose too many areas to review because the options are there in front of them and not because the options will strengthen the review. When reviews are too complex and assesses areas that are not important to workers, the evaluation looses credibility. Evaluations become a formality and not tools to assist workers improve their performance. Workers and Managers will begin to dread to whole process because of how much time it will take to accomplish the task (Joinson, 2001).
The Benefits of Progression in the Organization
A worker’s experience in the workplace can vary significantly depending on all types of factors. Some of the most common factors are:
Paying attention to the work activities. Workers want to work less when they have to, and workers tend to get stressed out by getting too many meetings with their managers. The less they care about their experience, the easier they will work out the work problems of their company. These conditions are best avoided if working a typical amount of hours to learn more about what things are important for people and then to figure out how to solve them.
Workers want to work less when they have to, and workers tend to get stressed out by getting too many meetings with their managers. The less they care about their experience, the easier they will work out the work problems of their company. These conditions are best avoided if working a typical amount of hours to learn more about what things are important for people and then to figure out how to solve them. Being less involved with management. Workers tend to be in an increasingly competitive environment in which every element of the company’s operation is at stake and they feel that the “company’s” job is an increasingly important one for everyone. At the same time, bosses tend to want workers to work outside the scope of their duties. Workers need to be able to tell when management is a problem and when to get on with it or not. The more important work in that workplace is the business dealings that involve the group, making life more difficult to organize them. Being part of a team can be a challenge, as workers can look for common issues, but they also need to recognize that what happens outside of the team is important to others. If managers find that the company “isn’t keeping up” or not doing well, they will find it difficult to organize other workers around them. As with all aspects of work, success depends on the work.
Workers tend to be in an increasingly competitive environment in which every element of the company’s operation is at stake and they feel that the “company’s” job is an increasingly important one for everybody. At the same time, bosses tend to want workers to work outside the scope of their duties. Workers need to be able to tell when management is a problem and when to get on with it or not. The more important work in that workplace is the business dealings that involve the group, making life more difficult to organize them. If managers find that the company “isn’t keeping up” or not doing well, they will find it difficult to organize other workers around them. As with all aspects of work, success depends on the work. Being too focused on organizational goals. Many managers also use “goal-oriented work” to achieve organizational goals. This involves taking steps to motivate workers to accomplish goals that are not part of the company culture. The key to successful organizational goals is keeping all workers engaged in goals and keeping them focused on the organization goal. This can take the form of working as a team rather than as individual employees. The more workers who focus on goals that work in the team, the
To increase the effectiveness of performance appraisals managers should limit the number of areas that they review. A simpler evaluation offers larger uniformity in reviews over a period of time. If a worker knows what is expected of them they will be more focused at developing the skills required to complete those tasks (Joinson, 2001).
FlexibilityManagers need to remain flexible when they develop their performance appraisals. It is often easier for managers to develop one standard appraisal and use it for every employee under them. The problem with a blanket review is that not every employee will require the same skills to complete their individual jobs. The appraisal needs to flex to incorporate the workers critical skills or tasks and if it doesnt the appraisal will not be effective (Joinson, 2001).
Managers should only evaluate a task or skill if it directly effects the employees position. For example, it doesnt make sense to evaluate social skills if the worker has no direct contact with customers or other workers. A salesman however, should be heavily evaluated on social skills because they are necessary for job accomplishment.
Clarity of ObjectivesWhen an employee is evaluated, the manager needs to compare their performance to some standard. Standards need to be realistic in order to be effective. If a manager sets the standard too low then all employees will look superb regardless of their actual performance. Managers will not be able to identify where problems lie within the organization and workers will have no real idea how their performance stack up to their peers. Is it possible for sales to continually decrease, but the sales team is rated as excellent? The answer is yes if the employee review standard is too low. The reverse of the situation can cause its own set of problems if the manager sets the company standard too high. When standards are set too high employees will quickly become discouraged.