Performance Appraisal

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Definition Performance Appraisal? Meaning.

A Performance Appraisal is a method and a process to identify, observe, measure, evaluate and develop individual employee performance, providing employee feedback, and (indirectly) to improve the effectiveness of the organization as a whole. An appraisal normally consists out of the assessment by a qualified person of the performance and of a discussion of the development and training needs of an employee. It is important to realize there are two sides to any appraisal:

1. Judgment (Historic). Actual performance is compared against performance targets and feedback (both positive and negative) is given. This may or may not include the determination of a pay increase. Generally, including pay in the Appraisal has the major disadvantages that honest and open communication becomes almost impossible, and the judgment part of the Appraisal becomes too dominant.

2. Development (Future-oriented). The needs of the employee are evaluated in terms of the training requirement to improve skills and knowledge in line with future performance objectives and the direction the employee wants to grow. Furthermore Employee Objectives (SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/Relevant, Time-related) are agreed. Compare: Career Management.

Any Performance Appraisal should be:

3. Documented.

4. Delivered in a face-to-face meeting.

Any Appraisal should be well prepared for by both the manager and the employee. Although normally the line manager of the employee is best positioned to be the appraiser, in some organizations it can be a special Personnel Manager. The advantage can be that this specialized person has more experience, special skills and knowledge on doing employee reviews. An issue is that the Personnel Manager must be aware of how the employee is functioning in his work environment. This can be supported by Peer-Appraisals and/or by 360-Degree Feedback.

Steps in a Performance Appraisal. Process

Typically a an appraisal of performance is comprised of three main steps:

1. Definition of the expected duties and the job standards. By line manager, together with employee.
2. Conduct of the performance appraisal, comparing the actual performance of the employee with the performance standard that were previously defined.
3. Feedback and follow-up: line manager provides feedback to the employee and plans are made for future development.

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Information Sources Sign up Various sources of information regarding Performance Appraisals. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. How to Give Successful Feedback to Employees Giving Feedback, Conducting a Performance Review, Performance Appraisal This presentation can be used as a guidance for giving feedback to your employees. The presentation includes the followi (...) Effective Employee Performance Appraisals: Purposes, Characteristics, Sources and Methods Performance Appraisal Concise but good presentation about Performance Appraisals. The presentation includes the following sections: - Purpose (...) Employee Performance Management and Performance Appraisals (In depth) Performance Appraisals, Performance Management, Employee Performance In depth presentation about Performance Management and Performance Appraisal. The presentation clearly explains both con (...) 10 Common Mistakes in Giving People Feedback Performance Feedback, Performance Appraisal, Giving Feedback, Feedback to Employees Giving proper feedback to other people is important, but hard. In this micro-learning video 10 common mistakes are expla (...) The Role of Supervisor | Skills of Supervisors Skills of a Supervisor, Supervisor Role, Supervisor Behavior This presentation elaborates on the skills that supervisors need in order to be successful in their business/organizatio (...) You Cause Poor Employee Performance Employee Appraisal, Performance Appraisal, Performance Review, Employee Performance Following recent forum discussions on preparing performance appraisals as a manager, in this video Patrick Schwertfeger (...) The High Performance Development Model Employee Performance Management, Employee Development, Career Management Presentation about the High Performance Development Model. The presentation contains a brief description of many employe (...) Multitasking and Ways to Avoid It Multitasking Behavior, Peeformance Management This presentation is about Multitasking. It includes some interesting multitasking experiments and ends with seven solut (...) Bullying: Workplace Performance and Preventive Strategies Organizational Management, Strategy This presentation is about bullying in the workplace, its impacts and management strategies that can help to address bul (...) DCOM Model Organization Dashboard Evaluate Organization Capability in DCOM Table presents factors by which to determine if an organization is capable (and to what degree) in utilizing DCOM. The e (...) DCOM Roadmap at 3 Levels Applying the DCOM Approach Checklists describing typical attention points for: Direction, Competence, Opportunity and Motivation (DCOM) at 3 levels (...) Guide Toward Coaching your Employees Coaching Employees, Performance Reviews, Giving Effective Feedback Presentation that provides information about the ways to effectively coach employees. The presentation includes the foll (...) How to Get a Raise. 5 Negotiation Secrets Salary Negotiations, Negotiating a Raise In this video Donald Dell gives advice on how to get a raise. 1. Never make the first offer: listen and learn first 2. (...) Introduction to Performance Appraisal of Employees Initial Understanding of Performance Appraisal, Start of Workshop In this short video some key elements of Performance Appraisal are defined: 1. Objective: to improve performance. 2. A (...) Work-Family Conflicts and Work-Life Policies Performance Management, Work-Life Balance, HR, Programs This presentation is about Work-Family Conflicts and Employee Performance. The presentation includes the following secti (...)

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Compare with: Self-Appraisal  |  Peer-Appraisal  |  Behavioral Observation Scales  |  Competency-based Approach  |  Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales  |  360-Degree Feedback  |  Management by Objectives  |  CSFs and KPIs  |  Result Oriented Management  |  Pre-Employment Screening

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