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HR MATTERS E-TIPS
THIS WEEK’S E-TIP: Train Managers for More Effective Evaluations
May 28, 2008, Volume 10, No. 22
Published by Personnel Policy Service, Inc.
"Your Policy and Compliance Experts Since 1972"
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THIS WEEK’S E-TIP: Train Managers for More Effective Evaluations
Are your organization’s “annual” appraisals undermined because
managers don’t like doing them? You may be missing an opportunity to
improve your employee relations and reduce legal exposure. |
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THIS WEEK’S E-TIP: Train Managers for More Effective Evaluations
Most managers dread conducting performance reviews, mainly because
the process requires personal evaluations and direct feedback. In
addition, the process requires extra administrative effort and is
time-
consuming, especially if the managers only do annual reviews that
force
them to recall and catalogue a year’s worth of experiences.
Still, the success of the entire appraisal process depends heavily
on the
supervisor’s ability to conduct effective evaluations. Your
evaluation
system can affect morale and performance and, if done poorly, can
become a source of legal liability for your organization. (Download
free
Performance Evaluations model policy.)
Although many employers judge the performance of supervisors and
managers partially on the basis of how they perform evaluations, few
provide adequate training on how to conduct appraisals. Training for
effective performance appraisals should have two major objectives:
to
teach managers and supervisors to create a positive learning and
growing environment and to provide documentation that protects
against
legal liability.
* Five Tips to Create a Positive Learning Environment *
Managers and supervisors should create an atmosphere that not only
provides constructive dialogue and recognition for a job well done
but
also motives employees to continue to learn and improve. Therefore,
you should train supervisory personnel how to provide meaningful
feedback to employees, set achievable performance goals, and monitor
performance between formal evaluations.
To help your managerial employees with the process, you should
provide
written guidelines explaining how to perform evaluations. These
guidelines should outline the steps to follow and instruct
supervisors to:
1. Provide useful feedback to employees by focusing on specific
events or behaviors. For example, it is better to tell an employee
that his
failure to help with a rush order contributed to a missed deadline
and
created morale problems, as opposed to just saying he has a “bad
attitude.”
2. Prepare a written appraisal that includes future performance
goals. Goals may be both short-term and long-term and can cover a
wide variety of objectives, depending on the employee’s current job
responsibilities and future aspirations. Identified core
competencies
should be used to determine future performance goals. Goals should
be
specific and quantifiable where possible, such as the completion of
a
specific project within a set period of time. To help employees meet
their
goals, supervisors should be prepared to offer additional training
or other
necessary support. New performance goals should be recorded,
reviewed regularly, and modified as appropriate.
3. When needed, create an action plan for improving performance.
Action plans can be helpful when an employee has performance
problems that need correction. The supervisor should identify and
discuss the problems with the employee as they occur and suggest a
course of action to improve performance. The plan should detail the
nature of the problem, the steps that both the employee and the
supervisor will take to help solve the problem, and the time within
which
the plan is to be implemented. The employee should have input into
the
plan and be encouraged to suggest changes. Once a plan has been
agreed upon, it should be reviewed regularly to make sure the
employee
is on track and able to implement it successfully.
4. Give the written appraisal to the employee several days prior to
the review meeting and encourage him to make comments and suggest
changes to the goals and action plan. By allowing the employee to
read
the evaluation and plan before the meeting, you can make the process
more efficient and help defuse possible initial negative reactions.
In
addition, employee input is essential to creation of realistic
performance
goals and individual buy-in.
5. Create a relaxed atmosphere for the appraisal meeting.
Appraisals should take place in a private, comfortable setting, and
adequate meeting time should be scheduled. The manager should begin
the session by briefly explaining and reviewing the appraisal
process and
by encouraging employee questions and comments throughout the
meeting. |
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* Using Evaluations to Minimize Legal Liability *
The second objective for training managers and supervisors is to
reduce
potential liability for legal claims. To meet this objective, you
should train
supervisors and managers to perform consistent, appropriate reviews.
Frequently, this process includes training in effective listening
and
conflict management so that the manager is not argumentative if an
employee objects to any part of the evaluation. Careless comments,
or
those unrelated to performance, may be interpreted as showing the
supervisor’s personal bias. These comments can be very difficult to
explain or defend if challenged in subsequent litigation.
Written guidelines for the evaluator can provide a reminder of
appropriate behaviors and comments. Supervisors should be taught to
watch out for the following eight common errors that can distort and
invalidate the evaluation process:
- Basing the evaluation on the employee’s most recent behavior,
instead of evaluating the whole performance period;
- Allowing irrelevant or nonjob-related factors to influence the
evaluation, such as physical appearance, social standing,
participation in
employee assistance programs, or excused time off for leaves of
absence;
- Failing to include unfavorable comments on the evaluation,
even
though justified;
- Rating all subordinates at about the same point on a ranking
scale, usually in the middle;
- Allowing one characteristic of the employee, or one aspect of
the
job performance, to distort the rest of the rating process;
- Judging all employees too leniently or too strictly;
- Allowing one very good or very bad rating to affect all the
other
ratings of an employee (the “halo effect”); and
- Permitting personal bias to distort the evaluation process.
In addition, as a final check off, the department head or a human
resources representative should review each evaluation before it is
presented to the employee.
* Foster Positive Attitudes about Appraisals *
Performance evaluations do not have to be painful or unpleasant for
either managers or employees if approached carefully and
systematically. (Download
free Performance Evaluations model policy.)
In fact, when done properly, they can be effective planning tools
for
managers and provide important feedback to employees.
The first step is to show your organization’s commitment to
effective
appraisals by providing training and monitoring to managers and
supervisors. Next, they should be held accountable for their ability
to
provide ongoing guidance to their employees. And finally, they
should
involve employees directly in the formulation of goals and action
plans.
This disciplined, interactive approach can help eliminate the
natural
resistance and barriers to effective evaluations. |
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ From Your HR Matters E-Tips Editors
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Subscribers to the
Personnel Policy Manual (print/online) and HR Policy Answers on
CD can find a model performance evaluation policy in Performance
Evaluations, Chapter 302.
Not a subscriber? If you would like to order one of our policy
chapters,
go to:
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If you have any questions, please call us at 1-800-437-3735. We'll
be
happy to help you. |
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