Understanding Performance Appraisals

Understanding
Performance Appraisals

copyright© 2012 CPE HR, Inc. All rights reserved

Your Host

Linda Robinson, PHR
 Training & Development Manager, CPEhr
 20+ years of HR and managerial
experience in hospitality, food & beverage,
gaming and manufacturing industries

Why Appraisals?
 Measures performance against
previously clearly defined goals
 Reduces discrimination and bias
 Provides productive coaching
 Confirms company goals and employee’s

value
 Allows employee to grow through new goals

 Provides an opportunity to reward

When to Conduct Appraisals

 The first evaluation: 30-90 days
 Annually on anniversary date
 PIP
 “Mini” appraisals
 Always document


How To Prepare

 Starts with the job description
 Defines basic qualifications
 Describes minimum expectations
 Establishes goals


Measuring Performance

 Basic job standards
 Individual performance standards
 Department goals

Effort, Results, Knowledge
 Effort- measures HOW work is done and
involves observation and documentation of
behavior
 Results- measures WHAT work is done and
involves documentation of results
 Knowledge- measures specific knowledge
gained and involves documentation of
application of gained knowledge

Criteria Checklist
• Job Knowledge
• Attendance
• Communication (oral/written)
• Interpersonal Skills
• Dependability
• Planning & Organization
• Initiative copyright© 2012 CPE HR, Inc. All rights reserved

Gathering the Facts

 Ongoing process by managers:
 Observations
 Communications
 Reports and paperwork
•Signed documentation in files
•Recognition documented and placed in
employee files

Objective and Specific

 Use facts, not opinions
 Focus on behavior as it applies to job
performance and company policy
 Be specific in observations


Fact or Opinion?

“Tom has a bad attitude”


Fact or Opinion?

“Sam tried to solve the late shipment
problem by reviewing all incidents and
talking to shipping personnel, truck
drivers, and customers”

Fact or Opinion?

“Maria is an employee I can count
on. She has the potential to go far”


Be Specific
 Vague: “I really like the way you handle the
phones.”
 “You could do a better job”

 Specific: “When you answer the phones you
are always polite and speak clearly.”
 “The phone is to be answered by the second
ring” (and then give reasons)

Rating Systems
 Numerical rating scales
 Quantitative

 Descriptive rating scales
 Qualitative

 MBO
 BARS

Pitfalls

 Most recent events
 Halo/Horn effect
 Similar to me/different than me
 Competitive rating
 Leniency error/central error
 Cultural noise
 “Old-timer” bias

Preparation:
The Employee’s Role

 Self evaluation
 2 weeks in advance
 Sense of teamwork
 Sense of “control”


Preparation:
The Manager’s Role

 Review pertinent records and material
 Ask other managers and supervisors for
their opinions—if appropriate
 Notify employee of time and place


Legalities Considerations

 Communicate job expectations from the very
beginning
 Keep up-to-date job descriptions
 Give employees the opportunity to note their
comments on their evaluations
 Make no promises/watch your language

Honesty is the Best Policy
Rebecca has four employees. Jan
generally does outstanding work, Cindy
does good work, Art does good work and
John is well below average. At review
time she rates them as:
Jan - Outstanding Cindy - Good
Art - Excellent John - Satisfactory

Honesty (cont.)

John’s work gets worse, not better and
Rebecca finally gets fed up and fires him. A
month later he files a lawsuit. His lawyer
says that Rebecca fired John because he is
over 40 and that Rebecca’s reason stated is
a pretext.
Can Rebecca prove her decision to fire
John?

Honesty (cont.)

Cindy finds out that Art, doing the same
quality of work as she has done,
receives an “excellent” rating at his
review, while she only receives “good”.

How do you think this will impact Cindy’s
future performance?

Opening Comments

 Establisha relaxed, professional
meeting and get to the point
 Explain how the interview will proceed
 Encourage participation

Joint Assessment

 For a satisfactory performance, offer
praise and point out a few areas in which
there could be improvement, if any
 For differences of opinion, try to reach
some level of agreement with the
employee
 Employee must “own” all aspects of the
evaluation for it to be effective

Appraisals Are Teamwork

 Together go over goals from last
evaluation-what has been achieved?
 Determine whether goals have changed
along the way
 Have employee clarify any statements
you don’t understand

Setting New Goals

 Realistic, measurable, observable
 Specific steps to take to improve or build
 How much improvement is expected
 Options if problems occur
 Time frame (other than next review)
 Mutually agreed upon

Closing the Meeting

 Summarize what you and the employee have
agreed upon--BE CLEAR!
 Target goals and dates

 Sign the form

 Thank the employee and express your

desire to work with the employee to achieve
these new goals

Special Situations

 The employee who is failing
 This should not be a surprise
 Encourage the employee to talk
 Clarify expectations
 Set goals for success (PIP)
 Clearly define consequences

Special Situations (cont.)

 The angry employee
 Diffuse employee—allow to vent
 Remain calm, don’t take criticisms
personally
 Use facts and specifics only
 Coach for solutions


Special Situations (cont.)

 The employee who wants too much
 Discuss compensation
 Should never be expected
 Must demonstrate ability
 Make no promises
 Discuss future growth plan


Common Mistakes

 Spending more time on performance
appraisal than on performance
PLANNING or ongoing performance
communication
 Comparing employees to each other
 Forgetting appraisal is about
improvement, not blame

Common Mistakes

 Believing a rating form is objective and
impartial
 Cancelling or postponing meetings
 Thinking that all employees and all jobs
should be assessed in the same way
with the same procedure
 Surprising employees during appraisals

The Next Step…

 Measure and observe
 Communicate
 Motivate
 Coach and mentor
 Document
We WANT our employees to succeed!

Remember…

 PeopleWANT to know where they stand
 They will make great effort to improve IF
they understand what is expected
 Consistent guidance as they strive to
accomplish the goals is important
 Appreciation of their efforts is a powerful
motivator

HRCI Credit

 Program ID: ORG_PROGRAM - 127441
 Title: Understanding Performance
Appraisals
 Start Date: October 25, 2012
 End Date: October 25, 2012
 Recertification Credit Hours Awarded: 1.0
 Specified Credit Hours: General

Copyright © 2012 CPE HR, Inc. All rights reserved

Understanding Performance Appraisals

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