Effective Performance Appraisal Management Process, Phrases and Comments

Effective Performance Appraisal Management Process, Phrases and Comments

Like in the case of educational institutes where students are rated based on their academic performance – organisations also have standard rules for assessing employee-performance. Though the time pattern in mapping the performance level varies between the two, their objectives remain the same. They ultimately want to understand if the students/employees are on the right track and guide them in case they falter.

An organisation looks at three aspects while appraising its employees – quantity, quality and potential. Where on one it is easy to measure an employee’s growth potential and quality of work, it is challenging to measure the quantity or amount of work already done. This however, differs from function to function – For example: in a sales oriented job, where the sales team is expected to hit a specific monthly/annual revenue target, it is easy to measure the quantity of work (done or undone). On the contrary, in a services job where there is no set target it becomes a daunting task for an employer to establish the work quantity. Looking at this particular scenario more and more companies are restructuring their mode of appraisal and in some cases developing tools for tracking employee-performance – which means anything and everything that an employee does gets quantified.

Right from the time when an employee is oriented into a new job, the boss or the immediate reporting manager starts observing his/ her day-to-day activities. Though in most cases this goes unnoticed by the employee, this seems to be a smart move indeed. Therefore, one should always remember – even when you are not noticed, you are being noticed! A good boss should always encourage his team to interact with the HR manager on a regular basis. This comes handy during the appraisal when the boss finds out other employee concerns from the HR – which somewhat has a direct impact on the employee’s appraisal.

Some of the appraisal objectives as illustrated by the company are rather obvious, while others are not. In several cases employees are mislead by these objectives. Compensation and Promotion being two of the most vital aspects of an appraisal are often ignored. Even after securing the required level of output, employees often fail to get their yearly promotions or deserving compensation. This happens due to a lot of factors, lack of transparency between the boss and the employee being one of them. Therefore, an employer must take the employees through the appraisal guidelines:

1. Set your own key result area (KRA)

2. Get them checked by your reporting manager

3. Discuss the future scope of work with your manager

4. Incorporate any KRA changes made by your manager

5. Be clear about the rating system

6. Clear your doubts with HR pre and post appraisal

The performance appraisal is nothing but a systematic evaluation of the performance of the employees. By following the above guidelines one can ensure a smooth and authentic appraisal process. This way one can be rest assured – if you are a good performer you will be rewarded!