Performance Evaluations
Written by Paul on August 8th, 2008
Making Poor Performers Good and Making Good Performers Better Part I
In the next couple of articles I am going to focus on developing effective, meaningful, personnel performance evaluations. I will deal with performance evaluations from two perspectives. The first focus will revolve around performance evaluations that the supervisor develops for his/her team members. Second, I will discuss methods for team members to evaluate their supervisor.
Most supervisors are uncomfortable when they are required to conduct team member performance appraisals. Some of the reasons for this feeling are mistrust for the rating scale, lack of skill in the process, resistance to change, the desire to avoid conflict, and lack of consistency.
A sounder approach is placing the major responsibility on the team member for establishing performance goals. This process removes the subjectiveness from the rating and provides a more objective means for appraisal. The process to be discussed will require more of the manager’s time, but inspiring greater motivation and the more effective development of team members can justify this added time element.
As I travel around the country conducting training programs, I find that many organizations do not place much importance on performance evaluations. Even more striking is the fact that several organizations don’t even require annual evaluations. The reason for this attitude is that there are many problems with current methods of completing performance evaluations. First, in many cases the process is subjective. The instrument utilized is very general and broad based. This requires the supervisor to add his or her own commentary regarding their team member’s performance. Second, there appears to be a lack of organizational commitment to complete meaningful performance evaluations. To correct this obstacle, the department head needs to provide training for all members required to complete performance evaluations, and then set up an organizational accountability system. When a department trains all its supervisors, a foundation of consistency is developed. After training is completed the accountability factor is implemented. This is where the first line supervisors boss, usually the Battalion Chief, plays an important role. It is obvious that all first-line supervisors will not have the same dedication or make the same effort when completing the evaluations. When the evaluation is sent through channels, the Battalion Chief, or whoever supervises the first line supervisor, should review the evaluation for accuracy and completeness. This is a fair process for those team members being evaluated.
The following is an example to emphasize this point. One department required that any performance evaluation should have written documentation to support the rating. In one instance, a Captain submitted an evaluation for his Engineer and rated him “above average”, saying, “ Sam is a better than average Engineer and a great guy.” When the Battalion Chief received the evaluation he went to visit the Captain who completed the evaluation. The Battalion Chief asked the Captain, “What specific things did the Engineer do to deserve the “better than average” evaluation? The Captain started rattling off various good characteristics and actions exhibited by the Engineer. In a very short time, the Battalion Chief had about three pages of written documentation of positive contributions made by the Engineer over the past year. The Battalion Chief suggested that the just completed three pages of documentation were a far better return for the Engineer’s good work than the 1-½ lines of documentation submitted by the Captain. I think we will all agree the Battalion Chief was correct. This type of accountability process assures consistency.
When the performance evaluation process is completed properly, everyone gains. The team member being evaluated has the opportunity to identify, discuss, and address performance areas that need improvement. Additionally, a realistic and action-oriented plan for achieving team member career goals is developed. The result is a sense of worth and commitment derived from identification of the team member’s personal goals and objectives with those of the organization. The supervisor has the opportunity to convert general daily supervisory impressions of team member performance into an objective, job-related, officially recorded history of team member performance. The supervisor is also given an opportunity to encourage, guide, praise, warn, and or counsel the team member. In addition to the above gains for the supervisor and team member, the performance evaluation becomes a communication tool, motivational tool, clarification tool, future-planning tool, recognition tool and documentation tool.
How is all this accomplished? The first step is for the team member and the supervisor to have a meeting at the start of the evaluation period. During this meeting, expectations are discussed along with factors regarding work performance as it relates to the team members job description. Additionally, this is the time to discuss personal goals and organizational goals desired by the team member.
Regarding expectations, the supervisor is assured the team member has a clear understanding of his/her current responsibilities. It is also a time to clarify areas of confusion. The supervisor and team member discuss expectations and standards to be met. When this discussion is completed it is time for the team member to identify career development objectives. These objectives could be related to the improvement or upgrading of the employees’ current skills, as used in his/her current position. The objectives could also be related to the acquisition of new skills required of the position or new skills required for promotion. After the meeting the supervisor does the following:
- Identify those employee objectives, which appear in the supervisor’s judgment to be realistically reachable within the rating period.
- Prioritize those objectives in terms of work requirement and objectives, which the supervisor may have for the employee.
- Develop a plan for the achievement of those objectives.
When this step is completed, the supervisor maintains a journal that keeps track of the progress and success of the team member. The purpose of the journal is to help the supervisor remember important incidents or actions by the team member. One important purpose of the journal is to accurately record the progress of a team member regardless of the supervisor’s mood or feelings on evaluation day. The supervisor is now ready to fill out the evaluation form and conduct the appraisal interview with the team member. This process will be discussed next month.
