A STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL (HR PROJECTS)

Description:

Today’s working climate demands a great deal of commitment and effort from employees, who in turn naturally expect a great deal more from their employers. Performance appraisal is designed to maximize effectiveness by bringing participation to more individual level in that it provides a forum for consultation about standards of work, potential, aspirations and concerns. It is an opportunity for employees to have significantly greater influence upon the quality of their working lives. In these times of emphasis on “quality”, there is a natural equation: better quality goods and services from employees who enjoy better quality “goods and services” from their employers.

Performance appraisal must be seen as an intrinsic part of a manager’s responsibility and not an unwelcome and time-consuming addition to them. It is about improving performance and ultimate effectiveness.

Performance appraisal is a systematic means of ensuring that managers and their staff meet regularly to discuss post and present performance issues and to agree what future is appropriate on both sides. This meeting should be based on clear and mutual understanding of the job in question and the standards and outcomes, which are a part of it. In normal circumstances, employees should be appraised by their immediate managers on one to one basis. Often the distinction between performance and appraising is not made. Assessment concerns itself only with the past and the present. The staff is being appraised when they are encouraged to look ahead to improve effectiveness, utilize strengths, redress weaknesses and examine how potentials and aspirations should match up.

It should also be understood that pushing a previously prepared report across and desk cursorily inviting comments, and expecting it to be neatly signed by the employee is not appraisal - this is merely a form filling exercise which achieves little in terms of giving staff any positive guidance and motivation.