Purpose Of Performance Appraisal Performance

An appraisal is one of the most commonly used methods of formal assessment and is used to evaluate and assess the performance of an employee against agreed targets and objectives, with the aim of improving employee performance. Where an employee has been able to achieve their targets, the appraisal can be used to recognise successes. This often helps to increase an employee’s confidence and motivation and can lead to better organisational performance. Many organisations will use the outcomes of an appraisal to identify potential candidates for promotions or even an increase in pay. At the same time, an appraisal meeting may include discussions on underperformance, identifying why this has occurred and how this can be avoided in the future.

Performance appraisal is a method which is increasingly used to evaluate employees to determine the degree to which they are performing effectively and encourage them to direct their energies towards organizational performance. Although the appraisal is being practiced, there are criticisms made against the system which generally arise from within the Orthodox and radical management frame work.

A performance appraisal is one of the most important factors in any organization and can be one of the greatest tools used to record employee production. Every organization has to have goals and objectives established and the employee has to be involved in this process. By conducting performance appraisal will improve productivity and also the morale of the employees.

Performance Appraisals will help to monitor standards, objectives, expectations, responsibilities, tasks, training needs and career succession planning. Also the employee appraisals are used for the evaluation of annual pay and grading reviews, which also coincides with the next year business planning.

Development of a performance appraisal system that is effective in a human service organization is of benefit for the organization and the employees. For a performance appraisal system to be effective, the system has to be strategic, designed to fit the specific needs of the organization, non-discriminatory, non-bias, with correct implementation and administration. Many different components, must to be incorporated to make this type of system beneficial for all who use it, and all who are evaluated by the system.

An effective performance appraisal system strives for as much precision in defining and measuring performance dimensions as is feasible. Some of the major problems with the Darby appraisal system are:

The purpose of a performance appraisal is to be used to improve employee performance. It should be used as a guide for recognizing outstanding behavior that is in line with departmental policies and work objectives, but should also be used as a tool for feedback to improve observed employee deficiencies. Performance appraisals should never be a surprise when it is presented to the employee. It is important for subordinates to understand what they are being evaluated on and what it takes to be successful.

Performance appraisal is an evaluation and grading exercise undertaken in organizations to achieve several objectives such as employee motivation, identification of training needs, rewards and remuneration, employee development through feedback etc. [Fig. 1]. All methods for performance appraisal have several advantages and disadvantages based on location of the firm, socio-economic environment, vision and mission of the firm, organizational structure and other factors. Organizations in different industrial sectors may have different focus areas of work and different values and thus, expectations from employees vary across sectors.

First, we need to ask what performance appraisals are. They are “The identification, measurement and management of human performances within an organization.” (GOMEZ-MEJIA, 2010) Performace appraisals are popular and used world wide to measure personal and team performace. Performance management has increased with the gripping economy and having less to do more. Managers have always thought of optimal performance, yet a poorly written performce appraisal has a devistating impact on the employee, the manager, and the company.

Specifically, this essay will focus on performance appraisal which is the level of concern to employees and how

Effective performance appraisals for developing and sustaining a high- performance appraisal system are based upon two key tenets. The first tenet suggests that if appraisal processes operate as a system. The second tenet is that individual manager’s play a pivotal role in achieving effective appraisals and that they need the right tools and support to be effective.

shown marked improvement or progress. Lack of personal performance growth would result in consequences for the employee including a probationary period or dismissal. Personal conflicts between manager and employee should not be reflected in the appraisal process. Manager accountability would be reflected by the performance of the employee; hence, an ineffective manager could as easily be discovered through the process as an ineffective employee could be. The process would actually be a system of checks and balances. Ideally, this would promote team players and identify any weak links. The goal of performance appraisals is utilizing the employee’s performance and their behavior or attitude. With correct implementation, the attitude and behavior will not be the issue or focus of the manager. “For any performance improvement to take place, both parties must agree that improvement is necessary, that a plan for improving performance has been jointly formulated, and that periodic progress improvement sessions will take place, as needed. Thus, improvements in employee performance and attitudes can truly be enhanced.” (Peggy Anderson, 1998)

Performance appraisals are used to facilitate improvement in employee performance, provide formal official feedback to employees concerning performance, provide information for decisions concerning compensation and other personnel transactions. One of the challenges that Systems Made Simple faces is with Performance Appraisals and how they are perceived by the employee and manager. Some managers and employees do not take the process seriously and we need to find a resolution so that the performance appraisal process is important to all involved. There are a few reasons why this is so challenging for us; first of all some managers have so many employees that that they need to conduct appraisals on that they feel overwhelmed and do not give the employee’s evaluation the time it deserves. We often see that the manager will copy and paste comments from employee to employee. This is not fair, each employee is different from one another and the comments should reflect that individual’s performance over the course of the year. The managers feel disconnected from the procedure, they

“Performance appraisals can enhance employee performance as well as advance the mission and goals of an organization. There are many advantages of performance appraisals if they are applied fairly, consistently and objectively. Performance appraisals not applied fairly can be counterproductive and even destructive to

According to Briscoe & Schuler (2004), performance can be viewed as a combination of several variables, such as motivation, ability, working conditions and expectations. Variables which have a direct effect on employee productivity in organisations and the ability of such organisations to meet its strategic objectives. As such, performance appraisal systems seek to align employee behaviour, activities and performance to organisational objectives and corporate strategy.