Do Your Employees Make the Grade?

02/27/07

To reach their full potential and contribute to the company’s success, your people need to understand what they’re doing well and what they can improve upon. That’s what makes performance evaluations so vital.

Done effectively, performance monitoring can pay off in many ways. You can identify training and development needs to improve your employees’ on-the-job performance. And, looking at the big picture, giving your employees better instruction can only help your company’s bottom line. By documenting your efforts, you will also build a legal defense against claims of unfair treatment or wrongful discharge.

Periodic appraisals will also help you:

Identify who goes above and beyond.

Who are the top performers in your company? Recognizing overachievers is key to retaining them for the long haul. Remember to reward them on a regular basis.

Keep employees in the loop.

To stay on track with their goals, employees need to know what’s expected of them. Make sure they understand your company’s strategic goals and their roles in helping to achieve those goals.

Let them review you also.

Your employees shouldn’t be the only ones receiving feedback. Let the appraisal become a two-way street and listen to how they view your performance thus far. It can definitely help to shape your future policies and the way you operate.

Document properly.

A thorough appraisal helps you do more than track performance. By documenting your efforts, you will also build a legal defense against claims of unfair treatment or wrongful discharge.

Let the appraisals begin

Before reviewing employees, spell out your agenda to create an environment that puts them at ease. These strategies can help you get there:

Let them know when to expect an appraisal.

Establish a consistent timetable in which employees are evaluated at least annually. The first appraisal should be conducted at the end of a probationary period. Follow-up appraisals may also be conducted periodically.

Make the process smooth for everybody.

The right tools can make all the difference in making the appraisal experience constructive. So set up streamlined procedures and create appraisal forms that managers and employees alike find easy to understand.

Better training starts with you.

An unproductive review doesn’t do very much good for you or the person you’re reviewing. But you and your managers can prevent this by undergoing training procedures to help you assess staff and conduct performance adequately.

Want more great ideas to help you give your best performance appraisal yet? Learn about G.Neil’s Performance Appraisal forms, Employee Performance Journal, books and other helpful tools. Visit us online at www.gneil.com/wk/appraisals.

Performance Kit - $69.99