Employee Performance Appraisals

"I have worked in a couple of companies in the past few years. I have come across understanding managers who never failed to appreciate my performance. I have also worked under some inefficient managers who never failed to point out my shortfalls and never bothered to laud my excellence at work. I must admit, from both the types of managers, I have learnt a lot. Today I own a small company and have around 50 people working under me. However, I don't like them to call me their boss. I prefer to be their guide, their mentor, helping them help me with my business. I make sure to appreciate the smallest of their achievements. I believe in them and in their abilities. My job is to keep them going." - J. Arnold, business manager

Appraisals give the employees an opportunity to contemplate their performance at work. It is the time when employees look forward to a raise in the salary and a promotion. For the managers, appraisals are about reviewing the past performance of their employees and providing them with feedback along with some tips to improve. Performance appraisal is the means by which the work performance of employees is evaluated. Employee performance is assessed in terms of the quality and quantity of work he/she has put in. It is calculated in terms of the time and efforts contributed by the employees in achieving an assigned task.

Reviews of employee performance taken within an organization are known as performance or employee appraisals. They aim at analyzing employee performance, identifying his/her potential and inabilities, in order to determine the employee training needs. They also aim at taking decisions about salary revisions and promotions of employees. Ideally, a performance appraisal should give way for an open communication between the employees and their manager/employer. It should provide the employees with the means to communicate their points of view about the organization structure and openly discuss the difficulties they face (if any) at the workplace.

As people differ in their abilities and aptitude, no two people can perform identically. Depending on their capacities, they show a difference in the quality and quantity of work they are able to do within a stipulated period of time. It is necessary to understand these differences in the individuals and weigh the work performances accordingly. Decisions regarding the promotion of an employee need to be taken with due consideration to his/her abilities, as promoting an individual implies assigning him/her additional responsibilities.

Appraisal cycles differ from one organization to another. Some follow six-monthly appraisals while some have annual performance reviews. In some organizations, project completions are followed by a performance review of those involved in the project. In most of the companies, a performance appraisal comprises an overview of an employee’s key accomplishments during the review cycle and analysis of the factors that contributed to his/her accomplishments as also those which inhibited the employee from performing optimally. Appraisal gives the employer/manager an opportunity to understand the career aspirations of the employees as well as their training and development needs. They give the employing organization, a chance to accept employee feedback, which might consist of some valuable suggestions for overall improvement of the organization.

Some employers/managers work towards finding effective phrases for appraisal. They struggle in wording their appreciation and spend time in preparation before the appraisal process begins. But searching for the so-called effective phrases is not really necessary. Appreciation only requires genuine feelings. A deliberate use of effective words can sound artificial. Appraisals are just about expressing concern towards one’s employees and encouraging them to keep moving on.

Performance appraisals are an important part of career development of the employees. They are instrumental in keeping the employees motivated. Productivity is the result of satisfaction at work. Employee recognition breeds satisfaction at work. True, performance appraisals form an integral part of one’s life at work. But self-appraisal is nonetheless essential. It is important to evaluate your own performance once in a while and pat your own back for all your accomplishments at work.