Human Resources 101

Effective performance management takes place daily. Managers don’t wait for an annual meeting, but observe their employee’s performance and provide immediate feedback. Besides better motivating the employee and/or allowing the employee to address required improvements immediately, it eliminates the chance of any surprises during the formal review sessions.

To facilitate conducting the formal performance appraisal, supervisors should keep notes and observations of their employee’s performance throughout the year. This will help provide the employee with a balanced and objective formal appraisal. The supervisor should also consult with clients and co-workers of the employee to obtain as much performance feedback as possible.

The formal performance appraisal is designed to communicate job responsibilities and performance expectations/objectives between supervisors and employees. The primary goal of the appraisal is to develop the commitment of both parties to achieve the best possible performance results.

Meeting this goal is achieved effectively when:

1. Individual employee performance is measured over the review period against mutually established job standards and performance expectations.
2. Employee growth and development is encouraged through accurate feedback from observations collected throughout the year
3. Employee achievements are recognized
4. Specific, constructive recommendations are offered when performance improvement or development is required
5. Employee input encouraged
6. Clear objectives are mutually established for the upcoming review period.

For further reading:

• 6 Ways to Measure Employee Productivity
• 8 Best Practices to Stop Employee De-motivation