Performance appraisal is the practice of evaluating how workers perform the work that has been assigned to them in the workplace. In this case, employees’ work is evaluated and documented for a number of reasons. Some of the most common reasons as to why the performance appraisal is conducted are focused on compensation, test validation, career development, and dismissal.
This systematic practice is also applied in organizations to assess employees’ capabilities and weakness regarding existing organizational objectives or goals (Zhang & Bartol, 2010). In this case, performance appraisal plays a crucial role in the workplace when it comes to employee development and enhancement. The process helps employers make the right decisions in matters regarding the allocation of benefits and salary increment to their employees.
In most cases, performance appraisals are conducted periodically, either on an annual or quarterly basis. There are various evaluation processes that are used to conduct a performance appraisal within organizations. This paper is a reflective evaluation of a friend’s experience of performance appraisal in the workplace.
In this particular case, Andrew Williams, who works as a computer engineer in a leading technology company, was being taken through an annual review along with other employees. The review was conducted in the first quarter of the current calendar year, and it aimed to identify and document workers’ development needs and achievements in the workplace. Moreover, the review was also intended to evaluate workers’ capabilities, achievements, and failures in meeting the performance of the previous year, thus helping to set goals for the approaching year.
A two-day annual meeting between managers and workers was held, where dialogue and feedback on crucial matters took place. The judgmental evaluation process was applied, where the employees were given evaluation forms at the end of the meeting to give their opinions on the overall performance practices as they are applied in the organization. The topics in the forms included but were not limited to, quality and quantity of work, skills of work, leadership and management, communication, and working habits.
As it would be observed, the evaluation process has both strengths and weaknesses. One of the major strengths of the process is that workers can understand important things that are essential for excellent performance in the workplace. Some of these aspects would include things such as what is expected of them, how well they have performed, their strengths and weaknesses, and what they can do to improve their work (Youssef & Noon, 2012).
More importantly, the process enhances employee performance through the facilitation of communication and reinforcement of the desired performance activities, among other activities. Apart from these strengths, there are also several weaknesses that are associated with the process. One of the major weaknesses with the evaluation process is that employers may not know what workers have done, and in that case, they cannot ascertain the credibility of the feedback received. Another common weakness comes with the common errors in the evaluation process which include things such as the halo effect, central tendency, horn effect, status effect, and leniency that are likely to alter the outcome of the evaluation process.
There are several ways that can be used to improve the performance appraisal process in the workplace. For example, the managers and supervisors should stop using annual meetings as platforms for reviews and try to give much emphasis on the evaluation forms instead. The main reason for this is that the discussions raised in the meetings are likely to alter employees’ opinions on certain aspects, thus interfering with the credibility of the evaluation outcome. More importantly, people who conduct the evaluation process can be exposed to regular training that would enable them to gain the extra skills and abilities needed to conduct effective performance appraisals.
References
Youssef, C., & Noon, A. (2012). Industrial/Organizational Psychology. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing Inc.
Zhang, X., & Bartol, K. M. (2010). Linking empowering leadership and employee creativity: The influence of psychological empowerment, intrinsic motivation, and creative process engagement. Academy of Management Journal, 53(1), 107-128.