Criteria for a Performance Evaluation
Performance evaluations are used to capture and record employee results. The results are used to determine whether an employee is ready to be promoted or to receive a salary increase. Evaluations are also used to identify gaps in training. To be effective, immediate supervisors must be actively engaged in the evaluation process.
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Setting Objectives
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At the start of each year immediate supervisors or managers should review expected job goals or objectives with each employee. Objectives should include clear goals that can be measured quantifiably, and the date that the project or goal should be completed. For example, "Complete the development of the new ABC database for roll out to 250,000 customers across the Mid Atlantic region by June 30" could be an objective.
Documented Employee Input
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Give employees two to three weeks to complete performance evaluation self-assessments. Companies that use software to record evaluations should ensure that employees can add objectives to their review later into the year. This is important because employees often take on additional responsibilities as the year progresses that were not discussed during the setting objectives phase earlier in the year. Instruct employees to include measurable results when they create their self-assessments. Discourage the use of long verbatim to avoid ambiguous performance evaluations that would not hold up in court should your firm become involved in a discrimination or harassment lawsuit.
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Documented Supervisor Input
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After employees complete their self-assessments, allow supervisors two to three weeks to input their employee's evaluations. Except for employees who are on long-term disability, maternity or illness leave, a review should be completed for each active employee at the firm. Direct supervisors should input the evaluations. In cases where an employee has recently transferred to a new department, have the manager who has observed the employee's performance the longest conduct the review. Some firms do not grade performance at the mid-year cycle. However, every employee should receive a final overview review score at least once a year. Examples of employee overall performance ratings include High Performing, Meets Performance Standards, Does Not Meet Requirements, or New Hire. You could also use Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor as rating standards.
Verbal Feedback
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Supervisors should meet with employees directly under their leadership in-person to review their evaluation. Only conduct an evaluation discussion over the telephone in situations where the employee works in a different city or state than you do. Discussions can take 20 to 60 minutes depending on employee feedback. Be prepared ratings and written feedback. Discuss career tracking, training opportunities, work/life balance issues and other concerns employees have. Provide the employee with a copy of the final review at the end of the discussion. Keep a printed copy of the review in the employee's personnel file.
Follow-up
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Follow-up on action steps you told an employee you would complete. For example, if you promised to enroll an employee in a leadership training course, work with your firm's training department to register the employee for the classroom training. Communicate to the employee that they have been enrolled in the course and give them the dates, time off from work, location and times for the training.
Considerations
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Performance evaluations must be fair and impartial. Personal opinions and perceptions should not be a part of the review process. Due to their communication style, some supervisors find it challenging to conduct written and oral performance evaluations. In these cases, the supervisor would benefit from receiving group training. Workforce Management, viaPeople, CRG EmPerform, The Society of Human Resource Professionals and the National Human Resources Association provide software and white papers that you can use to design supervisor performance evaluation training modules with. The associations require you to become a member before you can access certain of their tools.
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