Performance Appraisal

Front 1

Explain or identify the major goals of conducting performance appraisals

Back 1

-Measure employee performance( to help improve it)
-Measure employee potential
-Anaylze employees streghths and weaknesses
-Set goals for later improvement
-Make substantial decsions about pay increase and promotions
-Eliminate hopeless inadequate performers.
-Provide structure to the employee

Front 2

Distinguish between “outcomes” and “work related behaviors” that are used for appraising employee performance.

Back 2

Outcomes focus’s on the end product quanitity and quality. Work related focus’s on how the work is preformed as it appraises the behavior involved during work. (ex. Attitude)

Front 3

Distinguish among the shortcomings or limitations of a performance appraisal system. Identify the key requirements of an effective appraisal system

Back 3

If the evaluator did a bad job on the appraisal such as certain personality bias, favoritism, using the same rating, not having sufficient time or information this can effect the employee and how there performance will continue.( Negatively)

Front 4

Discuss or identify the conflict that results when using the findings of a performance appraisal to determine an employee's merit raise as well as to help the employee grow and develop in his/her job.

Back 4

Reactions depend on Employees opinion of the evaluator, importance of the duties and his/her motivation to perform the work, the employee’s self image (positive or negative) and past experiences the employee has had with performance appraisals will determine the positive or negative reaction to the performance appraisal.
Examples: Positive if you know you are usually late and get a bad rating in punualilty than you will tend to accept that rating.
Negative- If you got a bad rating in performance and you do exceptionally well and your peers see that than of course you are going to react negatively

Front 5

To avoid legal challenges in administering a performance appraisal system, distinguish among the guidelines for protecting the performance appraisal process from charges of discrimination

Back 5

- Provide an overall description of the employees performance thus far and truthfully.
-Base the performance appraisal on an analysis of the job
-Define your performance dimensions in behavioral terms and support assessments with evidence.
-Keep things simple
-Monitor and audit for discrimination
-Train raters to assess performance accurately and to conduct effective performance appraisal discussions.
-Provide upper level management review before the appraisal is reviewed with the individual.
-Provide some kind of appeal

Front 6

Distinguish the Management by Objectives method for appraising employee performance and identify a BHAG when given a case scenario

Back 6

-primary advantage for an MBO as an appraisal method is that people are more committed to achieving a goal when they help set it.
-BHAG- are big hairy audacious goals . Example sam Walton founder of wal mart set out to be a billion dollar company in 4 years. MBOS are used for upper level managements.
Examples of MBO questions- How has the employee grown as a result of pursuing a goal.

Front 7

Distinguish among the components of an effective MBO appraisal system. (Thought question based - on steps and criteria for appraising using MBO,

Back 7

- Setting goals- must be mutually determined between supervisor and employees, areas concerning present and past job appraisals.
- Identifying resources and actions needed- the amount of time money and materials needed to reach an objective must be determined.
-. Arranging goals in order of priority- both the rater and ratee need to agree on levels of importance. Which are most important.
-. Setting timetables- precise times need to be set for the completion of actions and attainment of goals.
- Appraising the results- the summary judgment of success or failure that occurs at this step sets the stage for a return to step one continuing the cycle.

Front 8

Distinguish among the issues involved in using a 360 degree review process in evaluating an employee’s performance

Back 8

A 360 degree rating is done by multiple persons such as peers, employees, and superiors. Some people say that this helps you see how others perceive you from all directions. It is said that we get more information from written comments by superiors people listen more and take these to heart. This should be anonymous so that the raters wont rate there manager higher so they can get higher pay.

Front 9

If your overall performance appraisal goal was to help employees realize their potential, justify
the method or combination of performance appraisal methods you would use to help accomplish that goal. (Thought question based on various rating methods).

Back 9

- I would use the graphic rating system because I feel it’s a rating system 1-5 on various parts of your performance so you can see where you are and what you need to work on. It also doesn’t rank you in importance like some of the other methods.

Front 10

Reasons for failure of a Performance Appraisal include

Back 10

•Perceptual differences in standards of evalutaion
•Personal bias
•Halo effect
•Central tendency
•Recent behavior bias
•Poor record-keeping
•Contrast errors
•Hasty reviews
•Inexperience

Front 11

Halo effect

Back 11

Evaluator tends to assign the employee either high or low in traits which the rater likes or dislikes

Front 12

Central tendency

Back 12

Evaluator tends to assign the same rating or level to each factor being rated

Front 13

Hasty reviews

Back 13

evaluator is not comfortable in conducting face-to-face reviews, and speeds up process

Front 14

Employee Issues with Performance Appraisals

Back 14

 Employee must care about the findings and results of the review
 Employee must perceive the performance appraisal system is fair
 Employee must know criteria used for evaluation

Front 15

Employee Reactions to the Findings of the Appraisals:
An employee’s reaction will depend on the

Back 15

 Employee’s opinion of the evaluator
 Importance of the duties and his/her motivation to perform the work
 Extent to which the employee has a positive self-image
 Past experiences the employee has had with performance appraisals

Front 16

paired comparison

Back 16

The paired comparison method requires supervisors to compare employees in a pair-wise manner. The supervisor counts the number of times an employee is picked as the better of the pair and a numerical total is obtained”

Front 17

forced distribution

Back 17

• “Provides a remedy for leniency errors or rater inflation.”
• “With this approach, no more than a certain percentage of your people may be ranked in each of the performance categories.”
• “These forms do not provide much information for development purposes or guidance”
• Percentages distributed: Bell Curve or normal distribution

Front 18

narrative essay

Back 18

• The most flexible, but most demanding
• “In this method, the supervisor describes the employee’s performance in written comments that address all of the relevant performance dimensions of the job.”
• “This method offers the maximum degree of expression for precise and informative evaluations and is valuable for conducting an appraisal session.

Front 19

graphic rating scale

Back 19

• One of the most common
• Supervisors rate their employees on several graphic
• Like shown here, each interval on the scale often has a descriptive phrase for the specific level of performance.

Front 20

critical incidents

Back 20

• “…the rater records personal observations, both positive and negative, in order to dramatize the particular point under examination.”
• Specific situations are referred to in this method

Front 21

behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)

Back 21

• “…uses a series of statements that describe performance behaviors ranging from effective through ineffective.”
• “These statements describe behaviors that pertain to a specific dimension of job performance.”
• Example (same as on page 515):
* The trainer always arrives 30 minutes early for each training session and makes sure that all equipment is functioning (5pts)
*The trainer usually arrives just before the session is to being (3 pts)
*The trainer is often late to the training sessions (0 pts)

Front 22

Explain the impact of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 in appraising employee performance.

Back 22

Enables employers to monitor employee’s e-mail and internet activity on company computers. Computer monitoring measures how employees achieve their outputs- monitoring work as it takes place- in addition to keeping track of their total output

Front 23

Distinguish among the types of rating errors that occur when conducting a performance appraisal

Back 23

-Rater leniency
-Rater severity
-Central tendency
-Halo
-Horn
-Contrast error
-Recency error
-Rush job
-Saving up for the appraisal
-Not sharing results
-Lack of proper training or documentation

Front 24

Central tendency

Back 24

rating everyone as average, because you lack sufficient data and/or seek safe, uncontroversial methods of handling appraisals.

Front 25

Halo

Back 25

one positive characteristic, behavior, or incident favorably biases the appraisal

Front 26

Horn

Back 26

one negative characteristic, behavior, or incident adversely biases

Front 27

Contrast error

Back 27

supervisor makes judgments by comparing employees

Front 28

Recency error

Back 28

Don’t let recent events overshadow the employee’s performance throughout the history of their employment

Front 29

Rush job

Back 29

Do not write things down at the last minute and fly through the appraisal. Employees deserve thought out appraisals and more than just 15-20 minutes of your time

Front 30

Distinguish among the issues of using computer monitoring as part of the performance appraisal procedure

Back 30

It creates additional worker stress, fatigue, and turnover. Workers fear unauthorized access to and disclosure of highly “personal and private information”. From management’s point of view, computer monitoring helps control costs, improve security, increase productivity, and obtain more precise information needed for objective appraisals.

Front 31

For preparing for the performance appraisal

Back 31

- Ask your employees to provide input for the appraisal session.
- Request that the employees provide a list of their most important accomplishments over the past year or shorter period.
- Give the employee a copy of their written appraisals at least a day before the appraisal session.
- Review each appraisal in detail and be clear why you chose to rate the employee a certain way before you attempt to meet with your employee.
- Anticipate the areas or individual remarks that might give rise to controversy.
- Maybe use the sandwich approach: gives the worker a strength, a weakness, then a strength, and so on in order to soften the blow.
- Finally, set down a list of goals or objectives that you would like to see the person achieve. Tell them certain ways that they may be able to go about achieving those goals.

Front 32

For conducting the performance appraisal

Back 32

- Make arrangements for adequate time and facilities, and ensure that you will be free of unnecessary interruptions.
- Focus on behaviors instead of unchangeable employee characteristics or attitudes that you can only presume to exist.
- Avoid lecturing and get your employee’s feelings and observations into the open.

Front 33

Distinguish among Maier’s approaches to appraisal sessions including: tell and sell; tell and listen; and problem-solving.

Back 33

- Tell and sell approach: the supervisor describes the evaluation and then outlines the actions needed for improvement in the future. The supervisor then sells the evaluation and attempts to obtain the employee’s commitment to the actions outlined for improvement.
- Tell and listen approach: the supervisor describes the appraisal to the employee and then allows him to talk through any disagreements with the appraisal. The supervisor listens actively, notes any inaccuracies and works through any misunderstandings.
- Problem-solving approach: (for experienced supervisor) – The supervisor helps the employee talk through any performance problems and helps draw out the employee’s ideas for how to solve the problems.