2 Reasons Why You Should Know About Evaluation Systems

Nobody much likes performance evaluation systems. Managers find them unworkable and uncomfortable. Workers dread them. And lots of experts think we should scrap them altogether.

But for anyone who is a working manager you don't get much choice. You have got to do performance evaluations on your people using the system your organization has in place.

Start by understanding that there are really two different things that go through the name, "performance evaluation." One of those things is your organization's formal performance appraisal process.

Do whatever you must to handle your organization's evaluation system. You will need to work with what ever system your organization has devised. Someday you might be able to change it, but not now. Devote your time and energy to making the system deliver good results.

Though the formal system is only a component of the story. Usually the evaluation that happens there is like a report card. It's a summary judgment of performance that took place over a length of time.

Give notice should you have to start documenting behavior. In most cases, your suggestion to change behavior or performance will be informal. That suggests you won't need to document. And quite often your suggestion and coaching will contribute to improved behavior.

But sometimes you will need to let folks know that they're not doing well enough. Whenever they keep doing what they're doing, you are going to have to start documenting their behavior. Let them know before your start.

Then, if you must document, do some things. Keep good records of the performance or behavior that you're tracking. Be specific about what happened, when and where.

Keep good records of your counseling meetings with your subordinate. What did you say? What did he or she say? How did you agree that things would change?

Making small course corrections along the way has a few of advantages. First, small corrections are far easier to make than big ones, so your odds of a successful outcome go up.

Second, by making small corrections and documenting your counsel and your subordinate's behavior, you have got the issue on the table. In the event the time arrives for formal performance evaluation, your subordinate will know where he or she has come up short. And you are going to determine what they have got to say about how they're doing. No surprises.

Take enough time within the formal session. In one organization where I did research we compared the time that top supervisors dedicated to the once-a-year performance appraisal meeting to the time that other supervisors took. The very best supervisors spent almost twice as long within the formal session as their less-effective peers.

But, if there were not any surprises, what did they spend time on? They talked about growth as well as the future. That is more enjoyable and many more productive than going over what did and did not happen since the last review.

Make agreements on the shall happen next. Be sure you leave the formal performance evaluation session with a clear plan for how your subordinate will develop through the next period and what you are going to do to help.

Set milestones for your agreements. Determine who shall do what and visit this backlink what the deadlines are. Determine how performance should change.

Here is what to remember. The performance evaluation that makes a difference takes place daily, every time you encounter one who works for you. If you take every chance to coach, counsel, encourage and correct your people, and if you document where you must, there will be no surprises at evaluation time. Then you can use the evaluation period to help people grow and develop.