Employees are most likely to be successful performers when
they clearly understand their assignments, know what level of performance is
considered acceptable, and receive consistent feedback. Evaluation of an
employee's performance is not just a once-a-year activity done by a
supervisor to an employee. It is an ongoing process that involves
information from coworkers, customers, the supervisor, and even the employee.
The employee is just as responsible for his or her successful performance and
evaluation as the supervisor.
A formal appraisal is an important opportunity to
summarize the informal evaluations of the employee's performance over a long
period of time. The University policy currently requires that an employee
receive at least one formal appraisal every 12 months.
Supervisors: have the right of final approval on
which levels of performance will be considered successful and to hold employees
accountable for meeting these standards. Supervisors also have a right to
formally evaluate employees on a periodic basis and provide informal feedback
on a frequent basis in order to achieve the level of performance required to
manage a successful program, service or department.
Employees: have a right to be informed of
performance expectations and to be evaluated as objectively as possible.
Employees also have a right to periodic performance feedback and to at least
one formal evaluation each year.
The first step to successful performance is ensuring that
the employee is clear about what he or she is assigned to do. What is the
employee's role within the organization? What are the duties and
responsibilities?
Each position in a department has it's own unique set of
duties and responsibilities. For example, not all secretaries perform exactly
the same combination of tasks, though much of what they do is similar. An exact
description of the duties and responsibilities an employee needs to perform can
be provided by writing (or updating) a department (or functional) job
description. The description should be specific to the position(s) in a
particular department or unit. It should include the phrase "and other
related duties as assigned" to cover unexpected or occasional tasks and
should be updated as often as is needed to keep it current.
Clarifying duties and responsibilities provides a
framework for the crucial activity of setting performance standards. The
supervisor and the employee both need some way of determining how well the
employee is doing. It is important for the standards to be negotiated and set
before the employee starts performing work that will be evaluated,
whether the employee is new to the University or new to the position as a
result of transfer or promotion. It is also important to update the standards
as the work situation changes.
Negotiationis important because many factors
(staffing levels, workloads, or stressful work conditions, for example) can
affect the fairness of an expectation. The more the employee is involved in
setting/updating standards and agrees they are clearand
reasonable, the greater the chances for successful performance.
A goal refers to results that must be achieved or
to ongoing performance criteria that must be met consistently and/or results
that must be achieved in order for the employee to achieve successful
performance. Goals refer to such things as the delivery of services at a
specified level of quality, attendance level, accuracy rates, response times,
production rates, safety thresholds, format requirements, and behavioral
expectations. In order to write an effective goal for successful performance,
it should be as specific, measurable,
attainable, realistic, and
time measured as possible ("SMART").
Goals may be set for each duty or project assigned. They
may be set for activities or behaviors that apply to many assignments or
projects (for example, computer work or cooperation). The important thing is
that everyone who will be involved in evaluating an employee's performance is
clear about which aspects of the employee's performance will be evaluated and
what successful performance will look like.
V. Coaching
Through Informal Evaluation and Feedback
Coaching is a term used to describe an ongoing
evaluation and feedback process. It tells employees, "How am I
doing?" and "Where do I go from here?" How would you like to be
a member of a bowling team and go bowling every week, but only get your scored
once a year? Coaching is the day-to-day effort to review work, answer
questions, discuss progress (or lack of it) toward meeting standards, develop
skills, and provide positive guidance.
Is the supervisor the only person who can provide coaching
to an employee? Coworkers, other supervisors, and even customers can often be
in a good position to compare the employee's performance to establish standards
and then give helpful feedback. Such coaching opportunities can be part of
planned mentoring or customer feedback process or can occur spontaneously as a
result of the employee asking these people for input.
The employee can also be her or his own coach by obtaining
feedback from other sources. By reviewing one's own work products, data from
reports, or even videotapes (when appropriate and if available) can provide the
employee an opportunity for self-evaluation and improvement.
But can't that become a lot of information to keep track
of? The most effective way to track and refer to that information is to set up
a "memory file." This can be as simple as a file
folder. It can include notes on exceptional (positive or negative) performance
or behavior by the employee. It can also include copies of exceptional
documents such as letters of appreciation or of warning. By keeping a memory
file on each employee, a supervisor can track an employee's performance
progress as well as what coaching has been provided. Depending on how
accessible and complete that file, the employee may want to set up his own
memory file to ensure all key aspects of his performance are recorded.
Personally thank employees for a good job verbally
and in writing (Timely, often, and sincerely).
Make the time to meet with and listen to your
staff.
Provide specific feedback about individual,
department, and organization.
Strive to create an open, trusting, and fun work
environment. Encourage new ideas and initiatives.
Provide information on departmental and University
strategy and on how the individual fits in with the overall plan.
Involve employees in decisions, especially those
that affect them.
Provide employees with a sense of ownership in
their work and the work environment.
Recognize, reward, and promote people based on
their performance and deal with marginal performers.
Give people a chance to grow and learn new skills.
Create a partnership to help them meet their goals within the context of the
organization's goals.
Celebrate success -- of the University, the
department, and the individuals in it. Take time for team and morale building
meetings and activities.
GENERAL TIPS AND IDEAS:
Customize a memo. Use the employee's first name
and add your own personal touches where possible.
Know your employees and reward them as
individuals. For example, if the employee appreciates written praise and
likes to go fishing, give them a recognition memo and a few hours off on a
sunny afternoon.
Involve employees in the recognition process.
Ask them when they think employees should be recognized. Establish a program
where they nominate one another for awards.
Match the reward and the achievement. Make sure
those who have completed more substantial tasks are better rewarded than those
who simply had a good day.
Vary rewards. After an employee has received
2-3 recognition memos, offer them a material reward of some sort.
Spread the wealth. Try to recognize everyone in
some way or another. Find something they are doing right that you want to
reinforce.
Act quickly. Recognize the employee as soon as
possible following the event. Even if you're planning a more substantial reward
in the future, be sure to give some verbal recognition or a quick memo right
away.
Be as specific as possible. Let your employee
know exactly what it is that they have done right.
Try not to mix recognition with advice. This
might confuse the message you are sending.
Convey the big picture. Describe how the effort
or result contributed to a broader goal or objective.
Reinforce company values. When possible point
out how an employee's actions support a company value or major objective.
Be genuine in your tone and wording. Try to
write in the same manner that you use when speaking.
TIPS FOR WRITING TEAM MEMOS:
Praise everyone on the team. Congratulate the
entire team on its efforts.
Point out team players. If someone has made a
particularly strong contribution to the team effort, point it out.
Be specific in your team praise. Mention a
group of people who worked especially well together, or point out a particular
result that could not have been achieved without close cooperation.
Q: What should we do about employees who become
belligerent during the annual performance evaluation?
A: Holding only one evaluation session each year
may cause unnecessary anxiety for both the supervisor and the employee. There
are a couple of options to consider. First, less formal monthly or quarterly
feedback sessions can provide valuable input in a less stressful manner.
Another option is to ask the employee to create measurable performance
standards at the beginning of the evaluation period and to provide periodic
progress reports.
Q: How can an employee's cooperation skills be
objectively evaluated? Isn't cooperation a highly subjective concept?
A: Cooperation is an essential component in an
effective team-based environment, but it may be difficult to measure. One
option to consider is asking the employee and the employee's colleagues to
document examples of the employee's efforts to build and maintain relations in
order to complete projects or address problems.
Q: It seems like some employees are not staying
current in our field, and this may reduce our department's ability to be
effective. Is there a way to mandate continuing education?
A: If staying abreast of specialized knowledge is
critical to solid job performance, job knowledge should be given significant
weight in the evaluation process. Demonstration of new knowledge may be
evaluated by satisfactory completion of academic course work, a brief written
summary of the major concepts discussed during a professional conference, or a
product (a manual or a new procedure) created as a result of reading in the
field.
Q: Do employees really require an annual
review?
A: Yes, the University mandates an annual
evaluation. Failure to complete an annual employee evaluation may significantly
reduce department flexibility with promotions, discipline and other issues.
Q: Isn't a formal evaluation pretty pointless
for truly outstanding employees?
A: Not at all. Formal evaluation for outstanding
performance can be highly motivating for high achievers. Failure to acknowledge
this performance may actually result in declines for future performance.
Q: What happens if an employee disputes the
performance appraisal rating?
A: If the dispute cannot be resolved informally,
the employee may initiate a grievance.
