Performance Appraisals
Human Resource Performance Appraisals
From an employee's perspective, even a negative performance appraisal has its valuable side. It can let the employee know that his or her performance is lacking in key areas, and the employee can seek to redress these areas of deficiency, so his or her job will not be in jeopardy in the future. Even the employee feels that the review is unfair; there are usually ways to appeal the negative appraisal. Also, if the employee's perceptions as to what constitutes excellence and the organization's standards are at odds (for example, if the employee has great creative talent in an organization that values standardization) then it might be better for the employee to find work elsewhere. A positive performance review, of course, is a great boost to the ego, and also lets the employee know what aspects of his or her work are most valued by the organization.
Performance reviews, even from the organization's point-of-view, allow the organization to engage in some soul-searching as to what areas of employee performance are valued. They may even help the organization identify star performers that may not shine and glitter, but have made a measurable contribution to the organization by helping it meet its benchmarks. It can be an education and a valuable form of self-scrutiny for the organization as well as for the employee. Sadly, in today's litigious climate, performance reviews may also be a necessity simply from the point-of-view of demonstrating to a court of law, if the employer lets go a particular individual, that the employee was performing below 'par' on a consistent basis, review after review. It also helps the organization, if the appraisals are oral, gain feedback from both good and bad employees about what makes them perform at an optimal or sub-optimal level.
