Organizational Workers Performance Appraisal

Performance Appraisal

Performance Appraisal

Performance appraisal is the regular evaluation of workers’ performance and their general contribution to the company. The periodic review evaluates the workers’ achievements, skills, growth, or lack thereof. Organizations usually use performance appraisal to give feedback to their staff on their job performance, justify bonuses, pay increases, or termination. Staff Performance is commonly reviewed quarterly, semi-annually, or annually depending on the organization. Consequently, multiple organizations within the United States believe that tying employees’ pay increases to annual performance ratings would improve organizational productivity (Cappelli & Conyon, 2018). However, in most instances, it has been established that though the idea is noble, its conduct causes more damage than good. Therefore, I take the same position with the recommendation of management experts that performance appraisal is removed from the work setting.

According to Edwards Deming, the annual job performance review annihilates long-term planning, nourishes short-term performance, destroys teamwork, builds fear, and breeds politics and rivalry (Ammons, 2019). It leaves employees bruised, bitter, crushed, feeling inferior, dejected, depressed, battered, despondent, and others desolate, unfit to work for multiple days if not weeks and months after rating receipt, unable to understand why they feel inferior (Islami et al. 2018). As a result, performance appraisal breeds hatred instead of enhancing team spirit with the common objective of winning together.

Besides, performance appraisal focuses on the wrong things, the wrong way, and at the wrong time. Hence, lowers organizational productivity and efficiency but increases costs. Some of the wrong things include performance pay primarily on individual performance rating instead of team coordination and the company’s productivity. Also, performance appraisal focuses on individual failures instead of a summation of one’s strengths and contributions to the group and the company (Cappelli & Conyon, 2018). The wrong timing is demonstrated by periodic evaluation instead of continuous assessment and project completion evaluation. Finally, the wrong way is propagated by using standard form and criteria to supervise and make a judgment instead of engaging employees mutually through coaching to enhance performance.

Moreover, performance appraisal assumes a behavioralist view of extrinsic motivation purporting that employees will do better to receive rewards. Also, it is laid on the presumption that if workers receive communication that they are performing poorly, they are able and will try to better their performance to receive a promotion, more money, or recognition. Additionally, performance appraisal condones the idea that employees need to be bribed and kept hostage while ignoring the influence of intrinsic motivation, which implies that employees’ ultimate goal is to master their craft, feel good about themselves, and learn. Thus, earning respect from their colleagues (Islami et al. 2018). However, extrinsic motivation created by performance rewards can lower the intrinsic interest and motivation from doing the work itself.

In addition, Alfie Kohn, in his article, “Why Incentive Plans Cannot Work,” says that extrinsic motivators, also called incentives, do not influence the attitudes that dictate employee behaviors; that incentives do not establish a lasting commitment to any action or value? Nevertheless, temporarily change what they do. Alfie Kohn further points out that research has indicated that employees who do not anticipate any reward perform much better than those who expect to be rewarded (Cappelli & Conyon, 2018). Rewards do buy commitment, but temporary compliance.

To conclude, in theory, performance appraisal is very enticing. However, in reality, it does not give the anticipated and expected outcome. As a result, it is hated by several managers and employees in equal measure. As seen from the above, it is no doubt that performance appraisal lowers employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity. It is a largely counterproductive and expensive exercise. Performance appraisal is practiced with the positive motive of motivating and enhancing individual employees’ contributions and, as a result, overall organizational effectiveness, productivity, and efficiency (Islami et al. 2018). Regrettably, it is an activity without merit and should be abandoned.