Job Performance Appraisals

There are three basic ways to appraise an employee's job performance: traits, behavior and results. Each of these ways has both advantages and disadvantages. Using an employee's traits to evaluate and appraise job performance can be beneficial because it allows the employer to see how well the person fits the position. Traits, which are qualities such as personality, communication style and background, are factors which cannot be created or faked. In many cases, certain traits are more suitable to a position and an employee showing these traits will demonstrate better performance. The disadvantage to evaluating based on traits is that the employee has no control over these factors and so should not be blamed for having traits that do not match the position. Also, appraising job performance based on traits can lead to illegal discrimination if traits such as gender, race and age are considered.

Basing a performance appraisal on behavior is a good way to see exactly how an employee's actions impact his or her job performance. Behavior can be quantifiable and is witnessed by more than one person, ensuring that a fair evaluation of the behavior is possible. On the other hand, perceptions of employees' behavior can be subjective, and the employee's intentions may not be the same as what was perceived by others. Being judged on such a subjective basis could lead to unfair and inaccurate appraisals.

Results are very effective in helping employers evaluate their employees. Results are measurable criteria decided upon beforehand, and they can be clear demonstrations of how well an employee is doing in his or her job. However, it is rare that a single employee is responsible for meeting, or not meeting, an organization's goals. Results are usually the product of many factors, so a single employee whose appraisal is based on results could end up taking the fall for the mistakes of others.