Performance Ratings Will Be Errors

¶ … performance ratings will be errors made by the HR generalist, as logged by their supervisor; feedback from co-workers; and contributions made. Measuring errors tests the employee's capabilities with respect to implementing HR policy. The role demands that the company's HR policies are used to help resolve disputes and employee relations concerns. Failure to successful apply policy will be noted. Failure to resolve the situation will not be considered an error, if company policy was applied correctly.

Co-worker feedback tests the HR generalist's abilities with respect to relationship building. The high degree of support and liaison activities in this position demands that the employee demonstrate a high degree of skill at relationship building. The co-workers' evaluations of other co-workers or their departments will reveal the ability of the candidate to forge strong relationships across all units of the organization. If relationships are well-built, then the employee should receive a high feedback score. If the feedback is negative, that indicates co-workers may not have a strong relationship with the employee.

Whereas measuring errors focuses on the negative performance measures, contributions made focuses on the positive performance measures. For the most part, the negative measures are useful because the generalist must provide strong support. If they are doing their job effectively, there may not be much specific positive contribution. However, it has been outlined in the job description that the employee is expected to influence management, assist with process improvement initiatives and demonstrate leadership skills. Therefore, the ability of the employee to generate positive contributions to the company, rather than simply avoiding negative ones, is something that should be measured.

2. The first type of feedback -- that with respect to errors -- will come from supervisor appraisals. The supervisor is uniquely positioned to identify situations in which the generalist has erred, or failed to properly implement company policy. The supervisor has the understanding of the situations and the policies required to make the error determination. Supervisor appraisal is therefore necessary for this type of measurement.

For the second measure -- the ability to forge relationships, 360 degree feedback is the best method. This method solicits feedback from all around the employee. Given that the employee must forge relationships with and work alongside virtually all members of the organization, it is reasonable that the entire organization should contribute in some way to the performance appraisal, particularly with respect to the employee's ability to deal with them.