How to Make Performance Evaluations Really Work

Why Evaluate?

In the hands of a skilled manager, a performance evaluation is an excellent management tool. It can prevent lawsuits, safeguard your company against fraudulent unemployment claims and help employees focus on corporate goals and objectives. Evaluations are not only beneficial to the organization. Well-done evaluations have a huge impact on the performance, behavior, attitude and morale of individual employees and work units. Employees learn what they are doing right, whether they are meeting expectations and how to improve. They learn to enhance their value to the company and their employability. Managers gain valuable insight into what employees think of their own performance and have a chance to correct poor behavior. Instead of having to impose discipline they can determine what sort of additional training employees need or want - a better solution for everyone.

The content of an evaluation should never come as a surprise to your employees, since you already should be providing feedback verbally and through your daily decisions. The appraisal, evaluation meeting and written documents are formalities that spell out what the employee already knows.