Managing employee performance is a crucial aspect of work that all managers and rating officials conduct throughout the year. However, few persons really like performance appraisals and even fewer know how to effectively conduct them. In some respects, it is seen as tremendously time-consuming and even as a necessary evil, side tracking managers from accomplishing their organizational goals.
For them, this task of appraisal is seen as very overwhelming, particularly, when a single manager has numerous employees to evaluate. Employees also abhor negative views or thoughts regarding appraisals, particularly when they feel that no equity exists in the appraisal system. Despite all these perceptions, and whether there were considerations for completely eliminating appraisal systems, some means of evaluating employee performance must emerge. In essence an organization’s performance appraisal system is one of the most important managerial activities. In any work that is being carried out, there is need for some form of measurement to indicate if the work being done meets the required standards or can be improved.
In light of the view that profits (monetary or otherwise, depending on the nature of the business) drive an organization, the key areas of productivity and efficiency cannot be overlooked. Productivity and efficiency are the determining factors of profits driven by human skills. It is unfortunate but a reality nonetheless, that any relationship involving humans is bound to be problematic as we are physically, biologically, socially and demographically different. In spite of our differences, we have to work together for the greater good of the organization. To maximize profits it is necessary that managers and supervisors are aware of the performance levels of their employees within the organization. They need to know if they are getting the best out of their employees and by extension if the organization is producing efficiently. Since humans are a complex machine, there needs to be a formal management procedure used to evaluate work performance. This is known as performance appraisal.
As your knowledge provider the Jamaica Employers’ Federation is the leader of providing relevant and current information and as such introduces to you The Performance Manager: Your Guide to Effective Performance Appraisal Systems. This book aims at providing managers with guidelines, tools and information on how to correctly and effectively make performance appraisals worthwhile, pleasant and effective for the development of employees, managers and the entire organization. The book also focuses on assessing how appraisal systems work in evaluating employee potential in terms of skills-set and talent.
Other areas explored in the publication include some of the common mistakes made in the appraisal process along with some of the limitations of the process. The publication goes further to examine if performance appraisals are even necessary and the possible alternative approaches to this type of system. Suggestions are also given on how to handle unsatisfactory performance in organizations.
The human inclination to judge can create serious motivation, legal and ethical problems in the workplace. This enhances the need for a structured appraisal system as without this, there is very little chance of ensuring that judgments made will be accurate, fair and lawful and will go down well with employees. A structured formal interaction between subordinate and supervisor, examining the work performance of the subordinate, with a view to identify weaknesses and strengths as well as opportunities for improvement and development of skills is necessary. This book is geared at providing the necessary information and procedures that will allow for this process to be a smooth and successful one.
Performance appraisals can be beneficial to both employees and employers by subsequently:
• Increasing worker productivity.
• Fostering an improvement in monitoring and accountability.
• Building healthy relationship between staff and managers.
• Providing feedback.
• Identifying poor performers and help them to overcome their weaknesses.
• Helping with personal development and growth of staff.
• Helping managers to make legal, ethical and accurate decisions in firing poor performers.
• Allowing the organization to maximize output.
In regards to the benefits and necessity coupled with the legal and ethical problems of performance appraisals, this guideline was developed by the Jamaica Employer’s Federation to help employees and employers gain a better understanding of performance appraisals.
The Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF) continues to pioneer in research and business development by providing a consolidated pool of information regarding pertinent topics such as, performance appraisals and performance management, which are critical to the effective functioning of organizations.
The Performance Manager: Your Guide to Effective Performance Appraisal Systems is a do-it yourself guide designed to assist Human Resource Professionals, Managers, Employees and the general working population with the creation and re-engineering of effective performance appraisal systems. The information contained in this publication captures current and accurate information relating to performance appraisal systems all of which is culminated into a locally applicable guide to help employers and employees learn about and fully understand worker productivity and monitoring.
For further information please contact The Jamaica Employers’ Federation (JEF) 2 A Ruthven Road, Kingston 10. Tel: (876)- 926-6762
Source: http://go-jamaica.com/jobsmart/view_article_details.php?id=143
