Performance evaluations refer to the processes and methods that organizational managers use to assess the employees' performance level to see whether their performance is within what is required of them and giving them feedback on their performance levels (Van Dijk & Schodl, 2015). Performance evaluations have been applied in human resource management for a long time and are believed to play an integral role in ensuring the employees work within the organization’s expectations. Notably, performance evaluations, also known as performance appraisals, are done with the central goal of seeking to improve the performance of the employees to make them do better for their organizations. Performance evaluation is built behind the thought that companies depend on individual performance for their success. Unfortunately, most managers are quite skeptical about the importance of performance evaluation, holding the opinion that it does not offer its intended objective. This paper analyzes the traits for effective managers, how managers struggle with performance evaluation, the elements of a successful evaluation system, and how managers should do it.
Performance evaluations pose little impact on employees' performance because managers rarely know all their employees on a one-on-one account. Many big business organizations with a high number of employees and multiple shifts have robust human resource systems with robust communication channels where managers do not have a direct touch with their employees. Consequently, managers do not often meet their employees and thus, do not know them. Therefore, conducting a performance evaluation in such a set-up wastes funds and time. Specifically, performance evaluations fail because managers do not know their employees and cannot evaluate their performance. There are cases where employees spend all their working time in the field meeting clients. For example, in the sales and marketing business, employees work in the field while managers stay in offices making decisions. Therefore, employees and managers rarely meet. Aguinis et al. (2011) cite a story of Sally, a sales manager in a large company who is overwhelmed by work. Yet, the human resource manager expects her to submit performance evaluation forms, work that she doesn't seem to like. Sally, just like many managers, see performance evaluations because of their inability to reap their value.
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In the above case, the manager does not understand the strengths or weaknesses of their employees; neither do they know of the challenges they face in the field. They also have no idea of the factors that affect their different levels of performance. According to a 2009 survey, the case of Sally, where employees have little direct interaction with their managers and supervisors, occurs relatively often across many organizations (Aguinis, 2009). This implies that very few managers directly connect with their employees and can effectively evaluate their performances. In such a case, managers may only conduct a performance because it is an organization's culture but will not value investing in it. They will only do performance appraisals because the company has a policy that requires performance evaluation reports to be prepared by a given timeline, yet they do not believe in them. In the long run, performance appraisals are useless to managers.
Most managers lack the training to extract value from performance evaluations. According to Aguinis et al. (2011), performance appraisals are primarily meant for creating a discussion between managers and their employees where they draw out what can be done by both parties to see the employee perform better. However, in most cases, performance appraisals are guided by preset formats and standardized fixed processes that managers are expected to follow. These formats majorly assume that all employees are the same, have an equal amount of skills, and require the same improvement. Nonetheless, employees are uniquely different and require different input to improve their work. Performance evaluations thus fail because of this assumption. These standardized formats fail to give managers the necessary support to understand the variety of needs of different employees. Subsequently, performance evaluations end up creating a negative relationship between managers and their employees. Failure by the managers to understand the different needs of different employees is likely to make employees fail to understand the need for performance appraisal due to the thought that it is meant to review their mistakes and is a form of punishment.
Traits of effective managers
Since performance evaluation has failed to work and offer necessary results expected by managers, effective managers are shifting to performance management systems over performance evaluation systems. Unlike performance evaluation, managers who practice this form of human resource management stress having conversations between employees and their managers. Effective managers ensure that they have conversations that involve reviewing their employees' performance, offering them instant feedback, and leading them through what they should do to improve their performances. Managers who engage in performance management ensure that their conversations with employees are made at the beginning of the year, where they jointly set out objectives for each employee based on their job descriptions and abilities. Subsequently, they review performances based on the previously set objectives, the possible barriers that prevented employees from achieving objectives, and the how-to bridge the gap between what was achieved and what ought to be achieved.
Effective managers also seek information from various sources on how to engage their employees on their performance best, set achievable objectives, and the best methods for issuing feedback to the employees. Information can be acquired through interaction with other managers in management workshops and from websites that train managers on the best ways to improve their employees' performance. Motivation from managers is also quite important in triggering the performance improvement of employees. Effective managers are good motivators. A good manager would be such who is in a position to motivate his poorly performing employees and encourage them to do even better. Motivation starts with identifying poor performers' positive work and encouraging them that they can do better. Specifically, such a manager should be in a better position to evaluate their employee's abilities and help them set goals that are within their level. Setting achievable goals is quite a step in encouraging one to do better in their work.
Managers Who struggle with Performance Evaluation
Unfortunately, a group of managers struggle with the function of performance evaluation due to certain specific traits. Firstly, such managers have developed a completely negative attitude towards performance evaluation. Even though many managers tend to disagree with performance evaluations, an excellent manager is expected to seek ways to improve their companies' performance evaluation systems rather than refusing to do it all together because of failing to believe in it. Other employees fail to give feedback to their employees until it is time for performance evaluation. Feedbacks make employees improve their work and effort to helping their organizations achieve their goals. If a manager identifies a mistake by an employee and fails to tell them to improve on it, they will struggle with performance evaluation. Such managers' failure will be due to them having a huge amount of issues due for evaluation.
Procrastination is yet another factor that makes managers fail in performance evaluation. This specifically refers to the tendency of postponing performance evaluations, which portrays less concern for the employees' performance. Such managers are too busy with other things and have not timed reviewing their employees' performances. Moreover, neglecting the results of employees' work is yet another trait exhibited by failures. Performance evaluations are based on results and how to make those results better. Therefore, failing to focus on those results would definitely lead to a manager's failure in performance evaluation.
How Managers should prepare for Performance Evaluation
Managers should ensure that they embrace newer ways of conducting performance appraisals to enable them to achieve better results. Giving instant and continuous feedbacks is one major trend that managers should embrace in conducting performance appraisals. The basic element that defines managers' preparation level for performance evaluation is their level of information on their employees' performance and on what is expected of the employee. Therefore, a manager should gather basic information on the job done by an employee to ensure they are adequately prepared for the event. This includes gathering information from regular reports from supervisors. They should also prepare by reviewing their knowledge of performance to enable them to understand how to tackle certain performance levels by employees to ensure that the event offers benefits for both the employee and the company. A manager should also conduct a self-evaluation on their own performance and their career history to motivate their subjects on the journey and what it takes to achieve certain results.
Conclusion
In summary, performance appraisals are hated by managers because they are unable to reap maximum benefits from them. Performance appraisals have fixed methods that do not consider certain boundaries between employees and their managers, limiting communication. Nonetheless, performance evaluations can be changed for the better by embracing new methods over the traditional ones. Employees must prepare well to see their companies see success in performance evaluations.
References
Aguinis, H. (2009). Performance management . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Aguinis, H., Joo, H., & Gottfredson, R. K. (2011). Why we hate performance management—And why we should love it. Business Horizons , 54 (6), 503-507.
Van Dijk, D., & Schodl, M. M. (2015). Performance appraisal and evaluation.
