TIPS ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

It is customary for organizations to conduct their annual employee performance evaluation at the end of every year. So, your company is most likely in the middle of one at this time. But, whether yours is at the end of the year, at the beginning or sometime along the line, and you participate in the process as a supervisor, a manager, or an employee, it might be in the best interest of the organization to consider the following points.

i.?Formal evaluation should only be a culmination of on- going informal ones

In order to help your colleagues, give them a sense of their performance as you all proceed. Let them see it coming. If someone is not doing well currently, let them know. Do not wait until evaluation time. One of the reasons why there are arguments between the appraiser and the appraisee is that surprises ‘spring up’ during the appraisal exercise. To get an employee on whose day- to- day performance you have been silent since the beginning of the work year or whom you have been cheering on all along to endorse a poor evaluation will be difficult.

ii.?Understand the purpose- Evaluation should not be an avenue to get back at anyone

Unfortunately, even some high- up corporate officers do not understand why they appraise their colleagues or decide to jettison ethics. The purpose is to know what to improve and what to shed. It is not to get back at someone. Evaluations are not to be weaponized. The season should not be a BP season. It should not be used to ‘help yourself.’

iii.?The benchmarks should be clear and reasonable

The benchmarks for evaluations should be reasonable, clear and known to the appraisee well in advance. For instance, It would be wrong to expect employees to stay longer hours at work all the time than their employment contracts say. Does it mean employees cannot overstay at work? Of course they should when necessary, but giving regard to work- life balance, which should also be a corporate goal. A healthy employee makes a healthy organization.

iv. The process should be objective and sincere

Evaluation should be objective. It should reflect the actual state of the appraisee’s performance as is, not as was or as can be. Focus should be on the time under consideration. Some supervisors and managers are of the thought that appraisees should be short- scored because, according to them, scoring appraisees highly kills their drive. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Rather, short- scoring would make an employee reduce his input since the supervisor or manager has shown that they do not have value for high performers. Therefore, if someone deserves an ‘A’rating, why not?. But should it be an ‘F’ too, justice should prevail.

v.?Every Evaluation should come with a just reward- positive or negative

Good enough, a lot of companies tie promotions and other rewards to evaluation. The next thing is to ensure that the system and the process are not only fair but also seen by all to be fair. Whether you like it or not, employees know the high performers among themselves. Whatever the Management does must not be far off from the general expectations. Now, there are situations where the rewards go to certain persons annually. If it is based on high performance, why not? It will be unjust to deny someone who meets the set goals the reward for doing so just because he has always got the prize. And for the sake of reasonableness, why keep a consistently low performer who has refused to improve even if it be a little? Do not condone mediocrity. Bad behaviour is easier to spread than good.

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Jesusanlu, Oluwashegun Peter

1st November, 2022?