This document provides guidance on conducting effective employee performance evaluations. It discusses the purposes of evaluations, including providing feedback, determining rewards and opportunities, and communicating expectations. It outlines prerequisites like having job descriptions and incident files. The evaluation process should be timely, with the manager and employee each preparing a written self-evaluation. Areas to evaluate include responsibilities, accomplishments, skills, and overall performance. Common errors to avoid are also described, and sample language is provided for addressing different performance issues in a constructive manner.

1. in the Workplace:Would You Rather Eat Bugs Than Do Employee Performance Evaluations?Kim Vitray, SPHR

2. Why do performance evaluations?How else will they know how they are doing, what’s going well, what needs improvement, what you expect, where they can grow, what opportunities are available, and how they can succeed? Every employee deserves at least once a year an investment of your time, effort, and personal attention in an honest and formal evaluation of their performance.

3. Purposes of evaluationsProvide feedback and counselingGuide allocation of rewards and opportunitiesDetermine employees’ aspirations and plan training and developmentCommunicate expectationsFoster commitment, good communication, mutual understandingFrom The SHRM® Learning System, 2000, Module Two,General Employment Practices

4. Three prerequisitesGood written job descriptionGood training“Incident” filePretend anything you put in it may be read aloud in court one dayKeep them for everyone, not just certain staffDon’t forget to include positive incidents

5. ProcessBe timelyCommit the timePrepare a written evaluationAsk the employee to prepare a written self-evaluationConsider using a 360-degree feedback mechanism (more on this later)Schedule a day to “trade” evaluations (not a Friday)Schedule a meeting and lunch (at place of their choosing) for the day after the “trade” day

6. Areas for evaluation/self-evaluationResponsibilitiesAccomplishmentsJob knowledge, performance, productivityDependability, cooperation, initiativeWork environment and safetyOverall performanceAction plan

7. Areas for manager evaluationsResponsibilitiesAccomplishmentsJob knowledge, performance, productivityManagerial skillsCommunication skillsDependability, cooperation, initiativeProblem solving, conflict resolutionAdministrative skillTime managementOverall performanceAction plan

8. Cardinal rule:Nothingshould bea surprise!

9. Common “errors”Halo/horn effectthe employee is extremely competent(or low performing) in one area and istherefore rated high (or low) in all categoriesRecencythe appraiser gives more weight to recent occurrences and discounts earlier performance during the appraisal periodBiasthe appraiser’s values, beliefs, prejudices distort the evaluationFrom The SHRM® Learning System, 2000, Module Two,General Employment Practices

10. Common “errors”Strictnessthe appraiser is reluctant to ever give high ratingsLeniencythe appraiser is reluctant to ever give low ratingsCentral tendencythe appraiser rates all employees within a narrow range, regardless of differences in actual performanceContrastthe evaluation is based on how the employee compares to other employees, instead of on objective performance standards

11. The written evaluationSupport every comment withexamples or documentationAvoid exaggerated,inflammatory, emotional languageBe accurate and as objective as possibleBe specific and completeList as many accomplishments as possible

12. The written evaluationRelate as much as possible to the job descriptionDon’t compare to other employeesBe honest and direct, yet professional, polite, and constructive, in both word choice and toneBalance between positive and negativeConsider performance across the whole time periodFocus on behavior, not personality

13. The written evaluationGive specific examples of both positive and negative behaviors“Employee X is very considerate and proactive in covering phones and other administrative tasks when needed. Examples include helping me assemble new employee handbooks, handling phones so the receptionist could go home when ill, and helping our bookkeeper with invoice mailings.”“Employee Y experienced a performance slump during the last three months of last year, which was evidence primarily by reduced ability to keep up with her correspondence and tasks in a timely manner, and more mistakes and oversights and less organization and detail than we were accustomed to seeing in her work.”

14. The written evaluationAvoid absolute language, such as “always” and “never”Don’t say “Employee X is always late for his shift” unless that is absolutely trueIt’s better to say “Employee X was late for his shift at least two times per week during the last three months”Only address performance problems that are patterns

15. The written evaluationClearly and specifically communicate what the problems are, why they are problems, what behavior or actions you want to be different, and how you want them to be differentLikewise, when praising behavior, clearly state how pleased you were to see it and how much you’re looking forward to it continuing and expandingSandwich any constructive feedback between praise

16. The meetingAnticipate and consider in advance all the potential responses or questions the employee might have, and be prepared for themSet aside plenty of time for the visit, and do not allow interruptionsRealize that the employee will be nervous, and take time at the beginning to establish rapport and set them at ease

17. The meetingBe as polite, respectful, and positive as possible, particularly when discussing constructive feedback, even if the employee is notBe very aware of your body language and tonePlace more emphasis on the future than the past when discussing constructive feedbackRealize that it is human nature for the employee to focus on the one constructive suggestion you may have made, instead of the many accomplishments you praised

18. The meetingIf the employee brings up an issue or question that is a surprise or you are not prepared to discuss, you can defer, but don’t forget or wait too long to addressAsk what you can do differently, better, more ofAsk what they need, and if they have any questions, concerns, issues, complaints, comments

19. The meetingActively encourage their input—it may not be enough to simply ask onceListen without interruptingFocus on the action planThank the employee for something—good work, another year of service, extra contributions, loyalty, dependability, etc.

20. Scenario #1Employee has too many unscheduled absences due to illnessHow do you define “too many”?Why is this a problem?How can you ask the employee not to be ill?!How do you keep the employee from deciding that they should instead come to work ill?

21. Scenario #1“Employee X’s absentee rate has been high during the first four months of 2002; she has used X hours of PTO, which is the highest of all employees and almost twice the average. Although she had the PTO to cover these absences, most of them were unscheduled, which is a hardship for her coworkers who must cover her duties on those days. Employee X needs to rededicate herself to maintaining good health and better managing her PTO. We remind her of our policy that all absences and use of PTO are approved at her supervisor’s discretion.”

22. Scenario #2Employee’s verbal and written communications are too long and unfocusedHow can you be more specific about “too long” and “unfocused”?Why is this a problem?What do you ask for instead?

23. Scenario #2“Employee X’s communications can be unnecessarily lengthy and complex. Sometimes he answers a different question than was asked, provides too much extraneous information, and over-reiterates a point that has already been accepted. This is sometimes confusing and frustrating for his busy staff, peers, and managers; they feel he isn’t listening, and they find it difficult to persevere and discern his core message. Employee X should apply himself to more concise, direct, and focused communications, using bullet points and short sentences and paragraphs, which would be more effective.”

24. Scenario #3Senior employee’s performance level is widely inconsistent (more than just the occasional “off” day), which has been mentioned in two previous evaluationsWhy is this a problem?What language can you use to communicate that the employee must finally resolve this problem? Why would you choose to handle this way instead of terminating?

25. Scenario #3“Employee X’s performance continues to exhibit peaks and valleys, with the valleys being characterized by decreased ability to focus, prioritize, organize, accomplish, keep track of details, and delegate. This pattern of fluctuation was noted in her 2002 and 2003 evaluations and will no longer be tolerated in a senior position. We expect Employee X to eliminate these fluctuations in performance and consistently maintain the high performance level she has demonstrated she is capable of, with significant improvement in three months and full compliance by six months.”

26. Scenario #4Employee has difficulty managing time and tasksWhy is this a problem?How do you get the employee to take responsibility for this and actually improve?What else can you do to help this employee with this problem?

27. Scenario #4“Employee X has difficulty with time and task management, particularly with remembering tasks and meetings, prioritizing tasks, accomplishing goals independently, and making time for longer-term projects. This creates a burden for his manager, who must spend time, effort, and attention on setting priorities, establishing goals and timelines, following up with frequent meetings, and monitoring performance. I would like for Employee X to decide upon and provide in writing, within one week, specific action items that he plans to implement to improve this situation.”

28. Scenario #4Action items provided by employee:Select a fixed bedtime, get more sleep, and get up when my wife doesBe at the office by 9:00 a.m.Carry a notepad to all meetingsUse Outlook to set reminders and alarms for tasks and meetingsOrganize my day by activity/task as much as possible, i.e., set aside times to do particular tasksDo more planning at the beginning of a specific long-term project to break it down into smaller logical chunks and set intermediate deadlines, which will prevent time wasted undoing/redoing work and my feeling intimidated by the size of the project

29. What are some of yourdifficult scenarios?

30. 360-degree feedbackLeadership Navigator for Corporate Leaders(available through SHRM)Administered and taken onlineTakes 15 minutesBoss, self, peers, direct reportsCovers business focus, talent development, inclusiveness, integrity, results orientation, customer focus, team leadership, communication skillsBreaks out strengths and development needsNarrative comments in response to “This person’s most effective behavior or skill at work is” and “The one area that this person needs to work on is”Result is compiled and anonymous, emailed PDF report

31. A great resource!Society for Human Resource Managementwww.shrm.org

32. When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.— Dale Carnegie

33. QUESTIONS?Kim Vitray, SPHR8609 Karling Dr.Austin, TX 78724 USA512-928-0859 (home)512-658-8587 (cell)kvitray@austin.rr.comwww.linkedin.com/in/kimvitray