Employee Assessment

A performance review system is an approach to assessing and encouraging positive job performance. It is a tool for development, but it also provides the basis for the company to give raises and promotions or take corrective actions. There are various evaluation methods, including rating scales, essays, checklists, critical incident appraisals, work standards approach, and ranking methods. With the management by objectives (MBO) approach, performance is measured against the goals set by the manager and employee. A narrative is included with the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) approach for each rating. This text addresses how to design an effective performance appraisal system.

Appraisal Methods

Checklist Scale

A checklist method for performance evaluations lessens the subjectivity, although subjectivity will still be present in this type of rating system. With a checklist scale, a series of questions is asked and the manager simply responds yes or no to the questions, which can fall into either the behavioral or the trait method, or both. Another variation to this scale is a check mark in the criteria the employee meets, and a blank in the areas the employee does not meet. The challenge with this format is that it doesn't allow more detailed answers and analysis of the performance criteria, unless combined with another method, such as essay ratings. A sample of a checklist scale is provided in Figure 11.3 "Example of Checklist Scale".

Figure 11.1 Example of Graphic Rating Scale

Figure 11.2 Example of Essay Rating

Figure 11.3 Example of Checklist Scale