Antronette S. Hancock
Axia College of University of Phoenix
A performance appraisal system is a very important part of any successful organization. Both employees and organizational management and leaders benefit from a well-structured performance appraisal system. These systems offer feedback and rewards to employees who perform well, while at the same time holding employees accountable for their performance. The following report will describe the purpose, benefits, and elements of a good performance appraisal system, and outline a unique performace appraisal system for a human service organization.
The purpose of a performance appraisal system is to provide an evaluation and feedback on an employee's performance. Most organizations perform appraisals yearly and may call the appraisal by other terms-such as a review. Even if appraisals are performed annually, management should have weekly consultations or meetings with staff to ensure each employee is kept up-to-date with policies and each employee knows what is expected of him or her. A manager should not wait until the end of a year to let an employee know that there has been a performance problem for the last eight months. Problems should be addressed as they arise to prevent any surprises during the appraisal process.
The evaluation portion of an appraisal system is normally performed by management. During this portion, management evaluates an employee's performance to determine if there are any areas that need improvement. Ideally, all employees should be meeting or exceeding organizational standards. If an employee is not meeting standards, or has not met standards at some point within the previous year, his or her appraisal may have suggestions for improvement or there may be other consequences as a result of poor performace.
The feedback portion of an appraisal system normally takes place between management and the employee who is being appraised.