Performance Evaluations – The controversy continues to swirl!

• Performance evaluations are a waste of time!
• Performance evaluations cause stress for managers and direct reports.
• Managers don’t take the time to do a thorough evaluation.
• Managers don’t know how to deal with the awkward issues – how to tell people they’re failing or need to improve.
• The process is unnecessary IF managers do their jobs throughout the year (i.e., provide ongoing feedback).

Well, we’re not convinced! We think you need them!

As we see it, the answer, quite simply, is to train managers to conduct effective evaluations. Performance management is the essence of managing direct reports to succeed. If managers set clear, mutually agreed objectives at the commencement of the year, ensure ongoing reporting and accountability, and provide ongoing feedback and coaching throughout the year, it is highly likely that competent staff will achieve their objectives. Furthermore, feedback to those not doing well will be easier. If the process is properly followed, direct reports will know where they stand throughout the year and the changes they need to make to achieve their objectives.

Equally important, without performance evaluations, deciding on merit increases or payouts under an incentive plan becomes an arbitrary process without a common basis for comparison to ensure fairness and equity.

Also, managers need the discipline of having to capture the year’s performance. This enables them to give a complete picture to direct reports regarding performance, areas for improvement, and requirements for professional development. Ultimately, managers need to develop ratings for their staff that enable a sensible allocation of the payroll increase based on relative performance and, hopefully, in combination with penetration into the salary range.

Action Step

Ensure your managers have the coaching skills and emotional intelligence to provide effective feedback throughout the year. It makes the performance evaluation so much easier.

We’ll be glad to provide your managers with the training they need to do so.