Performance reviews are
used in almost every industry and it is virtually guaranteed that you will be
the reviewer and the reviewed at one time or another. Often times performance
appraisals fall on the shoulders of Human Resource professionals, but
supervisors sometimes administer them. Misiak, (2010) states that an “Appraisal
is one of the most important tools in the management of human resources.
However, made in an inappropriate way, it can be harmful rather than useful.”
My goal is to shed some light on the importance of well managed and ethical performance
reviews.
Employees should be
viewed as an investment for the company rather than an expense. (Schraeder,
Jordan 2011) This means that an organization should care for its employees.
Money, time and intangible resources have been used to acquire an employee, so
the employee should be given clear guidance on what is expected of them and
guidance on how to further their career. This will in turn benefit the company.
The company holds the obligation of employment and leadership of an individual
that works for them. (Priest, 1998)
The way reviews are
approached should be determined by management and HR professionals, in order to
determine the objective of the reviews. Reviews should have an appraisal system
so the employee can see how he/she is preforming. For example a numeric system
1-5, 1 being out standing 5 needs improvement.(Misiak, 2010) Appraisals should
be managed by a set of rules that are outlined for everyone to know. Employees
should have input in the appraising system. Doing this allows employees to know
what to expect and have a say in their review. (Misiak, 2010) A worker should
know what is expected of them. Not just in daily tasks but as an overall view
of how they are preforming. The Reviewer can, if there are short comings in
performance that need to be corrected, convey what is not being done up to
standard. Also supervisors should outline, and guide employees on actions that
will help resolve the issue. Reviews are can be a meaningful tool for acknowledging
positive aspects, work habits or tasks that an employee has accomplished.
A Performance review should
be scheduled in advance, at least a week. The time and location of the meeting
are important. It is not good to schedule a review for 4:45 Friday afternoon.
The reviewer should be well prepared, review the employees performance prior to
the review. A Performance review should have a clear objective, be 2 sided, and
have an open positive atmosphere. (Misiak, 2010) The ethical manager will deal honestly
and directly with employees, advising them where they are falling short, how to
correct the problem, and the consequence of not correcting it. When appraising
an employee’s performance identify any areas of improvement without attacking
the employee. It is important to allow the employee to talk about the performance
being addressed. (Schraeder, Jordan 2011) For instance if goals were not stated
clearly the employee may have had different objectives than managers over the period
in review. When conducting a review never compare an individual to another
individual. (I.E. “you should try to be more like Mr. Smith”) This would be
unethical even if “Mr. Smith” is doing a good job comparing employees may cause
resentment. Instead state the issue and
what is expected of the employee in the future. As the review progresses it is
important to outline accomplishments and give positive reinforcement. Make sure
to outline future goals. Guide employees through this process so that they have
expectations in line with the expectations of management. Corporate ethical
conduct should be addressed in performance reviews to reinforce the company’s
ethical conduct policies. (Schraeder, Jordan 2011) Document appraisals so that
they can be reviewed on later appraisals to see if progress has been made and
goals have been met. Also the documentation can serve as a written warning in
the future if poor performance is not resolved. The review should be conducted
to include ways for the employee to manage their career and resolve issues if
there are any. As the review comes to an end it is important that both parties
are in agreement with the review and the goals that have been laid out.
Appraisals are an
important tool for managers. Reviews are a way for managers to inform workers
of how they are performing in the eyes of the management team. Management can
reinforce company policies, goals, objectives, and future tasks through this
process; Employees can bring grievances, issues, or ideas to the table as well.
As documentation is collected from reviews management can use a longitudinal approach
to identify and track individuals that strive to continually improve or
individuals that are not improving. (Misiak, 2010) These metrics can be used to
identify individuals that may not be a right fit for the origination and need
to be let go. It is important to have these reviews so the individual has knowledge
of short comings and has time to try to remedy them, so that being let go is
not a surprise. Employees that perform well can be identified for increased
roles of responsibility or promotion. Reviews are an important tool for
managers and employees for 2-way communication, and performance metrics. They
should be conducted regularly for the benefit for the organization and the
employee.
References
Misiak, S. (2010). Ethical system for employee
performance appraisal in practice. Economics
& Sociology, 3(2),
101-113,139. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1039084806?accountid=12924
Schraeder, M., & Jordan, M. (2011).
Managing performance: A practical perspective on managing employee performance.The
Journal for Quality and Participation, 34(2),
4-10. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/884214960?accountid=12924
Priest, J. T. (1998, Oct 30). Ethical
terminations. Journal
Record. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/259390920?accountid=12924
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