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Doing away with performance appraisals
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Doing away with performance appraisals
Discuss workforce management, performance management, retention, communication, motivation, contributing to business results and other topics.
I have been tasked with researching alternatives to the traditional performance appraisal. Have you eliminated performance appraisals? If so, have you replaced them with an alternative method?
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Forums » Topic Forums » General Forum » Doing away with performance appraisals
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Doing away with performance appraisals
posted at 3/16/2011 12:44 AM EDT
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Posts: 71
First: 12/6/2006 Last: 3/16/2011 |
Stop appraisals... the alternative.... good line management!
appraisals were an HR invention to cover for poor management. If a manager sets goals, develops and manages results then there is no need for an appraisal system at all. BUT are managers prepared to sack/ dismiss non-performers? are they going to develop before dismissing them? Its a challenge - but I believe that on the whole HR let appraisals should be removed in favour of a manager driven approach - our role is to ensure managers have the skills & abilities to do their job.... manage people! |
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Doing away with performance appraisals
posted at 3/16/2011 4:59 AM EDT
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Posts: 562
First: 11/12/2009 Last: 9/14/2011 |
Regardless of the fact that Mike dredged up an old thread to respond to, I totally disagree with him. Far from being an HR invention to cover for poor managers, a solid performance appraisal system is a tool for managers to use as well as to ensure that performance standards are applied consistently throughout an organization. Left to their own devices, even with training, there will always be disparaties - sometimes significant - in how managers will evaluate their subordinates and, as Mike noted, in how they address performance issues. |
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Doing away with performance appraisals
posted at 3/16/2011 5:17 AM EDT
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Posts: 2442
First: 2/12/2000 Last: 9/14/2011 |
nork-I agree and there are other issues as well but no need to overkill.
I will say that Mike's concept has been tried and the outcomes have not been pretty. Just look at what are considered the world's best managed companies and see if they appraise their staffs in a formal way. |
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Doing away with performance appraisals
posted at 3/22/2011 8:24 AM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: 3/22/2011 Last: 3/22/2011 |
Every argument for doing performance reviews can be countered with a far better alternative. Performance reviews are a carryover from Frederick Taylor style management that demands "thinkers" watch and evaluate the untrustworthy and lazy "doers."
Scrap it all and start creating an engaging workforce by teaching people the business and bringing them together to make promises to each other in order to improve business results. Need to document poor performance? Fine. Do it. Need a nice statement to put in a high performer's file? Do it. You don't need an annual review for any of it. |
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Doing away with performance appraisals
posted at 3/22/2011 8:31 AM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: 3/22/2011 Last: 3/22/2011 |
We have also eliminated the traditional performance evaluation and replaced it with ongoing dialogue about performance between employees and managers (bi-directional), which also fosters improved communication.
Studies have indicated that 80% of employees perceive themselves to be in the top 25% of the highest performers in the organization, and 98% perceive themselves to be in the top 50%. Consequently, they believe and expect that an appraisal will recognize this and reward them with pay increases, career advancement,promotions and other perks. When this does not happen, they are demoralized and demotivated. As we are interested in developing a high-performance culture, and one of the behaviors associated with such a culture is empowerment, we chose to make the employee, the driver of their own performance improvement and feedback. As healthy adults, people need to be responsible for their own morale, feedback, performance and development, with and without support from the organization. Employees are more receptive to feedback when THEY initiate the request for the information vs. being "graded" like schoolchildren. The exception, of course, is when a manager identifies a performance issue--then it is the manager's responsibility to address it immediately and constructively with the employee. We wanted our employees to understand that feedback about their performance is available all the time, not just as a calendar-driven event, since opportunities to improve performance do not follow a schedule. With few exceptions, the law does not require written performance appraisals. In fact, written appraisal evidence (because more often than not they are poorly done) tend to help employees in legal actions. Instead, with regular, informal feedback, performance deficiencies can be identified and addressed early, while they are still molehills instead of mountains. If an employee does not take seriously or respond to informal feedback, then we either cut bait or put the employee on a formal, written performance improvement plan as a final attempt to get their attention. [In support of our status as an at-will employer, we do not have a progressive discipline policy.] What matters in a high-performance culture is not how the employee has performed over the past "X" number of years, but how they are performing today, so we felt that maintaining this history in written form is irrelevant. It wasn't an easy transition (and we are still transitioning), and this approach may not work in every organization, but we felt it was compatible with the culture that we want to create. |
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Doing away with performance appraisals
posted at 5/6/2011 7:33 AM EDT
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Posts: 82
First: 3/19/2003 Last: 5/6/2011 |
Many employees often feel blindsided by reviews and feel performance appraisals don't apply to them. They often feel their jobs don't change much and the fact they have to do them just causes more push back than they are worth. |
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Doing away with performance appraisals
posted at 5/6/2011 11:27 AM EDT
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Posts: 562
First: 11/12/2009 Last: 9/14/2011 |
Nitty:
Your comment reflects, I think on the biggest problem of performance appraisals - they're poorly run and managed. A performance appraisal-good or bad-should never be a surprise to the employee in a well run program. |
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Doing away with performance appraisals
posted at 8/18/2011 12:00 AM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: 8/18/2011 Last: 8/18/2011 |
Performance appraisals are useful because they: give feedback to employees; help determine candidates for promotion and salary increases; and provide a paper trail for human resources departments. However, the traditional appraisal has been criticized because of emphases on: short-term performance; mediocrity; individual achievement rather than teamwork; immeasurable elements; and detection instead of prevention. These appraisals may also ignore the effects of variability, processes, and equipment on an individual's work.
One alternative to the performance appraisal is the customer-supplier appraisal. This tool acknowledges the central role of customers, both internal and external. A case study describes a five-step procedure for: identifying customers; describing their needs; developing measures of how the needs are met; finding ways to improve satisfaction of needs; and using teams to implement improvements. A second alternative is the process appraisal. This tool focuses on the elements of a process that are likely to lead to successful outcomes. If you need more infos, you can refer at http://performancereviewphrases.info. Hope this helps! |
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