Employee Performance Evaluations: The Do's and Dont's
Overrating an employee’s performance creates a Lake Wobegon effect in the workplace. Famed fellow Minnesotan, Garrison Keillor, begins his radio monologue on Prairie Home Companion with, “Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” It is cute and very Minnesotan, and it works for a funny radio show; it does not serve employers well when conducting performance evaluations.
Some employers avoid performance evaluations altogether, deeming them unnecessary. If they are conducted, there is a tendency for employers to over-inflate the employee's performance, resulting in an inaccurate representation of the employee's strengths and accomplishments. Inflating performance evaluations doesn’t give any guidance to the employee, or help document weaknesses. They are not constructive and are essentially a waste of time.The goal should be to create an accurate reflection of each employee's contributions to the workplace.
Conducting accurate employee performance evaluations is critical for employers. It provides valuable feed-back to employees so they can change behaviors to meet the expectations of their employer. It also serves as valuable documentation for employers to support possible future disciplinary decisions, including termination from employment. Many on-line resources exist that can help employers to conduct effective employee evaluations. The goal should be to create an accurate reflection of each employee's work performance.
Do:
• An evaluation on a regular basis. (Annually at least.)
• Accurately capture the good, the bad, and the ugly.
• Write in clear and concise language.
• Give the employee a copy.
• Include goals for the coming year.
Don’t:
• Inflate an employee’s work performance.
• Just focus on the bad things.
• Be general, instead make sure you include specific examples of behaviors.
Remember use the evaluation process as an opportunity to have a meaningful dialogue with an employee. The goal is to encourage productivity and improve employee performance, or in the alternative to document that adequate notice and opportunity was provided to the employee, to support discipline should the employee fail to make the necessary changes.
