Posted on February 8, 2011 by Marylee Abrams

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.


 

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Posted on December 16, 2009 by Marylee Abrams

What Belongs in an Employee Personnel File?

Knowing what to put in an employee’s personnel file can be confusing for many business owners. Where do you keep the supervisory notes about employee performance, first report of injury forms, or the letter of suspension? How about time off requests or annual performance evaluations? Should you keep a specific document or toss it?

The Minnesota state legislature has standardized a definition of personnel files for private employers with twenty (20) or more employees. (This statute does not apply to cities or counties). It provides clear guidance about what should be included in an employee personnel file, and just as importantly what should not be placed in the personnel file. Things to include are applications for employment, wage and salary history, fringe benefits, leave records, warnings, discipline or termination, to name just a few.

The list of documents to omit from a personnel file include letters of reference supplied by another person, information relating to an investigation until the investigation is completed, specific types of education records, results of employer testing, medical reports, etc. While these types of documents should not be stored in a personnel file, they should definitely be maintained in a separate file. They may be important in the future to establish the employment history of a problem employee, to support a disciplinary action, or to assist in the defense against a claim made against your business.

Even if your workplace is smaller than 20 employees, the statute can still be helpful. It should be seen as a “gold standard” for businesses on how to maintain and manage personnel files. An audit of your personnel files is a great business practice to complete at the end of each year.  Add it at the top of your list of New Year’s resolutions, above weight loss and exercising more, and follow-through on it.

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