MEASURING EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE FOR RESULTS

1. MEASURING EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE FOR RESULTS Susan M. Cypert Associate Vice President for Human Resources & Special Assistant to the President for Equity Programs 315-229-5584 scypert@stlawu.edu

2. Objectives of this session: (A) Learn how to measure employee performance effectively; (B) Determine key measurement criteria for faculty and staff; ( C ) Identify best practices to implement systems focused on • Improving & Rewarding performance.

3. Performance Evaluations … • Should be done for ALL the employees (and for the organization). • When employees are asked what they want the most frequent response is • Being appreciated • Being recognized for good work • Communication

4. Higher Education … • …is especially dependent on its HUMAN resources. Are we recognizing the ees who: are always prepared; pay attention to detail; show commitment & loyalty; and take pride in achievement and look for opportunities for growth? If not we should, and good management can do it. • In Higher Ed the operating budget is often ~ 1:1 student revenue: employee compensation.

5. MEASURING PERFORMANCE:OBJECTIVE (A): Learn how to measure employee performance effectively PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS – • The good news – • not complicated • no need to be elaborate • The other news – it’s not easy

6. A GOOD PE PROGRAM NEEDS • Clear sense of purpose – goals & expectations • Good planning • Time & training • Courage [TOP DOWN] • Suggestion: The Mirror Test

7. WHAT HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED? • What has been your best experience in evaluation? • What was useful? • Was it pleasant? • Was it fair? • What has been your worst experience in evaluation? Why?

8. Implementation • Build the foundation first • WHAT are the goals? • WHO will be doing the PE? • PROVIDE training

9. Implementation continued -> • Decisions to be made include: • PURPOSE: What is it? Make anticipated results clear, particularly: What will happen to me (employee X) as a result of a PE?(fear factor)Be honest – salary connection? Promotion? Termination? Education? • METHOD • TRAINING

10. A note about… LEGAL ISSUES involving • FORMS • PROCESS • RECORDS • [Ask HR about this…]

11. Performance Evaluations • Can be called • Performance appraisals • Performance conversations • Performance results • Coaching • Performance rating • Etc… • Note: there is no absolute right or wrong way But also note • Trouble if used as discipline or punishment

12. Two kinds of PE FORMAL vs. INFORMAL – both are valuable and needed. FORMAL is planned, on a timetable, and done as part of a consistent program.

13. Formal vs. Informal cont.-> • Formal is not enough. The “flu shot” approach is likely to develop negative responses and contribute to low morale. • Informal is a day-to-day acknowledgement and communication [remember – that’s what ees’ want].

14. Formal PE • Clear purpose [expectations & standards are made clear] • Has timetable • Has consistency Two kinds: Qualitative vs. quantitative Remember – this is about performance –NOT personal.

15. Objective (B) Determine key measurement criteria for faculty and staff; EXPECTATIONS • Grounded in the organization & department mission • Clearly established between employee and supervisor • Usually in written form as • Job description • Goals and objectives

16. THE JOB DESCRIPTION • HAS to exist • Should be clear about what is expected • Supervisor and employee agree on the key functions of the job • Provides objectives for the employee • Identifies • Standards to be used in evaluation • Performance factors including time dimension • Development expectations (goal)

17. About goals: • Specific goals are better than vague or general ones • Ex: vague Improve customer service. • Specific: Send out confirmation reports daily. • Include a time dimension for goals • Set goals that are challenging but reachable

18. Standards EXTERNAL and INTERNAL for both QUALITATIVE and QUANTITATIVE evals • national • specific to a region or discipline/job, i.e. fundraising, cleaning • standards developed in your own setting over time [historical and experience based].

19. SCALE • Often a rating is requested in answer to “how has this person …” • A scale can be #s – 1, 2, 3, -> • Or words: unacceptable, below expectations, meets expectations, above expectations

20. Scale cont -> • If using a scale EXPLAIN what is meant. • Give examples of what “below” could be. • Use even # scales – forces more decision making – otherwise there is a tendency to land in the middle 1,2,3,4 is better than 1,2,3,4,5 or “Below, acceptable, average, above average” is better than “Below, acceptable, average, above average, superior.”

21. “HOW” involves • Choosing the right method to gather the information needed • Interviews • Observation • Self-evaluation / self-appraisal • Random work sampling • Evaluations from co-workers Combining these makes it a multi-source evaluation

22. CONSIDER USING MULTISOURCE EVALUATIONS - • Peers and direct reports: will see how things are going PLUS • Supervisor: will see what is being done = • The multi-source evaluation provides a way to integrate the two views • Surveys show employees prefer multi-source feedback to supervisor only feedback Edwards & Ewen, pgs. 182-183

23. POSITIVE ASPECT- • Multisource feedback can get at issues the supervisor might miss • Peer opinion can change behavior • Multisource feedback is more diverse: As organizations diversify by gender, ethnicity, age, disability, race, etc., more pts of view are needed for accurate assessment [same principle can apply in using committees or teams in recruitment and selection] EDWARDS AND EWEN, pgs. 3 - 23

24. Validity concerns: • Rater bias and fear can lead to inflation when raters are afraid to be truly candid. • Provide anonymity to reduce any fear. NOTE: Ratings, numerical or descriptive, are relative, open to interpretation. A “3”, or “good”, doesn’t mean the same to everyone: but for most people there is internal consistency.

25. MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT • TRUST *of the supervisor *of the method • TRUST is supported by SINCERITY + HONESTY

26. EVALUATION FORMS • The form itself is not all that important – it is a tool, not an end in itself. • In format and in application the form should be relevant to the job • Can use forms “off the shelf” or developed internally for your specific needs Whatever you choose – make it work for YOU

27. List of job tasks and performance expectations For example: 1.ATTENDANCE/PUNCTUALITY 2. SAFETY PRACTICES 3. PERSONAL NEATNESS 4. COMPLIANCE WITH RULES/REG. 5. COOPERATION/ATTITUDE 6. ACCEPTANCE OF NEW IDEAS & PROCEDURES [22 ITEMS ALTOGETHER] Scale for evaluation EXCEEDS MEETS EXPECTATIONS IMPROVEMENT NEEDED UNSATISFACTORY Forms: Style One

28. Style one also … Provides space for comments and suggestions Provides an overall rating with provision for goals for improvement Ends with: • REVIEWER: ____________________________________ DATE: ___________________________ I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS REPORT WITH MY SUPERVISOR. I UNDERSTAND MY SIGNATURE DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN I AGREE WITH ALL THE MARKINGS. • EMPLOYEE SIGNATURE: __________________________________________DATE: _____________________________________________________ • ____ I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THIS REPORT OR OTHER MATTERS WITH SOMEONE OTHER THAN MY RATING • SUPERVISOR. • See the Dining Services form on the HR website

29. Advantages of style one: • List can be as complete as you want • Check-off approach makes it fairly efficient • Specific areas for improvement can be made very clear [i.e. “15. promptness in completing work”] • Employee reviews it in person with the supervisor and can respond, or ask for a “second opinion”

30. Forms: Style two A combination of a listing of performance factors EX: Effectively communicates by listening, speaking, and writing. and a scale for a rating -> Exceeds Expectations, Meets Expectations, Below Expectations - Comments:

31. Style two continued ->Further instructions: • Your job description should be up-to-date • Prepare a personal statement & professional plan • Respond to each question by checking the box that best describes your performance • Support each evaluation with illustrative examples

32. Forms: Style three – emphasis on self evaluation and goals • Before the review: Provide employee with a job description and ask employee to note updates for you to discuss. • Ask an employee to complete a self-review at least one (1) week prior to this review. All goals should be reasonable and specific. • Briefly describe a few set goals. Were the goals achieved? If not, why not?

33. IN SUMMARY: Choose the method that works for you. • Survey using numerical scoring • Survey of written commentary • Survey combination of numerical scoring with written comments • Interviews • Self appraisal • Combination of any of these

34. Objective ( C ): Identify best practices to implement systems focused onImproving & Rewarding performance. The evaluator should be the person • w/ the best access to the necessary information • with the responsibility • who has the credibility • who has the authority • who will be considered fair and unbiased • who has the courage to be fair, empathetic, and honest.

35. The evaluator is therefore someone Who is • Trusted • Respected • Knowledgeable • Provide training for the evaluator- • How to apply standards consistently • How to communicate effectively • How to be positive in order to motivate for continued good performance or improvement

36. TRAINING continued -> I didn’t SEE it until I BELIEVED it. [Need to be as bias free as possible.] TRAIN FOR: • the “clam; • negativity; • potential violence; • the “so what”; • the impenetrable - “I can’t HEAR you!” ; • the “This is YOUR problem, not mine.”

37. COMMENTS ON FEEDBACK: • Examples are important, but don’t focus on the unusual unless that single event is unusual or very important. Look for patterns. • Critical incidents can be discussed if that single event is outstandingly good or bad, or very important for some reason. • THE OUTLIER FEEDBACK: Some rating instruments or evaluation processing will discount the outlier: but the outlier should be noted. The feedback of the outlier could be a signal of a new and important but so far uncommon quality, such as risk-taking. Or it could be a sign of concern.

38. Effective and Destructive Feedback To equip [employees] with effective feedback, we must ensure that our feedback meets … basic criteria. Feedback that successfully meets these criteria can be described as: • Individualized (Daniels, 1989, p. 186). • Clear and unambiguous. Feedback should be open to only one interpretation. • Accurately worded. We should check feedback to assure that what a recipient hears is what was intended. • Well presented. In presenting feedback, we should give recipients the opportunity to ask for clarification of anything they do not understand about the feedback. From Jones & Bearley, pgs 13-15

39. Effective feedback continued • Focused on modifiable behavior. A recipient cannot improve behavior if the behavior is impossible to change. • Goal-directed. The information contained in the feedback should focus on goals, and the goals should be “bought into” by the recipient. • Timely. The feedback should center on the recent or current behavior of the recipient. • Affirming and reinforcing. The feedback should bring to light, and bolster, the recipient’s strengths. • Sensitive. We should provide feedback that is sensitive to the recipient’s needs and receptivity.

40. Effective feedback continued • Descriptive. Descriptive feedback is preferable to evaluative information: “Here’s how you appear” is almost always more useful than “Here’s how I judge you.” • Specific. Specific information is clearly more useful than general information: “When you interrupt me while I am speaking, I tend to become frustrated and angry” is more useful than “You’re a dominant person.” • Validated. Feedback needs validation, that is, it must be checked with others in the organization to determine how extensively the feedback giver’s perceptions are shared by others.

41. On the other hand …poor feedback Feedback is powerful information and a potent experience. It can build or break down relationships, and it can mislead as well as inform. Here are some characteristic elements of destructive feedback. • Evaluation and Judgment. For Example, “Your output may rate 4 on a 5-point scale, but you had better get your act together when it comes to getting along with people.” • Insensitivity to the recipient’s ability to use the feedback productively. An example would be giving too much feedback on results while a person is still learning a new task.

42. Poor feedback continued • Poor timing. For instance, telling the recipient “You really alienated me by what you did three years ago.” • Labeling. “You’re clearly a Driver” is an example. This is a type of hard-driving profile used in social-style instruments. • Discounting (“writing the person off as a bad debt”). Constructive feedback is withheld because of doubts about the recipient’s ability to change. • Indirect delivery of feedback. For example, telling a third party about problems with a co-worker rather than confronting the co-worker.

43. Poor feedback continued • Innuendo. Feedback via innuendo is often derogatory: “I don’t know what your agenda is, but I’m sure the team will want to go forward in spite of it.” • Faint praise. “She’s pretty good – about a 4, I’d say” is an example. • A focus on the recipient’s intentions. Such feedback is more concerned about what the recipient is “up to” than what the recipient can do to improve his or her organizational position.

44. Improving performance? WHAT DOESN’T WORK? * Straight criticism, especially without agreement on WHAT is important, or without examples * An evaluation that has poor credibility will = defensiveness * Direct tie to salary [surveys tell us $$ has little or short term impact] * Praise is considered neutral: doesn’t always help, doesn’t always hinder

45. Food for thought about improving & rewarding ee performance- • “Research shows that workers come on the job already motivated, and common business practices rob them of this.” • Most companies have it all wrong. They don’t have to motivate their employees. They have to stop de-motivating them.” • HR Daily Advisor, 9.26,07

46. Objective ( C ) continued -REWARD and RECOGNITION • Match the reward to the person • What would really be of value to this person? [Don’t use a reward YOU would feel good about, what will THIS person feel good about?] • Match the reward to the achievement • Something that took one month / one year to achieve will merit a reward that is different from the good achievement of one day – employees will spot the difference

47. REWARD and RECOGNITION Timing is important. • Reward and recognition • is like positive reinforcement – • the closer in time to the event, • the better.

48. Resources • Edwards, Mark R. and Ann J. Ewen, 360 Degree Feedback: The Powerful New Model for Employee Assessment & Performance Improvement, amacom – American Management Association, 1996 • Jones, John E., Ph.D. and William L. Bearley, Ed.D., 360° Feedback : Strategies, Tactics, and Techniques for Developing Leaders, HRD Press & Lakewood Publications, 1996

49. Resources continued • You are welcome to go to the website for my HR department [see below] for more information, samples, book references, and other resources. http://www.stlawu.edu/resources/performance.eval.html