Performance Appraisals

1. Performance Appraisals Evaluating how well employees are working

3. Performance Appraisals • What are Performance Appraisals (a.k.a. Evaluations)? • What is the purpose of Performance Evaluations? • Validation of Selection • Training Requirements • Employee Improvement • Pay, Promotion, and other decisions

4. Performance Criteria • Need to have a standard by which to compare “good” behavior • Recall Predictors and Criteria • Predictors: what we are looking for when we hire • Criteria: the “evidence” of a good employee • Theoretical (ideal) vs. actual criteria • QG: What happens if performance evaluations are not fair or accurate?

5. Issues with Criteria • Criterion Relevance • Is the actual criteria close to the theoretical criteria • Criterion Contamination • Biases and unrealiability • Criterion Deficiency • Problems with content validity • Criterion Usefulness • QG: Examples of these in your job

6. Types of Appraisals • Objective • Behaviors • Absences, lateness, accidents • Production • Quantity and Quality of Output • Electronic Monitoring • May have problems of criterion deficiency

7. Types of Appraisals • Subjective • Rankings of employees and ratings of performance • May have problems with criterion contamination and criterion relevance • QG: What are objective and subjective criteria in your jobs?

8. Where do appraisals come from? • Self-appraisals • Peer appraisals • Supervisor appraisals • 360 degree feedback • From all around the employee • Inter-rater reliability/more fair • Leadership focused

9. Specific appraisals: Comparative • Ranking • Supervisors rank employees • Problems • Forced Distribution • GE’s Top and Bottom 10%

10. Specific appraisals: Individual • Graphic Rating Scales • Rating of dimensions from job analyses • Very subjective • QG: Example of Teacher Rating Scale • Strengths and weaknesses as a performance evaluation tool • Turn in!

11. Specific appraisals: Individual • Behaviorally Anchored Rating scales (BARS) • Uses actual listing of behaviors of poor and good performance • Think back to our job analysis and critical incidents technique • Behavioral observation scores (BOS) • How often they perform this behavior

12. Sources of Error in Appraisals • Severity, Average or Leniency Rating Error • Halo Effect • Both positive and negative • Recency Effect

13. Sources of Error in Appraisals • Causal Attribution Errors • Extreme ratings for perceived effort over perceived ability • Actor-observer bias • Comes from the fundamental attribution error • Actor “blames” environment for failures and credits self for successes. Observer does the opposite

14. Sources of Error in Appraisals • Personal Biases • Discrimination • Pregnancy • You’d be surprised • Friendship • Organizational training programs • Legal issues • Reverse discrimination

16. Purpose of Feedback • Performance appraisals help employee learn about strengths and weaknesses • Employees want to know what they’re being evaluated on • Performance appraisals should motivate employees to improve • QG: What happens when employees don’t get feedback or get poor feedback?

17. Improving the appraisal process • Improve performance appraisal techniques • Train the appraisers • Should know biases • Multiple evaluations • Inter-rater reliability! • Appraise the appraisers • Performance appraisals should be regular and often • Review and revise performance appraisals

18. How to give feedback • Sandwich!! • Employees participate in process • Appraiser positive, constructive, supportive • Focus on specific job problems • Employee and supervisor jointly reach goals • Employee can challenge evaluation • Salary and Rank discussions linked