07/ 05/ 2005
by Charles R. McConnell
Performance evaluations are not the favorite tasks of most managers. Evaluations can be a real pain, especially with the work required to complete an evaluation using one of today’s formal systems. A formal evaluation system may work well in a large organization that has a human resources department, but what about the person who manages without HR support? Or someone who is the business’ only manager or one of few? This manager needs a quick, but not-so-dirty way of addressing the need for a performance evaluation.
First, we must concede this: There is a need. There are several good reasons for measuring employee performance and keeping evaluation records. The first is to improve the employee’s performance. What if the employee is already doing well in your eyes? Then, your objective is to maintain that good performance. (Acceptable performance often deteriorates if it’s not reinforced). The second objective? Employee development. You want to know who’s able to move up when you need them to, and evaluation tells you who might be ready and who isn’t. Finally, in these days when any employee is likely to sue over being let go, it pays to have a legally defensible, hard-copy documentation of performance or behavior problems.
The lone, unsupported manager needs the kind of evaluation process that addresses the bare essentials in a way that provides substantive information for the record. What is not needed is an old-fashioned rendering of performance using subjective assessments, such as “adaptability,” “dependability” or “attitude,” or name-calling labels such as “stubborn” or “aggressive.” Sure, once upon a time, these kinds of judgments were the backbone of so-called evaluation systems, but they no longer fly; they are matters of opinion that can’t be proven, can be endlessly challenged and are legally indefensible.
How, then, do you satisfy the need for evaluation without employing a full-blown system? Try these tips.
- Have a description for each job you supervise. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or detailed, just a listing of several activities that captures maybe 90 percent of what the employee does. Don’t be concerned with small stuff that happens only occasionally.
- Make sure that the employee knows the contents of the job description. Every employee needs to know what is expected of him or her.
- Have as many standards or expectations for output of tasks as possible. For example, if normal output for a billing clerk is 15 statements per hour, doing more than 15 means “above standard” and fewer than 15 means “below standard.” At evaluation time, don't describe an employee as being “too slow with billing,” but rather say “average output is 12 to 13, unacceptably below standard.”
- Keep accurate records of chronic absenteeism or tardiness. Many employees have had to be dismissed for this. But don't say “late too often” or “absent too often.” Rather, let the record show that “during June, the employee was late four times and absent twice.”
- If your business requires lots of customer contact, make customer relations issues a priority in job duties. If an employee is troublesome in customer relations, say so with a sentence like, “Customer complaint about this problem received on this date,” plus whatever else is needed. The key to addressing performance lies in never generalizing, but always addressing — and documenting — specifics.
- Don't worry about fancy forms. The most versatile evaluation form available is a blank sheet of paper to go with a one-page job description. Head the sheet with employee-identifying information and the date of the evaluation. Review everything with the employee at a one-on-one meeting held for that purpose.
- If possible, work out any differences with the employee at the meeting. Afterward, ask him or her to sign the evaluation with you — not to indicate complete agreement, but simply to acknowledge that the evaluation took place.
- Maintain a personnel file for each employee — a simple manila file folder will usually do — and be certain this file includes every evaluation the employee has received.
Properly done evaluations, like the ones described above, can be your best defense if an employee, who is released for performance or attendance, claims unfair treatment. Evaluations, however, should never be allowed to take the place of an ongoing relationship with each employee, where you address problems and issues as they occur. When the relationship with an employee is all it should be, the evaluation will be a mere formality because both of you will know where you stand with each other at all times.
