Employee relations practices are the main causes of manifest problems such as low productivity, poor quality, missed deadlines and excessive costs. Personnel practices can be measured indirectly, for each manager, by the following standards:
– Rotation in terms of voluntary resignations.
– Hoping for.
– Number of promotions made within the manager’s operation and from his operation to other segments or functions of the company.
– Number, frequency, and severity of lost-time accidents and clinic visits involving hourly employees.
– Number and value contributed of ideas to improve operations presented by hourly and salaried employees.
– Training time and loss of productivity to incorporate new employees.
– The existence or not of formal orientation and indoctrination programs and regular follow-up meetings.
– Frequency of staff meetings.
– Use of management by objectives.
– The existence or absence of organizational charts, job descriptions and performance standards.
– The number, nature and extent of disappointments expressed by employees at all levels.
– Difficulty or ease of hiring exempt employees, that is, the relationship between job offers and acceptances.
– What has been done to develop and improve the performance of key people.
A manager must be fully responsible for the proper use and development of their human resources. These simple quantitative measures, along with exit interviews and coaching interviews by the HR executive, will show how well or poorly a manager is managing her HR.
Performance measurement encompasses the evaluation of individuals and the collective work group, as well as the feedback of the results to those evaluated. In a nutshell, performance appraisal is an attempt to think clearly about what each person does, how well they do it, and what their future prospects are when compared to the background of their total job situation, including direction and the opportunities your manager has given you. .
The fact is, whether the manager tries or not, his every word, every suggestion, every criticism, every look tells a man how his performance is being judged. Each one builds it up or knocks it down. Performance appraisal is the most delicate part of the manager’s job. Either you use this managerial tool effectively to build loyalty, teamwork, cooperation, and understanding, or you abuse it and fail to achieve the highest job satisfaction and productivity. All employees have the right to be told where they stand, for better or worse. The way it is done is important.
What should a performance appraisal accomplish? This question was asked of 20 personnel managers who represented the composite opinion of 20 division presidents in a large decentralized company. The vast majority cited a number of benefits that come from a well-managed performance appraisal system. The men had met to consider the problems they faced in implementing such a system. Four concurrent workshop sessions were held throughout the day covering training and development, performance appraisal and salary administration, new hire orientation and safety. The groups rotated.
The groups also agreed that evaluation is a line responsibility, but specific guidelines are needed from the corporate office so that a factor such as an A rating in division A means the same as an A rating where the product, process, technology and markets differ and the corporation is beginning to experiment with promotional transfers between divisions.
All 20 personnel managers noted that performance feedback is perhaps the most important responsibility a manager has to their subordinates and to themselves. How he handles this task will determine whether it builds or destroys morale, increases or decreases productivity and profitability, and helps or hinders individual development.
Results feedback has many labels: performance appraisal, staff appraisal, progress review, merit review, and many others. Whatever the label, there is much to be gained when a manager is appraisal review aware.
Formal appraisals serve a number of purposes.
– One of the most important is to identify the areas where improvement is needed.
– A second is to make it clear who is responsible for what.
– A third is to reassess and communicate priorities.
– A fourth is to write down the obstacles so that they can later be eliminated.
Performance appraisal should recommend good work, serve as a basis for salary increases and promotions, stimulate individual self-development, teach subordinates, and reveal how well a manager is doing and what some of their own development needs are.