Performance Appraisal in HRM: In This Article, we explain the definition, modern methods, Objective, Characteristics & Pros & Cons.

1. September 2, 2020
Performance Appraisal in HRM Methods, Pros & Cons
in 2020
startuphrtoolkit.com/performance-appraisal-in-hrm
02 Sep
Performance Appraisal in HRM Methods, Objective,
Characteristics
by admin
in Employee Programs
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What is Performance Appraisal
Performance appraisal is a part of a company’s process of understanding their
employees better and giving them feedback to help them improve their performance.
While several employees find performance appraisal to be unnecessary if done right, it
can have several benefits for the organization. Let us learn more about performance
appraisal in HRM.
Performance appraisal is a process analyzing an employee’s worth and contribution to
the job. Getting an objective evaluation of an employee’s performance will help a
company identify any existing problems in the workplace. This will help the HR
department to solve those problems quickly and with ease.
Performance appraisals are used for an employee’s development. It helps the
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2. management to make decisions regarding promotions, job transfer & terminations. This
systematic approach also gives employees an insight into their current capabilities,
whether they have scope to learn and grow, “where they currently stand” with their boss
& their long-term plans with the company.
The entire performance appraisal process can be formal or informal depending on the
call that the HR department takes. Decisions regarding the format of performance
appraisals are entirely dependent upon the particular organization.
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Definition of Performance Appraisal in HRM
Performance appraisal is a process where the employee’s performance, contributions &
skills are evaluated against his/her job requirements. This provides a uniform platform
to measure financial rewards, selection for promotions, or assignments to important
projects for each candidate.
Performance Appraisal in HRM creates a healthy competition between colleagues. It
also helps employees compare and improve upon their skills if needed. Appraisals are
usually held annually in most companies.
Process of Performance Appraisal in HRM
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3. Modern Methods of Performance Appraisal in HRM
Different companies use different methods to conduct their performance appraisal
calculations. It depends on the job role and the type of company it is. A few of the
common methods doing performance appraisals in HRM are:
1. Graphic Rating Scale Method
This method is based on the idea of rating employees based on individual
characteristics. For example, some organizations may choose to evaluate employees
based on quality and quantity of work, decisiveness & emotional stability.
Employees are rated on a fixed scale (say 1-10), based on the extent to which they meet
each of the desired criteria. The average of all the scores constitutes the overall score of
the employee.
Graphic scales are practical; they are cost-effective and can be developed quickly. They
also help in measuring a particular objective effectively. However, the appraisal in such
cases largely depends upon individual perspectives. This may lead to disputes or non-
uniformity in evaluations. Furthermore, personal bias can also play a role in it. You
must be careful to define each characteristic as clearly as possible.
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4. 2. Ranking Method
The name of this method explains exactly what it is. The Human Resources team ranks
each employee on a list based on factors decided by the human resource department.
The best performers are on the top, and the worst performers rank at the bottom.
This simple method of ranking employees can be modified in several ways. One of these
methods is the paired comparison ranking style wherein employees are compared in
pairs of two against each other. The number of times one employee is preferred over
someone else is recorded. The top employee is the one with the highest number of
preferences.
The grading scale method can be combined with ranking. The employees with the best
overall score on the grade scale (from 1-10) rank at the top of the list. The ranking
method is preferred because it is simple, efficient, and requires little time and money.
However, personal bias and favouritism may cause major disruptions in objective
evaluation.
3. Checklist Method
Employees are evaluated by making use of a checklist in this method. The checklist can
have a variety of different factors that the human resource department has chosen to be
important. The employees are then judged based on those factors The employers must
select between the yes/no options in those checkboxes.
Items in the checklist carry a numerical value based on their importance to job
performance. The appraisal score is calculated by adding up the scores of all these
individual factors.
The checklist method makes it easy to evaluate employees as their supervisors have to
simply choose between yes/no. It also helps the employees receive clear and direct
feedback. However, it may not be easy to design an effective checklist and assign a
weight based on the importance of factors.
4. Management by Objectives Method(MBO)
MBO is considered to be one of the most systematic methods in performance appraisals.
The idea is to give each employee a set of objectives that have to be achieved by them.
During the performance appraisal, the supervisors will evaluate the extent to which the
objectives have been achieved.
This is a strong method of evaluation. The employees have been clearly instructed as to
what is expected of them. It also helps the company to set benchmarks and standards
for growth. However, a lot of time and effort goes into determining the objectives and
evaluating them.
5. 360-degree Feedback Appraisal
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5. This approach is basically a group performance review. The data regarding an
employee’s behavior is collected by his/her close subordinates. An employee’s
colleagues might be able to review his/her performance under a variety of situations
and circumstances, which might have escaped the employer. This allows for a holistic,
full-circle, multi-tiered feedback regarding a person.
This method is useful as it eliminates subjectivity. It also promotes an atmosphere of
open culture, self-development and better communication. However, every company
must develop an effective system and procedure to utilize this method.
Performance Appraisal Objectives
Performance appraisal can be conducted for various reasons. Human resources is one of
the most important resources that a company has. Therefore, every company should
understand where their employees stand in terms of performance and productivity.
Here are some more objectives of performance appraisals:
1. Provide Feedback:
Appraisals are an effective way to give feedback to employees. It enables managers to
communicate clearly regarding employee objectives and expectations. An employee can
learn about what he/she can do to improve their future performance.
2. Downsize or Right-Size:
The COVID pandemic is one of the many harsh realities that might force an
organization to downsize. In such a situation, appraisals are a way to make sure that the
most productive and talented individuals can be retained in a company. It is also an
effective way to know which employees are non-performers.
3. Promote The Right Person:
Appraisals give an organization objective and data-driven tools to make good promotion
decisions. It helps the most talented individuals retain the position of the highest
importance.
4. Set Goals & Measure Goals:
The annual appraisals are also an effective way to set future goals for the employees.
This ensures maximum productivity and superior performance.
5. Improve Work Performance:
An employee can only improve if he knows how to. Objectives of a good appraisal
include highlighting the specific area of improvement for every employee.
6. Determine Compensation Changes:
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6. An appraisal system works as a determining factor in increasing compensation, pay
raises, etc. It ensures that people who work harder get paid better.
7. Encourage Coaching & Mentoring:
Managers are usually expected to coach their team members. Appraisals help the
managers to identify the areas where mentoring is required.
8. Employee Training and Development:
Individual skills are evaluated during an appraisal. This helps employees to identify if
they need to acquire more skills and competencies to contribute to the company. It also
helps an organization to plan the up-skilling training for their employees.
9. Provide a Legal Defense For Personal Decisions:
A company can be held accountable for any decision that they take, even firing or
promoting an employee. Therefore, conducting a performance appraisal will help the
company prove a point if their decisions are ever challenged.
10. Encouraging Coaching & Mentoring:
Teaching and coaching are part of managing employees. It is part of being a good
manager. Performance appraisals will help them understand where an employee is
lacking therefore where they can train and help employees to do better.
11. Improving Overall Organization’s Performance:
Last but not least, performance appraisals will help the company to learn more about
the employees and their requirements. It will help the employees to understand where
they are lacking and where they are doing well. This will help them learn and grow
quickly.
Characteristics of an Effective Performance Appraisal System:
When you are trying to adopt an effective appraisal system for your company, there are
certain factors to be kept in mind. However, what works for someone else may not be
right for your company. A good appraisal system satisfies these characteristics
according to your requirements.
1. Clear Objectives
Employee performance appraisals should have a clear goal. There must be a predefined
set of factors to evaluate employees based on their skill sets. It must be clear what the
managers aim to get out of these appraisals.
2. Well Defined Performance Criteria
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7. Employees must have a clear idea of what they are being evaluated. Good appraisal
systems have a set of procedures and standards for the performance of each individual.
For instance, a fresh graduate cannot be evaluated against someone with years of
experience.
3. Accuracy & Reliability in Results
An effective performance appraisal helps a company to make clear, data-driven &
informed decisions. The data (or results) of any appraisal must be reliable and valid,
and they must be presented in an unambiguous manner. Accurate insights will also help
a company gain the trust of its employees.
4. Post Appraisal Interview
Post appraisal interviews are important because they help the employees to get direct
feedback from their superiors or managers. These interviews also help the managers
decide if any training or skill development programs are needed. Employee grievances
can also be addressed during this interview.
5. Time-Saving
A good appraisal system is one that saves time and cost. This helps a company to get the
maximum benefit. Instead of wasting all their time on managerial tasks, HR personnel
could focus on other important jobs.
6. Continuous Feedback
Modern appraisal systems have done away with the annual performance review model.
Instead, that model has been replaced with a system wherein managers give continuous
(read- periodical) feedback to their employees. This helps the employees fill in their
weaknesses from the start and improve upon them.
7. Focusing on What Matters
A good appraisal system evaluates employees on various factors. However, an
employee’s work performance and competency are of utmost importance. Subjective
factors, such as personal behavior, attitude & personality come secondary to an
employee’s skill set.
8. Match Your Goals
Appraisal systems should be designed according to the functioning of your company.
For instance, if you are using a 360-degree feedback approach, feedback should be
taken from only those who have worked closely with the employee overtime. It’s good to
practise to be innovative with appraisals so they match your company’s working policy.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Performance Appraisal
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8. It is often wondered why do HR departments conduct performance appraisals. The
performance appraisal process is a complicated one. It needs to be done in a way that
truly brings changes to the way the company functions. While it gives the managers a
clear idea about their employees it is a tedious task that sometimes doesn’t bring any
results or changes. Therefore, the question comes up as to whether you should conduct
a performance appraisal in your company or not.
Let us discuss the advantages and disadvantages of performance
appraisal:
Advantages of Performance Appraisal are:
1. Find The True Potential of The Employee
Performance appraisal helps the HR department and the company learn about the
strengths and weaknesses of an employee. This process can, therefore, be used to truly
learn about the employee’s interests and potentials. This analysis can help the HR
department to choose the right employees for a job. The HR department can even
suggest the employee switch to a department that fits them better.
2. Promotes Employee Development
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9. The quickest way to improve an employee’s performance is by providing them with
specific feedback. The performance appraisal process includes giving employees
feedback about their strengths and weakness. The employees can use this information
to develop themselves further.
3. Acts as a Motivator
Employees crave feedback. When they receive that it can act as a motivator for them.
Knowing their weaknesses can help employees give their best and improve upon the
areas they’ve missed out on. This can work as a boost to the entire office or team.
4. Focused Employee Training & Development
Planning and development programs are important for any organization. The
performance appraisal can show exactly where a majority of the employees lack in
terms of training and development. The HR department can then create programs
according to those gaps. This will be more beneficial for the employees and will be a
successful program of training and development.
5. Improves Employee & Management Relationship
be m The performance appraisal gives employees an opportunity to truly share and
discuss the problems that they are facing in their role. This builds a healthy
environment for both the manager and the employee.
6. Promotion & Transfers
It is difficult to make the correct decision about who to promote and who to transfer
without any data. The performance appraisal can be useful for learning in which talents
should be rewarded and which need to be pushed to do better. It ensures that the
decision is made based on facts and figures rather than personal biases.
7. Mentoring From Superiors
Managers are a crucial part of any appraisal system. They are the ones handling the
administrative and feedback work in an appraisal. Good managers are good mentors,
meaning that they are able to guide their employees to reach their maximum potential.
Managers must not only focus on the weaknesses, but they must highlight employees’
strengths too.
Disadvantages of The Performance Appraisal Are as follows:
1. Consuming Process
First and foremost, performance appraisal is a time-consuming process. It requires
resources, time and costs the company money. It requires the HR department to create
the forms, ask everyone to fill them & then analyze the results for specific feedback
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10. while going through the correct procedures.
Sometimes, the organization has to hire professional experts from outside the company
to conduct the evaluation process. The evaluation processes must be designed and
implemented clearly. This can make the performance appraisal process expensive for
the company.
2. Personal Bias or Incorrect Ratings
It is possible that managers, in order to not look bad, give a decent rating to all
employees. This can be the case with managers that try to avoid conflicts or arguments.
Furthermore, personal bias can play a huge role in the ratings. If a manager has a liking
for an employee they will rate them better and visa versa. This can be the case even if
they are a good employee. Generally, employers simply give an averaged out feedback to
employees. This means the over performers and underperformers both aren’t rated
correctly.
3. Horn & Halo Effect
The horn and halo effect is a human tendency to see only the good or the bad in a
person. For example, an employer might just see that the employee is never on time and
will rate the employee low on all the brackets because of that. However, he might not
notice that the employee works for long hours every day and completes the work on
time. This can affect an employee’s overall ratings.
4. Spillover Effect
This refers to human behavior. It means that while judging the employee for
performance appraisal it is possible that the manager simply marks an employee high
because of their past performances instead of their current ones. They rank the
employee by taking into account the overall overview that they have of the employee.
5. Attitude of Evaluator
The mindset and the mood of the manager is also a cause of concern. If the manager has
high expectations they might mark their employees lower. Thereby, making the team
look lower than others on average. This makes the process of evaluation and improving
the performance in the organization a difficult task to achieve.
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11. Conclusion
There you have it, the complete guide to performance appraisal in HRM. Performance
appraisals are only as good as their implementation and the system in which they are
performed. If it is done simply for the sake of doing it, then there truly is no advantage
to it. However, if the process is implemented correctly then it can truly help the
organisation be more productive, more focused & will help authority figures to make
better decisions.
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