Aspects of Evaluating Employees in an Organization
Introduction
Performance appraisals are periodic reviews of the employees to gauge their performance in relation to the objectives of the organization. The evaluation results are then communicated back to the employee (Dijk & Michal, 2015). The process is tied to the human resource and management of an organization. We shall discuss human resource functions in relation to appraisal, analyze the components and alignment to goals and objectives, and explain the advantages to training and development and some aspects of discrimination in performance appraisal.
The function of Human Resource and Management
One of the important functions of human resources is being a mediator between management and the employees. This function is enabled by reviewing and giving feedback to management and employees. The human resource department can meet this need by designing the appraisal process to ensure it is efficient. Additionally, the department is responsible for issuing the various benefits associated with employee performance by communicating with the management. The employee is also informed of their performance and a necessary employee advancement program is developed to align to the same. As a function of management, the appraisal process includes strategic planning to ensure that the long-term needs of the organization and employees align. Moreover, the appraisal process ensures that there is succession planning, where performance is linked to the future probability of leadership in an organization.
Components and Contribution to Goals and Objectives
Several components make up a successful appraisal. To begin with, there is a target setting (Krishan, 2013) which looks at the individual and organizational target goals. The second element is the provision of continuous feedback and coaching for purposes of ensuring that employees and organizations are on-track to meet targets. The third component is an evaluation that gauges the employee’s performance against the set targets. The fourth element is the competency evaluation process, which looks at empowering employees to have the right capabilities for meeting the demands of their roles. With this, the career development and planning aspects are catered for to enable employees to grow. The outcome management is the sixth component that looks at aligning incentives, learning, development, and equity to the performance process. Finally, the systems and processes look at the infrastructure offered by the organization to meet the operational needs of the organization.
A performance appraisal is a tool that can contribute to the goals of an operation by clarifying the expectations. Additionally, the feedback process is an important part of communicating the strengths and weaknesses of performance, leading to the creation of opportunities to develop skills to meet the individual and organizational goals. Additionally, benefits offered as a result of appraisal develop greater job satisfaction for employees leading to improved performance.
Advantages and Contribution to Training and Development
Appraisals benefit organizations and employees by enabling the right fit of positions depending on strengths and weaknesses discovered. An appraisal also helps in the improvement of performance through career development assistance and coaching. The benefits associated with better performance act as an incentive for improved performance. Also, employee and organizational leadership relationships are developed through promotions and benefits. Finally, the management can have appropriate identification and development of employees for succession purposes.
Performance appraisal enables the identification of strengths and weaknesses of employees, leading to better development through targeted training and development programs. Employees are regularly tracked and evaluated, which enables the constant change in training needs to have better programs that evolve with changing employee and organizational needs. Additionally, the appraisal process focuses on employees leading to better alignment of the management in supporting the growing needs of the employees.
Discrimination Issues Relating to Labor Laws in the Appraisal Process
There is a risk of having an unfair criterion for evaluation. This can arise where the reviewer has some relationship with the employee being reviewed. Additionally, where the reviewer has previous poor relations with the employee, they may give poor reviews as a means of getting even with the employee. In the same aspect, there is a need to ensure that the reviews of employees within the same scope are evaluated during the same period. This also should be supported by objectivity to reduce bias. In the same way, the wording that is used in the review process may be lead to bias claims. As such, there is a need to have a professional tone in various dealings. There is also a need to have a reviewer that is trained. This ensures that the correct procedures and language are used in the process. An untrained reviewer may subject the organization to legal risks of discrimination due to a lack of the appropriate techniques to handle the process efficiently.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the in-depth look of human resource functions in relation to appraisal, analysis of the components and alignment to goals and objectives, and explaining the advantages to training and development and some aspects of discrimination in performance appraisal, we can understand the performance appraisal process better. The process is a crucial part of organizational success and should be engaged as a strategic process that can enable an organization to meet its goals.
References
Dijk, D. V., Michal, S. M. (2015). Performance Appraisal and Evaluation. In book: International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edition, Publisher: Oxford: Elsevier, Editors: James D., pp.716–72
Krishan, S. K. (2013). 7 elements of effective performance management. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237778624_7_elements_of_effective_performance_management