Employee Performance Evaluations

Measuring Employee Performance

Performance Appraisal: An Overview of the “Process”

The very nature of appraisal systems puts both employees and supervisors into situations that most people find uncomfortable.Mangers and Supervisors find it difficult to be candid and constructive when they’re conducting an appraisal session that involves negative feedback.

Overview of the “Process” cont’d

Why, then, should you put in the time and effort needed to create and implement this process?

The answer, simply put, is that the benefits of an effectively structured and administered performance appraisal process far outweigh the time and effort the process requires.

What can this do for our company?

Motivate employees to improve their job performance Provide an objective- and legally defensible-basis for key human resources decisions, including pay increases and promotions Establish a reasonably uniform set of performance standards that are in sync with company values Confirm that employees possess the skills or attributes needed to successfully fulfill a particular job

What can this do for our company?

Assess training and staff development needs Motivate employees to upgrade their skills and job knowledge so that they can make a more meaningful contribution to your company’s success Give employees who are under-performing the guidance that can lead to better performance.

Objective

All performance appraisal systems are driven by the same objective: to establish a systematic way of evaluating employee performance and providing constructive feedback to employees.

Basic Ingredients

Setting performance criteria Developing tracking and documenting procedures Setting up a measurement system, and deciding how the information is to be communicated to employees.

Preparing for the Meeting

Be ready! Do not wait until the last minute before thinking about how the meeting is going to be handled.Managers should have a clear idea before the meeting begins of what specific behaviors are going to be the focal point of the session.

Preparing for the Meeting

Give employees sufficient time to prepare for the session Allotting sufficient time to conduct a productive session Having all documentation ready prior to the meeting including the physician feedback portion.* Choosing a suitable place (private, quiet, relaxing) for the meeting

Conducting the session

The appraisal meeting should always be a two-way conversation, not a one-way lecture Positives should always be emphasized before negatives are discussed The emphasis should be always on what needs to be done to improve and not what was done wrong

Conducting the session

Employees should be encouraged to comment on any observation managers share with them. Managers should know how to explain to employees the difference between effort (how hard employees are working) and quality results (whether the results of those efforts are contributing significantly to business objectives).

Giving negative feedback

The toughest thing for managers to do during the appraisal meeting will be to talk about performance areas in which the employee is lacking. Why candor is important. Managers, who when the need arises, fail to focus on the negative aspects of employee performance are not only doing the employee a disservice but can also be harming your company as well. The employee can’t very well improve if the manager doesn’t communicate the need. Additionally, should it become necessary to fire an employee, a manager’s failure to mention the employee’s weakness in a performance appraisal could jeopardize the company’s ability to defend the firing decision.

Giving negative feedback

The importance of documentation. Managers should always be prepared to back up negative comments with specific, job related examples. The documentation for these examples should be gathered prior to the meeting. The importance of careful wording. Managers should be made aware (if they’re not already aware) that how a criticism is worded is every bit as important as what behavior is being described. Remind managers to focus on the behavior itself and not on the personality quality that may have led to the behavior. For example, instead of saying, “You’ve been irresponsible,” describe the event that reflects the irresponsibility, as in “For the past few weeks, you’ve missed these deadlines.”

Giving negative feedback

Encouraging employee feedback. Once managers have issued any piece of criticism, employees should be given the opportunity to comment. Managers should be advised that, given a chance, employees will often admit to their shortcomings and may even ask for help. Ending on a positive note. No matter how negative the feedback may be, performance appraisal meetings should end on an reasonably positive note- with some plan for improvement.

Preparing for the worst

There’s always a potential in any performance appraisal meeting that an employee whose work is being criticized will be agitated, confrontational, verbally abusive, and, in some instances, violent.

Advice

Within reason, let the employee blow off steam. Don’t respond, comment on, or challenge the employee while he or she is agitated or angry. In certain situations, a calm, non-threatening demeanor can defuse a situation. Don’t fake agreement. The worst thing you can say in this sort of situation is “I can see why you’re upset.” It can very well set the employee off again.

Advice

When the storm passes, continue the interview. A lack of response usually ends most outbursts and the employee quickly realizes he or she has made a serious mistake. Accept the apology and move on. If there’s any hint that the employee might become violent, the manager should leave the room immediately can call for help.

Evaluating our appraisal system

Group exercise:

“Yes to all the questions, you can probably relax. A “no” answer may indicate an aspect of your program that needs to reexamined

Evaluating our appraisal system

Are all performance criteria job related? Is the focus on results, as opposed to personal traits? Do your employees understand how the process works and how appraisals tie into other aspects of their jobs? Have managers been adequately trained to implement the system? Is the program thoroughly understood by employees?

Evaluating our appraisal system

Have all relevant employee behaviors been documented? Have promises of confidentiality been kept? Are all subsequent HR decisions consistent with employee evaluations? Have you reviewed all elements of your program with legal counsel?

Strengths and Weaknesses Checklist

AttitudeContributes to team environmentLearn and adapt Communication SkillsRapport with MD’s Rapport with StaffGeneral attitudeProblem Solving abilityResponsibility and AccountabilityTime Management

Task CompletionWork QualityAbility to Multi TaskCompletes daily task sheet

Strengths and Weaknesses Checklist

Medical AssistantTriage patients according to scriptFootcare scriptUrinalysisBlood PressureTemperature CheckBillingClean and Stock RoomsSet up for MDConfirming AppointmentsCallbacksInternal ConsultsComputer SkillsDocumentationMD boxes

Strengths and Weaknesses Checklist

Reception DutiesRegistering PatientsImplements ScriptsValidating Health CardsChecking for pertinent informationPulling ChartsInvoices

Areas to Improve: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Strengths and Weaknesses Checklist

Recommendations:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Completed by:Date:

APR “PREPARATION FOR INTERVIEW” FORM

Name: ___________________ Date: __________________

What have been your most important achievements this year?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What support would assist you in improving your job or to reach your objectives?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Where do you think that you could improve?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Would you like to discuss any concerns or problems that could affect your work performance? If so, what are these concerns or problems?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

APR “PREPARATION FOR INTERVIEW” FORM

What are your expectations and priorities for the next year?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What position would you ultimately like to hold? Do you need information on the job profile and qualifications of a particular position?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What are the training activities that you would like to take part in during the next year?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Do you have any other comments on your work or your performance, or any other concerns that you would like to discuss?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

S.M.A.R.T. Objectives

S – SpecificM – MeasurableA – AttainableR – RealisticT – Time bound

S.M.A.R.T Objectives

*See example*

Establish 2-3 objectives with your employee and set quarterly follow up dates with them to discuss their progress .

S.M.A.R.T Objectives

Record these dates in your agenda to ensure these meetings are not overlooked.

Provide your employee with an appointment card outlining their upcoming meetings booked with you.

A.P.R Example

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Questions?

Thank-you!

Completed by: Crystal Childs