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3.2 Methods and performance evaluations
Ito avoid some of the drawbacks described, managers could complement their evaluation with the self-assessment carried out by the employee or with the colleagues who carry out a similar job. If all the evaluations converge, it is almost certain that the judgment reached by the manager is correct. If the evaluation of peers and subordinates does not fit with that of the manager, it may not be sensitive or aware of the impact of certain factors on employee performance.
On the other hand, there are more and more companies that use the evaluation of internal and external clients to value their personnel (what is known in human resources as 360° feedback). Also, subordinates can evaluate their superiors, which can serve as feedback to the latter on how their leadership, communication, etc.
Here are three general methods of performance evaluation:
Classification method
It consists in evaluating the performance by comparing employees who perform a similar or similar job. The evaluator classifies employees from best to worst.
Disadvantages:
Classifications tend to be based on overall performance and are not very useful for the provision of specific feedback.
In addition, they inform if a person performs the work better than another, but not in what degree or in what way. In addition, evaluators should be familiar with the performance of all workers to be evaluated, which limits the number of employees likely to be evaluated by each evaluator.
Graphic scale method
It consists of evaluating workers in relation to a series of compliance measures, usually through a scale of five or seven points. The clearer and more specific the scales and the dimensions of the performance, the better.
Next, we expose common rating scales for the evaluation of the work of two operators and for the evaluation of the management capacity of a manager.
Scale of behavior classification
Be part of an ascending assessment scale to describe specific work behaviors. It is a similar method to the graphical scale, since a numerical scale is usually used to measure a range of evaluable behaviors, but the level of detail in the description of each of the points on the scale is much higher.
Advantage:
The advantage of this method is that it is possible to describe objectively and in detail behaviors related to performance. It is also useful to provide feedback to the person evaluated.
Disadvantage:
The disadvantage is that the development of a behavioral scale can be slow and expensive, given the need to include observable descriptions of behavior, and that different evaluators can have radically different evaluation standards. Another drawback is its specificity. Both supervisors and workers prefer systems that start from the characteristics to which they stop in behavior.
Emily, the human resources director of the fashion company SPOT, is designing a performance evaluation program. Previously in SPOT, the classification method was used. However, the results did not allow them to identify how one person worked better than another to provide feedback.
They are looking for a method that supports them to provide objective feedback to their employees.
Emily considers it very important to find a method more adapted to her needs even if she needs more resources to implement it.
Whatever the applied method, the manager must communicate to the worker his judgments regarding the evaluation of performance through an interview. In this, the qualities and needs of employee development will be exchanged. After the interviews, the managers must observe the progress of the subordinates and reward the improvements in performance, since in this way the workers are motivated to strive to achieve success.
In any case, the performance evaluation system must encourage appropriate behaviors so that the company maintains its competitiveness. Companies that follow a cost reduction strategy should focus on employee efficiency, for which they may need part-time workers who are able to perform routine jobs with little training.
However, companies that follow a differentiation strategy, based on providing an excellent service to companies, need their employees to be able to work as a team, collaboratively solve customer problems or develop their jobs without direct supervision. Therefore, if employees lack the necessary skills to preserve the competitiveness of the company, they must schedule training and development activities for these employees.
Through training, it is intended that operators maintain and, if possible, raise their work performance reached until a certain time, while, with the development programs, it is intended to teach skills and behaviors that employees will need in the future.
At present, companies are adopting models of management by values that combine quantitative and qualitative elements with a view to improving the motivation and commitment of employees. In this way, the evaluation of the performance is evolving towards the evaluation of the contribution, where it is valued.
