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SUPERVISOR EVALUATIONS.
Term Paper ID:12993
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Essay Subject:
Process & purpose of on-the-job performance appraisal. Strengths & weaknesses, manager attitudes, employee expectations & responses, importance of clear communication & counseling, rewards.... More...
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10 Pages / 2250 Words
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Paper Abstract:
Process & purpose of on-the-job performance appraisal. Strengths & weaknesses, manager attitudes, employee expectations & responses, importance of clear communication & counseling, rewards.
Paper Introduction:
This paper focuses on the problem of supervisor evaluation in the workplace and the effects of these evaluations on human behavior. The significance of the problem is given in the form of a problem statement, followed by a brief review of the strengths and weaknesses of the evaluation or performance appraisal process. Of central interest is the reactions of individuals to performance reviews. The effects of supervisor evaluation on productivity are also examined.
What is the performance evaluation process? This phrase typically refers to the formal process or act of measuring how well an employee has handled assigned duties and responsibilities during a given period of time. Performance assessments are
Text of the Paper:
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Self. Interpersonal differences often serve as the key to anindividual's success or failure. Many employees do not favor formal assessments. Inthat event, the manager should not try to argue the employee out of it.Instead, it is usually best to try to acknowledge an error in the rating. The availability of rewards is another factor affecting performanceevaluations. For example, an employee's popularitywithin the organization can affect his assessment. There are many causes, symptoms and cures of low employee performanceand productivity. Supervisors, like most people, have their biases and prejudices.Effective supervisors must learn to control their personal feelings and toremain objective. Positive rewards must be geared to positiveperformance. The keys tosuccessful utilization of performance systems and assessments are: 1)employees must fully understand what is expected of them; 2) they mustknow that they are being informally assessed on a continuous basis; 3) theymust be appropriately rewarded or disciplined in a timely manner; and 4)they must be given the right to discuss their feelings and concerns (Imundo191-2). Generallyspeaking, emotion should be avoided at interviews. Performance evaluation is an ongoing activityand a continuous part of the day-to-day working relationship betweensupervisors and employees (Imundo 189-9 ). Two methods of interviewing may be used effectively toproduce the desired results: direct and indirect. Below averageperformers dislike them. This phrase typicallyrefers to the formal process or act of measuring how well an employee hashandled assigned duties and responsibilities during a given period of time. Employees must understand the true purpose of a performanceevaluation. The supervisors' impressions areformed by what others say, or when interaction does occur. 3) To provide a firm foundation for later judgments that concern anemployee's career. Thesignificance of the problem is given in the form of a problem statement,followed by a brief review of the strengths and weaknesses of theevaluation or performance appraisal process. What are the steps in identifying and overcoming problems in employeeperformance evaluation? It is the responsibility of higher management to thoroughlytrain managers and supervisors in the art of conducting assessments, and toinsure that the training is correctly applied. Therationale is that since there is so little to go around, it does not pay todiscriminate among employees. Theyfind applications in compensation administration, employee transfer andlayoff, assessing training needs, disciplinary considerations, andpromotional concerns. They must also know their rights of appeal for perceivedunfairness and the channels and procedures to be followed in the event ofan appeal. Of central interest is thereactions of individuals to performance reviews. Bias and prejudicedifficulties may arise from interpersonal relationship design, poor systemdesign, differing expectations, and other various situational andorganizational factors. If supervisors andemployees cannot express their feelings without reasonable openness, thenthe performance assessment meeting will be approached with reluctance, fearand suspicion. Employeeswho work closely with their supervisors are able to influence theirsupervisors' perceptions almost continually. It is often unwise to be too harsh on poor performers. Successful Supervision. It is best tobe sure that the best kind of performance is encouraged. In addition to obvious indicators such as high unitlabor costs and failure to meet production schedules, low productivity canalso take on less obvious forms. How to Improve Performance through Appraisal and Coaching. It should benoted that improved communication between supervisors and employees is onesolution to these problems. All organizations must learn to developperformance assessment systems that can consistently and accurately measureemployees' performance. In times of high inflationand limited money for raises, the tendency among supervisors and employeesto want raises across the board can be very strong. L. Unfavorable criticism may hurt certain employees so deeply that it isnot unusual for the person to charge the supervisor with favoritism. First, position descriptions and performancestandards or expectations are essential. Whatever type of system or approach is used, the possibility ofbias and prejudice affecting judgment may exist. These might include high absenteeism andturnover, waste, and theabsence of negative reinforcement or feedback. Good employeestypically require less monitoring of performance than bad employees. However, unless supervisorsinteract frequently with employees to monitor performance, problems willoccur. Some supervisors are at bestapprehensive and at worst terrified of having a face-to-face discussionwith employees about their performance on the job. Performance assessments are widely used for a variety of purposes. Those who refuse to play the game, or who do not know how to playthe game, may tend to become jealous and resentful. The Effective Supervisor's Handbook. What Every Supervisor Should Know. Here such factors as job boredom, lack ofrecognition, poor communications, inadequate pay levels, and poorsupervision play a major role in contributing to the problem. Another class of organizational barriers are traditions and pastpractices. Under thesecircumstances, it may be better not to have supervisors conduct formalassessments. The best way to handlethis type of problem is to give raises and other rewards solely on thebasis of merit, or to give a small percentage across the board and theremainder on merit. Conversely,they normally expect to be rebuked or chastised for inadequate orinappropriate performance. Objective factors focus on hard facts andmeasurable results. Once the climate improves, a formal assessment program canbe implemented to strengthen relationships. In the latter case, the rationale is that, having donewell, the management can afford to be generous. The same logic can also apply when rewardsare plentiful. For certain types of supervisory personnel who are moreinclined to use an interpersonal approach, this task may prove to bedifficult. Job Evaluation: Text and Cases. This paper focuses on the problem of supervisor evaluation in theworkplace and the effects of these evaluations on human behavior. In cases of low performance and productivity, the problem usuallylies with the human element. They expectto be rewarded for their contributions to the organization. Typically, they areafraid of getting into a situation where they might not be able to dealwith the possible consequences. Some types of jobs require a daily monitoring. 2) To satisfy the employee's curiosity as to how well he or she isdoing. Otherwise, theemployees may feel that their poor showing is more the supervisor's faultthan their own.It is important to be strong, fair, and specific while allowing employeesto retain their self-respect. It is the supervisor'sresponsibility to establish and maintain a climate where accurate, timelyand open communication can exist. It should be based on as much factual evidence as possible.Factors that are judged in performance appraisal are divided into objectiveand subjective judgments. What is the performance evaluation process? Supervisors often permit their own values and perceptions to affectjudgments about employee performance. They must be apprised of those results whichhave been found to be satisfactory or unsatisfactory (Bittel 252). A good performance rating includes more than just a supervisor'sopinion. An employee's tenure of employment orseniority should not be heavily weighted for reward purposes. Traditionsand past practices should be retained only if they facilitate or reinforceperformance of employees (Imundo 196). An employee's relationships with others,especially higher-level managers, is a significant factor. Employees who do not seetheir superiors have no such advantage. Relationships and interactionbetween supervisors and employees are important. Most supervisors do not look forward to the performance reviewprocess. Employees' or supervisors' perceptions of how rewards are reallygiven rather than how they are theoretically given is another factor.Employees at any level will rationalize all types of behavior to obtainrewards. A properly designed performance evaluation system facilitates theprocess and minimizes problems. Performance assessments are frequently affected by certainsituational factors. Before any performance assessment program can be developed andimplemented, employees must understand the responsibilities and duties oftheir jobs, the purposes of performance assessment, the bases on whichtheir performance will be assessed, and the types and limits of the rewardsand disciplines to be given out in conjunction with performance or lackthereof. The fewer surprises that occur in an assessment meeting,the more effective the assessment will be. This cancause a variety of problems. These types of biases can often bereduced by training and by having higher level managers review performanceevaluations with supervisors before and after performance review meetingsare held with employees. Assessing employees' performance is tantamount to letting them knowwhere they stand. Performance counseling is one of the more important responsibilitiesof a supervisor. BIBLIOGRAPHYBittel, Lester R. Traditions such as rewards for length of employment in theorganization are not uncommon. Most employees want a certain amount of feedback on how they aredoing in relation to a given set of standards or expectations. An ongoing supervisor-subordinate counselingrelationship must be nurtured and cultivated in order to avoid thedistressing reactions to performance evaluations that often arise from thislack of rapport. Generally, there are three basic reasons for making anappraisal of employee performance: 1) To encourage good behavior or to correct and discourage below-standard performance. The key to successful performance counseling is the interview, whichincludes several steps aimed at developing a plan for positive action. Supervisors and employees who have developed poor workingrelationships will find the assessment experience painful. This does not necessarily mean that employee relationshipproblems will vanish--on the contrary, eventually they will probablyworsen. How closely employees work with their supervisors and how frequentlythey interact with them can influence a performance evaluation. Performance evaluations are subject to bias, even when they areobjective. For those whose status is evaluated on asubjective basis, judgments based on impressions or gut feelings may varywidely. It is unfortunatelyeasier to assess an unpopular employee as a poor performer than to assess apopular employee in the same way. In this type of environment, time and money would be better spentin the correction of basic relationship problems rather than concentratingon assessments. If an emotionalsituation occurs, there are certain techniques available to the interviewerto remove the emotion and to conduct an effective interview (Tagliaferri62ff.). A. New York: American Management Association, 1982.Patton, John A., C. The effects of supervisorevaluation on productivity are also examined. This can be a largeproblem if the better employees become resentful because rewards are givenon bases other than performance. Surprisingly, this fear is unfounded, especiallyif the appraisal is based more on facts rather than opinion, and if thesupervisor displays a willingness to change performance ratings if anemployee can demonstrate that the supervisor is wrong. In this type ofatmosphere, more problems will be created than resolved. The largest fear in most supervisors' minds is that an employee willdislike being criticized. Homewood, IL: Richard D. It should be done on an informal day-to-day basis inaddition to a yearly review. The supervisor maychoose either method or a combination of methods, depending on hisknowledge of how the individual interviewee might react. Supervisors must also beaware that their own performance assessments are based in part on how wellthey can assess the performance of their subordinates. A certain distance between manager and employee is required inmost business situations in order to maximize the productivity of theworking environment. New York: American Management Association, 198 .Kirkpatrick, Donald L. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1979.----------------------- 11 New York: McGraw Hill, 198 .Imundo, Louis V. Irwin, 1964.Tagliaferri, Louis E. Theobjective of the performance interview should be to review a subordinate'sperformance in such a way that both parties can develop a plan to correctthe subordinate's weaknesses and deficiencies while simultaneouslymaximizing his strengths (Tagliaferri 61). Perhaps the primary benefit to be gained from performance assessmentis the strengthening of relationships between supervisors and employees.Most supervisors, unfortunately, have little training or skill in theproper assessment or evaluation of an employee's performance. Many would rather not do it at all. As mentioned earlier, an employee's formal performance assessment isinfluenced or even predetermined by events and conditions that occur longbefore the actual face-to-face meeting. This equates to letting them know their standing inrelation to other employees, or to their position in relation to a standardof comparison. The most effective way to deal with thisproblem is to make certain that performance is the name of the game, andthat it is the only game in the organization. When rewards are scarce, there isa tendency to spread them evenly throughout the organization. Littlefield, and S. Subjective factors tend to represent opinions, such asthose about personality, attitude and adaptability (Bittel 25 ).
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