News

Evaluations important managing tool

Feedback valuable to workers; can help company
mobilize resources

NEW YORK — It’s on your to-do list, and you’re going
to get to it at some point. In the meantime, your
employees are wondering when you’re going to give
them their performance evaluations and let them
know how they’re doing.

Joyce M. Rosenberg
Associated Press The Spokesman-Review

Performance evaluations or reviews are
anxiety-provoking for small business owners, many of
whom have never written one before. The problem is
that many owners see evaluations as a chore rather
than an important management tool for their
companies.

" `This is an annoying, onerous task.’ " That’s the
attitude they bring to it, as opposed to `How is this
going to help me manage my people and get the
most out of them?’ " said Leigh Branham, a vice
president with Right Management Consultants in
Overland Park, Kan., and author of "Keeping the
People Who Keep You In Business."

Ideally, a performance review is an investment in
greater productivity by your employees. Think of how
you feel when you get feedback from customers:
When it’s good, it’s like a high-five and you’re ready
to keep going. When it’s bad, it helps you determine
the changes you need to make to improve your
company.

"The performance appraisal is the single most
powerful tool an organization has to mobilize the
resources and energies of the individuals in the
organization," said Dick Grote, a consultant who
wrote "The Performance Appraisal Question and
Answer Book."

Without a review, employees can feel as if they’re
working in a vacuum.

"Everyone wants to know what the expectations are,
how they’re doing, are they meeting it," Grote said.
"Your future, your family’s happiness depends on
your boss’ opinion of your work."

There are other important reasons for doing
evaluations. From a legal standpoint, they will help if
you need to discipline or dismiss an employee;
carefully written reviews can be evidence to support
your actions.

Evaluations also keep you more involved with your
employees.

"They help employers understand what’s going on in
their workplace," said Amy Delpo, who has worked as
a labor law attorney and co-authored "Dealing With
Problem Employees."

Delpo says the process will be easier if you keep
notes about employees’ performance, good and bad,
as you go along.

Without this kind of record, the performance
evaluation you write "may not be an accurate picture
of how they’re doing, and the employee will recognize
that," Delpo said.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=072202&ID=s1185291&cat=section.business

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