Question

Performance management is important to an organization - why or how? What do you feel are the most common mistakes managers make when writing and conducting performance evaluations? How can these mistakes be avoided?

Answer 1

Performance management helps in conduction a proper evaluation of an employee's performance and his contributions. Performance management sets the standards for employees' performance and the employee is evaluated against these set standards. Therefore, it eliminates the ambiguity in evaluation. It also helps the employee to do a self-appraisal and improve himself in areas where he fell short. This is periodic feedback for the employee from his manager.

The common mistakes managers make when writing and conducting performance evaluations to set the standards according to their preference instead of discussing with the employee. There is also an inherent bias in the managers who give good ratings to employees who tend to work in a style similar to that of the manager versus those who have a different style. Managers sometimes fail to provide the correct feedback to employees which do not provide them the chance for self-appraisal.

These mistakes can be avoided by being practical and having a quantifiable performance standards which remove the ambiguity. Also constant communication on what is required and what is expected by both manager and employee can remove any doubts which reduces the bias.