CONDUCTING SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS

 

Overview

Evaluating employee performance is a key responsibility for most managers. Performance appraisals are very powerful tools. They provide documented feedback on an employee's level of performance; offer a means for determining continued employment, promotion, transfer, bonuses, and pay raises; and allow for improved communications between managers and employees. The actual performance appraisal documents become part of an employee's permanent record and can greatly influence lives and careers.

 

Yet sometimes performance evaluations are completed perfunctorily based on a manager's best guess or recent memory, and the review session is rushed, stressful, confusing, and demotivating. Worse, a poorly-managed evaluation system can actually be used against an employer in court. Managers must recognize the potential ramifications of failing to adequately manage employees' performance. They must be ready, willing, and able to communicate clear expectations, provide support to achieve those expectations, and develop and professionally present a factual and well-documented performance evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of their review process and safeguard the company from legal liability.

 

Education is key to preventing appraisal problems. The goal of AHI's Conducting Successful Performance Appraisals module is to assist you in training your team so that they fully understand these issues, and know how to properly manage and document the performance of those who report to them.

 

Course Goal

To learn about the legal and practical issues involved in implementing a successful performance appraisal program.

 

Course Objectives

By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• Conduct appraisals that increase employee motivation, performance, and productivity, while reducing potential exposure to litigation.
• State why it is important to provide effective performance appraisals.
• Describe common mistakes in the performance appraisal process.
• Pinpoint drawbacks and limitations of the traditional method of evaluating performance.
• List the components of ongoing performance management.
• State the importance of establishing clear expectations.

Our lead instructor, Elle Peji, is a Senior Trainer and Human Resource Consultant. Since 2000, she has designed, developed, and delivered training courses on topics including appropriate workplace behavior, diversity, sexual harassment prevention, discrimination in employment, workplace violence, liability prevention and management, conducting internal investigations, performance management, conflict management, and policy writing. She has conducted training courses on discrimination and harassment, both in person and live via the Internet, for over 1,000 supervisors and HR personnel from a wide variety of organizations.