Introduction
Research and practice have indicated that both managers and employees dislike performance appraisal. Due to this growing problem, performance appraisal has declined in popularity, especially for organizational managers who have to conduct the evaluations or be evaluated at the same time. One of the reasons why managers hate performance evaluation is the negative impacts it can create in an organization and potentially affect the achievement of the organizational goals.
For instance, those on the receiving end of a performance appraisal process can develop a negative attitude towards other employees who were seemingly favored. They could also exhibit declined performance levels due to a reduction in motivation. These are just some of the reasons managers hate performance appraisal. Even with the development of new systems to reduce the negative attitude towards performance appraisal, managers have continued to develop a negative attitude to this core human resource function.
Why most managers hate performance evaluation
There are numerous reasons and factors that cause managers to resent the practice of performance evaluation.One of the most shared and obvious reasons behind the resentment of employee evaluation by managers are the much time required for the process. The performance appraisal is usually conducted annually and involves a great deal of analysis of employee information. Before an employee evaluation, managers need preparation of various information concerning employee performance as well as individual employee reports concerning their different nature of jobs. Apart from this, most managers see the face-to-face evaluation process as a waste of valuable time, which could have been spent attending to other ‘vital’ managerial duties (Carpenter, Bauer & Erdogan, 2010). The paradox remains since managers continue fighting poor employee performance while they have the chance to eliminate it during employee evaluation.
In a world where racism and sexual harassment are real issues affecting organizations, managers have found hindrances regarding these factors while conducting employee performance appraisals. Employees in most organizations believe that the appraisal process is unfair and driven by other factors outside what is defined by the organization. Some of these factors include gender bias and racial bias, which Appelo & Jurgen (2016); refer to as the rater bias. Managers fear the development of the rater bias feeling among the employees as it would further reduce the productivity of the employees, contrary to the growth of the evaluation process. At the same time, managers find it hard exposing the poor productivity of some employees, which could be due to their newness in the organization. Notably, research on the issue has found that managers find it incredibly uncomfortable discussing poor performance with their employees (Carpenter, Bauer & Erdogan, 2010). As such, this is partly because they dislike being viewed as ‘enemies’ within the organization.
Another challenge that is resented by managers is the fact that they are forced to deliver a response after the employee evaluation process, which in itself presents two challenges. First, the managers have to spend a lot of time evaluating employees, according to the company standards and two because they have to deliver the negative responses to some of the employees. Some managers do not possess the right traits to face such challenges and end up only hating the much-required employee evaluation (Arthur & American Management Association, 2008). In most organizations, performance evaluation is followed by various appraisal activities such as an increase in employee salaries. Since the human resource managers work with a set budget, they sometimes dislike evaluation of employees as it would in most cases result in some employees demanding higher salaries.
Finally yet importantly, research has found that some managers have an inadequate understanding of the need and benefits of conducting employee evaluation. The perception of these managers is the cost effectiveness of the process rather than the overall benefits that employee evaluation brings to an organization. For this reason, managers find it costly and time wasting to conduct performance appraisals (Segil, 2002). One of the reasons that have been highlighted as the leading factor that hinder the commitment of executives to the employee evaluation process is the lack of the necessary traits that a leader should possess. Some managers find it challenging to undertake the assessment process let alone face the poor performing employees. Additionally, a majority of managers lack the understanding of the benefits of the evaluation process to the human resource goals (Arthur & American Management Association, 2008). In this light, it is vital to define some of the essential traits that an effective manager should possess.
Traits of an effective workplace manager
Proactive - As a manager, one should be proactive, which helps one think ahead problem before they occur and hence have a solution to the same (Segil, 2002). They should have extemporary mastery of the organization they are in charge of and this case recognizing the need for employee evaluation.
Good Communicator - Apart from being able to communicate ideas and directives effectively, leaders should be able to listen. This ensures that communication within the organization they lead is not one way. They should be bold to highlight areas of weaknesses, and specifically the poor performance by employees.
Flexibility - This refers to the ability of managers to handle unexpected turn of events in a manner, which protects the primary interest of their organization. It also encompasses leaders’ ability to adapt to the ever-changing nature of an organization.
Evaluators - Leaders should have this trait which enables them to evaluate the activities undertaken by an organization or group. In this case, they should be able to employ organizational standards to accurately and effectively evaluate the performance of the employees (Segil, 2002).
Initiative - This is one of the most vital traits that a good leader ought to have. They should recognize the need for various courses of action and implement the same to better the performance of the organization.
Profile of Managers Who Struggle with Performance Evaluation
Contrary to managers who possess the above traits and skills, hence ensuring the smooth running of the organization, some leaders, especially those who hate the evaluation process have some identifiable characteristics. To begin with, these leaders are usually uninspired about the future of the organization. Additionally, in their failure to understand the purpose of employee evaluation, they fail to undertake annual employee performance appraisal. Other managers are introverted and find it hard to confront poor performing employees (Segil, 2002). A successful evaluation process should be followed by a correction of the deviations from the expected employee duties.
Therefore, the evaluating managers should confront the nonperforming employees with no fear of judgment (Arthur & American Management Association, 2008). On this note, some managers assign the same scores to all members despite the obvious difference in performance levels. With this, it is difficult to identify the underperforming employees, which could ultimately affect organizational output in the end. Lastly, some managers simply follow the evaluation process only because it is the protocol (Segil, 2002). Such managers show no commitment to the importance of the process, and they are unable or unwilling to do any follow-up activities.
Elements of Successful Evaluation Process
The most fundamental goal of an organization’s employee appraisal is monitoring of the level of individual employee contribution to the overall corporate workforce. Successful evaluation systems should have some basic elements to ensure fairness and accuracy of the results. These factors include:
1. Presence of a well-defined evaluation form
2. Definition of the performance measures
3. Set guidelines for managers’ feedback
4. Defined disciplinary and termination procedures
5. A clearly defined evaluation schedule
Performance Evaluation Form
The following performance evaluation form shows the criteria that should be followed by an organization to ensure the performance of its employees is in line with the set objectives, workplace relationships and ethics. By employing this evaluation process, the organization can identify employees with weakness in delivering their duties and contributing to the overall organizational goals. For instance, it shows the level of commitment of the employees to serving customers, which are vital for the success of the company. Additionally, the form provides a means of measuring the employees' commitment to each other and to their duties. The latter is vital for organizational success as teamwork and collaboration creates a workplace environment for performance of the required duties.
Conclusion
Performance evaluation should be considered as a core function of the management and as such it should not be hated, avoided or postponed. Research has indicated that managers resent performance appraisal mostly for personal reasons, some of them being the perception that the activity wastes time, which would rather be spent handling other managerial duties. Performance evaluation helps managers identify the direction of the employees towards achieving the set goals as well as their commitment to the organization. For this reason, it is vital that managers drop the negative attitude towards the practice and realize the potential benefits and problems it can help solve and avoid. For successful employee evaluation, managers should embrace effective systems with all elements for successful evaluation and define the role of each employee relative to the evaluation process.
References
Appelo, & Jurgen. (2016). Managing Can Be Fun: Games, Tools & Practices to Engage People, Improve Work, and Delight Clients. John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Segil, L. (2002). A dynamic leader, adaptive organization: Ten essential traits for managers. New York: Wiley.
Carpenter, M. A., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2010). Principles of management 1.1. Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge.
Arthur, D., & American Management Association. (2008). Performance appraisals: Strategies for success. New York: American Management Association.
