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Making the Grade — Managers' Tips for Performing Staff
Evaluations
by Anton Holland
The dreaded staff evaluation—not only do employees view them
with trepidation, fearing the worst, managers also wonder whether
their comments are going to be met with defensiveness and derision.
The evaluation should always be viewed in the most positive light: a
time for reflection and renewal of creative energy and ambition.
An employee evaluation should never be viewed as an opportunity
for a manager to rain negative criticism on an employee. If a
significant problem exists, it should be dealt with long before a
scheduled, formal review is held.
Evaluations should be used to take a look at the overall picture,
to review where an employee has been in terms of professional
development, and to get an idea of where he or she is headed. By
doing that, you can provide your staff with valuable advice and
guidance. They will be able to grow, both professionally and
personally, and you will have a much more effective member of your
team.
Carrying out an evaluation properly, however, is not easy. Here
are a few tips on how to get the most out of the experience:
- Check your mood at the door. The person that you are
reviewing may have done something in the recent past that caused
a significant problem for you to solve. If such an act is part
of a trend, then you have a bigger problem to deal with.
However, it is more likely an isolated incident that should not
cloud your view of the past year's efforts.
- Don't tiptoe around feelings. Despite the fact that
evaluations should be positive in nature, a lot of negatives
will be discussed. If you avoid mentioning them for fear of
hurting a person's feelings, then you will have failed to
evaluate the person's abilities. Most people can sense such
avoidance and either be insulted by your lack of honesty or hurt
by feelings that you don't really care to help them improve.
- Manage the discussion. Make sure the points that you
want to make are clearly understood before a discussion of
reasons (or, possibly, excuses) ensues. Defensive reactions can
be very difficult to deal with, and avoidance can result in
misunderstood concerns and expectations.
- Ensure that results are properly measured. Some aspects
of a person's professional life can be easily quantified (e.g.,
how often they miss deadlines) but other aspects, such as
attitude, must be tracked subjectively over time. Keep notes on
specific occurrences and impressions that you can use to help
someone succeed as a professional.
- Guide rather than direct. Give advice, rather than
explicit direction, on how a person can improve problem areas or
achieve the goals that they set for themselves. Too much
direction will discourage people from taking their own
initiative and using their own creativity. You may have certain
expectations for them, but as long as you have provided the
right tools and assistance, it is ultimately up to the employee
to make his or her career a success.
- Don't expect employees to change overnight. Give people
time to improve on their weaknesses. However, be specific about
a timetable, or the change will never occur.
- Reward results. If an employee is doing well, recognize
their success in some way. In addition to remuneration,
employees can be given more flexibility in the way they manage
their own projects, be given more exciting challenges, and be
trusted with more authority. However, ill-gotten results should
not be rewarded. If a person succeeds personally by undermining
the efforts of others, the whole team loses—and you as a
manager have failed in your duty to help people grow in a
creative and supportive atmosphere.
One thing that you should always keep in mind is that while an
evaluation is carried out for professional purposes, it is a highly
personal event. Be thorough and accurate, but above all, be fair in
your judgement.
In the next instalment, watch for Anton's tips on evaluating
technical writers.
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