Streamlining Performance Reviews (continued)
Customized Appraisals
At many companies, the appraisal process is unwieldy and in need of streamlining. Managers often still write up performance appraisals in Microsoft Word documents, then route the file via e-mail for approvals. Organizations typically don't have a central repository for storing the appraisals, making it difficult for the human resources department to track whether the appraisals are even getting done.
A lack of clear metrics can adversely affect employees' performance. "If results are not properly linked to rewards, the process can de-motivate the workforce," Holincheck says. Conversely, a company may have a process that rates its people and recommends rewards, but may not be rating them on right areas.
Furthermore, notes Holincheck, "It's difficult in Word to do things like goal alignment and cascading of goals and objectives from company to department so you get additional capabilities beyond the original form."
Automated performance management systems were once avoided because they had a reputation for delivering one-size-fits-all appraisals. But a new generation of applications lets companies define the criteria for an employee appraisal. The review may have sections on goals and objectives and developmental planning, as well as sections that allow a manager to rate an employee's proficiency in certain competencies.
"In one sense, it's a shell and you can put whatever you want in the form," says Holincheck. But it's important to customize the review with the right (article continues)
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