Multiple Definitions of Performance Appraisal, Goals and Objectives (Essay Sample)

Performance Appraisal
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
Introduction
Performance Appraisal simply refers to the means through which the performance of the workers or employees of an organization is measured, recorded and documented. It is the systematic evaluation and critical extermination of the employees in an organization in terms of their performances and productivity for purposes of enhancing and fostering further growth and development of the employees (Murphy & Cleveland, 1991). The main aim of performing performance appraisal is normally to understand properly, the abilities of each and every employee by evaluating their performance so as to be able to determine the appropriate ways of fostering further growth of the employees and their development. Appraising is normally done so that the employer can be able to properly direct the performance of his or her employees so as to get better results from them. The appraising process is done systematically and it has to involve the supervisor or the manager of the employees, the employees themselves and the employer who is seeking to understand the capabilities of his or her employers and therefore looking forward to directing the performance of the employees to a certain direction.
Performance appraisal is done regularly in an organization in form of employee reviews and it is part of career development that is done to the employees at their job. It is however very important to mention that performance appraisal is a systematic and periodic process and it assesses keenly the performance of employees on their jobs in relation to certain specific set criteria and the set organizational objectives and goals. This therefore means that performance appraisal is done with an aim of gauging how well the employees work towards achievement of the organizational goals (Bernardin, & Beatty, 1984).
Multiple Definitions of Performance Appraisal
Performance appraisal has multiple terms that are used to refer to the same practice of evaluation g employee’s performance in relation to the objective of the organization that they work for. Performance appraisal can also be referred to as performance evaluation, career development discussion or even performance review or appraisal of employees. It s indeed performance evaluation because the supervisors conducts an assessment of the capabilities of the employees in their tasks and compares them with the salaries that the employees receive and also looks at their performance with regard to the objectives of the organization to be able to identify and understand the capabilities of these employees in their jobs and therefore be able to direct their performance for the wellbeing of the organization (Murphy & Cleveland, 1991).
The term career development discussion is also used to refer to performance appraisal practice. This in real essence means that the evaluation that is done is mainly meant to improve performance of the employees in their job. In this way, the careers of this employees are developed an nurtured because, the capabilities of individual employees are evaluated and therefore the employees are likely to be placed in areas where they best fit so as to improve their performance and this is very crucial in developing their careers in their job areas. It also offers an opportunity to the employees to actually know what they are capable of doing and help them to specialize.
Performance appraisal can also be defined as performance reviews. This is because the whole practice revisits the performance of the employees and gauges their capabilities and interests based on the work that they have done previously over a short period of time. The performance e appraisal is done periodically and therefore, the issues looked at are just reviewed for the purpose of improving the performance of the employees in an organization.
From the above, it is clear that performance appraisal practice can have several definitions but the basic ideas in the whole process is evaluation of employee job performance in relation to set objectives of the organization with an aim of improving performance. Different people have defined performance appraisal as follows:
According to Bernardin & Beatty (1984), performance appraisal is a process by which managers and even consultants evaluate and examine the work behavior of employees with reference to predetermined standards and document the results of the evaluation for use in providing feedback to the employee for the purpose of improving their performance in their work. Bretz (1992) defined performance appraisal as checks and evaluation done to employees of an organization to determine those that need training and which type of training, those that need to be promoted or demoted as well as those that need to be retained or done away with for improved work outcome. Performance appraisals are deliberate processes done to assess and record the performance of the staff members with a purpose of making judgments about the staff so as to be able to make decisions (Murphy & Cleveland, 1991).
Goals and Objectives of Performance Appraisal
Performance appraisal is done for a reason and for a purpose. The drive and motive behind the practice of performance appraisal are varied. However, it is important to note that the sole aim is always o improve performance of the employees in an organization. Some of the objectives that for carrying out performance appraisal are as follows:
Performance appraisal is done with the objective of maintaining records that help in determining the packages for compensation of the employees, wage structures, increments in salaries among others. The facts that are collected during the assessment of the job performance of employees are important in making sure that data on which the employer can base his or her decision when determining the wage structures, salary amounts and compensation packages are available. This is because the data is maintained in some kind of documentation which ensures that records for the employees are maintained and are available for verification of the performance of each and every employee. The maintenance of such records is crucial because they help in determining things like promotions of employees basing on their job performance (Bernardin & Beatty, 1984).
The second objective of carrying out performance appraisal is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the employees so as to be able to select and place the right people at the right jobs. Many times the capabilities of employees in an organization differ and vary due to the fact that individuals are talented differently and each and every individual is unique. The capability assessment that critically evaluates the abilities of the employees by looking at their weaknesses and their strengths helps to put each employee on the right job according to their abilities (Townley, 1997). This helps to improve the general performance of the employees of since people are placed on jobs that they can perform better.
The third objective is assess and maintain the potential that is present in a person for future and further growth as well as development. Performance appraisal aims to understand the potential that an employee may have so that appropriate mechanisms and environment can be create for such employees to enable their growth and development in their careers. The maintenance of the potential of employees can be done by providing opportunities to leadership and even promoting the employees so as to enable them to execute their skills and develop appropriately. It is only through comprehensive reviews of the job performance of the employees through performance appraisal that the management or the supervisor can identify and nature the potential of the employees working for an organization.
Forth objective of conducting performance appraisal is to provide feedback to the employees of an organization regarding their performance on their jobs (Murphy & Cleveland, 1991). Some employees might not be aware of how well or how poorly their performance on their jobs is. They might just be working without any motivation in their job, Performance appraisal aims to bring data and facts concerning the performance of employees so that the data and facts can help to encourage the employees who are doing badly to up their game and to congratulate those who are doing well. Knowing how well you perform as an employer helps you to improve your performance and therefore increase the chances of attaining the goals and objectives of the organization that you are working for.
The fifth objective of performance is to collect data and facts about the work of the employees which serves as a basis for influencing the working and habits as well as motivation of the employees or an organization. The status of each employee in an organization in terms of their performance and conformance to the ways of achieving the set goals of an organization is made known to the employers and the employees through reviews that are done periodically (Murphy & Cleveland, 1991). For the employer to be able to offer appropriate direction with regard to performance of jobs in his r her organization, he or she has to be fully aware of where the problem lies and with who among his or her employees. Performance appraisal is therefore done to provide this information to employees and to the employer to help in decision making.
Lastly, performance appraisal is done to help in retaining or changing the promotional or training programs for employees in an organization (Townley, 1997). Performance evaluation of the employees aims at gauging the benefits of a current promotional or training program so as to see whether it has the expected impact on the performance of the employees or not. This is crucial in making ...