by Ana - I'm Learning

Created on: March 24, 2009

If employee performance reviews mean writing tomes of literature on one's achivement in the last six months or one year then they should be abolished. If reviews mean writing only good things and making employees feel good about having done a very bad job then they should be abolished. If performance reviews only mean physically writing on sheets and sheets of paper then they should be abolished.

Most organizations seem to have moved away from the originial purpose of employee performance review. Rather they have put in an elaborate, cumbersome and lengthy process at the end of which employees and managers are exhausted. Consequently, the company loses focus and moves away from its core business during that period. Naturally, performance reviews are abhorred by managers and employees alike.

Instead if the reviews are made objective, short and to the point they remain relevant. It is essential to remember that employees have to objective driven. This means they should be given the direction in which to go. This direction can only come from the top. If top management knows which way to drive the organization then they can drive their employees in that direction. So setting up objectives becomes a means of communicating the direction of the company and asking employees to help steer in the direction.

Another very important characteristic of a performance review is that it should be very fair and unbiased. If employees feel reviews are biased and no matter how hard they work they will never get rewarded appropriately then employee performance reviews are better abolished. But all is not lost. If the company wants great performance from the employees then they should be ready to provide fair and unbiased reviews with proper rewards and recognition.

These days, use of computers and software has become very widespread. These should be used to design online performance reviews which are very short and effective - no lenghty prose or elaborate essays. The process should be workflow driven so that they automatically flow from top management down to the intern in the company. Employee achievements and appreciation should be similarly captured to ensure visibility of an employee's achievement and get them the recognition they require.

One of the primary objectives of reviewing employee performance is to ensure employees get rewarded for their hard work and achievements. Remember an organization is as good as its employees. Unless employees feel motivated they will not perform well and hence they cannot help the organization achieve its targets during the year.

It is all very well for a company to have a mission and vision. But they are long term goals. What is needed is a year-by-year roadmap which the top management understands and also the employee. For at the end of the day it is the employees together who help the organization to succeed.

Learn more about this author, Ana - I'm Learning.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.