Module 11 #495 - Assignment Example

Annual Performance Appraisal s Annual Performance Appraisal Deducing from the article, some of shortcomings of annual performance appraisals are based on the failure of Human Resource (HR) staff and mistakes or inefficiencies rendered by them. Firstly, the shortcomings arise from poor job placement criteria and unequipped HR managers who lack business acumen. HR lack business understanding thus not able to define well their role in the business. ‘‘The really scary news is that the gulf between capabilities and job requirements appears to be widening’’ (FAST COMPANY). Besides, HR pursues efficiency over value. They base their work performance on procedures and activities rather than the end product. That is they don’t focus on what is being delivered but rather on the efficiency. Additionally, HR does carry out as a form of defensive measure rather than encourage and measure productivity (FAST COMPANY).
I believe that one of the underlying causes of the shortcomings of annual appraisals is focusing on a person when doing assessment. Most of the HR assessment focuses on individual characterization such personal traits like commitment and knowledge (James, 2014). Inasmuch as these factors may contribute to performance, they are not a measure of the actual performance. Thus replacement of performance appraisal with ‘personal’ appraisal results into uncalculated deductions from the assessment. Additionally, non-data-based assessment has denied annual performance appraisal its core purpose. Most performance appraisals rely on the memory of the HR staff completing the assessment. They tend to run away from pre-populating the forms with data to inform their decisions on performance. Thus the result of the assessment remains fuzzy and subjective (James, 2014). Besides, I believe lack of accountability on the side of the appraising officers contributes (James, 2014). The HR managers are not measured or put to task for providing accurate feedback. They are normally chastised for completing the job late but the mistakes committed or half-assessed job done ignored. This results into shoddy work done on their side.
In my attempt to be more effective in carrying out performance appraisals, I will focus on the performance of an individual rather than his/her personal character. This will prevent the risk of replacing performance appraisal with personal appraisal. Assessing the very performance also facilitates management of not only the activities and procedures but also what the activities and procedures deliver (FAST COMPANY). Besides, I will take the assessors to task for the results of their appraisal. Shoddy and half-job done will not be accepted. This will ensure serious is attached and enough time given to appraisals to meet the expected purpose. Additionally, I will encourage continuous feedback collection and quarterly/semi-annually appraisals to facilitate the accuracy of the annual reviews (James, 2014). These will take note of variations and trends in performance. Lastly, I will enforce data-based appraisal to ensure realistic result of the appraisal is realized.
References
James, E. (2014). Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful
Evaluation. New York: Springer
FAST COMPANY. Why We Hate HR. http://www.fastcompany.com/53319/why-we-hate-hr.
August 2005 Read More