How Performance Appraisals Shaped up the Organizational Fabric - Research Paper Example

Performance appraisal is the most flawed of all human resource management (HRM) practices. Discuss. Human resource management (HRM) asks for employees to be forthright about their respective practices and undertakings. Similarly it is the duty of the HRM to make sure that it sets out ways and means through which employees feel empowered whilst being on job and through performance of their duties and tasks. This is apparent in the form of their performance appraisals which are circulated annually so that the employees can know how well they are doing on the job and what kind of shortcomings have arisen within their ranks (Losyk 2002). These performance appraisals are also a very important barometer for their eventual success or failure on the job, as it spells out the ways and means through which they are able to conduct their own selves and expect remunerations at the hands of the HRM and indeed the organization. This paper takes a keen look at the flaws which are attached with the discussion on the performance appraisals and how these have shaped up the organizational fabric time and time again. Performance appraisals bring to light the notion an understanding that has been reached between the employer and the employee. This is based on the ideology that if the employee works in an able capacity, he would be rewarded with a better remuneration and a higher rank on an annual basis. However what happens in essence is something totally different. The employees are made to suffer on more than a single count at the time of performance appraisal due to which they undergo extreme mental trauma and fatigue (Cronshaw 1999). They come to the realization that their work was of no good use and that the management used them as pawns whilst getting their work done in the most appropriate way. More than anything else, the employees start to feel that they have been hard done by and that they would not be able to deliver at the same level of strength as they did in the past one year (Scholtes 1999). The performance appraisals therefore act as the tools that take away a sense of serenity from the minds and the hearts of the employees, giving them immense trouble and tension, all at the same time. It would be proper to suggests ways and means through which employees can heave a sigh of relief rather than ending up being on the losing end at the end of every performance appraisal. This will also generate a great deal of optimism about the performance appraisals and the human resources management in essence, thereby giving it the much needed boost in the minds of the employees. This is lacking and therefore needs to be resolved in a very amicable manner. What remains to be seen is the fact that employers need to come up with certain strategies and devise ways and means through which their success could be envisioned in a proper way. The performance appraisals seem to be dysfunctional in nature and hence the remedy must be found at the earliest to plug the gap (Catano 2007). What makes the performance appraisals as flawed in essence is the fact that they have not been able to deliver value both for the sake of the organization as well as for the employees themselves. This means that they have been nothing short of being absolutely chaotic in existence and something somewhere needs to be done so that sanity can prevail within the relevant ranks. The flaw stems from the fact that the employees feel a sense of negativity with regards to these performance appraisals. They think that this will eventually bring them in the light of being non-workers, who are unable to deliver value for the sake of the organization, which is absolutely wrong in its disposition and should not be thought of as such. The performance appraisals are basically coined so that the employees can derive value and thus gain a leaf out of the book of the human resources management. They can learn that the best way forward within an organization is to show that they work to best effect within it and that all their actions, behaviors and manifestations are in line with the codes and policies as issued by the human resources management (Sulsky 1998). The human resources management therefore takes the mantle of the organization and does all that it could so as to be the lone savior for its eventual success within the lengths and breadths of the company. If the HRM is not doing its job properly, then this can easily mean that there are certain shortcomings which need to be plugged in at the earliest. What one understands from this is that the performance appraisals act as the savior under such circumstances. These bring the organization and the employee on a direct discussion platform and hence the strengths and the weaknesses of the employees are discussed one on one. The flaw also arises from the fact that the HRM does not pay much heed towards the success it can achieve from the eventual exercise of the performance appraisals. If they build their performance appraisals in such a way that success is bound to come about, there would be no flaws to write home about. However this hardly happens, with the result that organizations miss out on this area which could have been an opportunity for motivating and encouraging the employees. If they knew that the performance appraisals would bring in the much needed success and achievement for the sake of the employees, the HRM would have made concerted efforts to have the results that would change the course of action for the organizational realms. However this is such an unfortunate aspect which has not been paid proper heed in the recent past by some of the most sought after names when it comes to recruiting of employees. Similar is the case with companies that have made it big yet have been unable to satisfy their most potent tool – the employees who work with loyalty and dedication, day in day out. These flaws need to be taken care of so that they do not come about again and again (Rich 2008). This will only happen when there is a sense of purpose and responsibility within the HRM domains so that the employees are given the rights and benefits that they richly deserve. These employees work for the benefit of the organization and hence they should be given proper remunerations which they must acquire on a consistent basis. The flaws therefore must be tackled in such a way that the employees are encouraged and the HRM understands that its role is of paramount importance within the thick of things. The bad blood that comes about under such a scenario between the HRM and the employees should be removed at the earliest so that success within the realms of the performance appraisals could be envisaged (Sonnentag 2002). This will determine the future course of action as far as the HRM undertakings are concerned and will say a great deal about the eventual advantages of the performance appraisals. If however these shortcomings are not removed in a quick fashion, there could be a host of issues, all of which need to be solved at the earliest to reap rich dividends for the sake of the organization in the long run. The organizations which believe in the dictum of providing solace through these performance appraisals are indeed the winners because they have paid heed to the most significant tools which can work wonders for them in the long run. However improper usage of the same has meant disaster for one and all and this is something to gain quite a few aspects if seen within the correct frame of mind. The organization therefore has a very important role to play within such comprehension levels of performance appraisals (Ree 1997). The pay structures are important to realize in the wake of these performance appraisals since the employees look up to them for motivation. If they feel that they are being given a good increase in their remunerations, they will make sure that they work to their best levels and thus outsmart their own potentials. However this hardly happens because the employees are given a tough time by the employers and the equation of performance appraisals being the difficult part increases year after year. For all the employees who have had bad experiences with these performance appraisals, one thing is for certain, they need to be encouraged from within. Their inner motivation is important for them to remain on their feet because one shall believe it is a Herculean task to stay motivated this way (Brown 1998). The de-motivation can creep in quite easily as the employees face the negative consequences of the performance appraisals and the aftereffects that arise from the same. Thus it is always advisable to have performance appraisals which could encourage the employees rather than putting them off. The latter could mean absolute disaster as far as the employee morale is concerned and thus these should be tackled in a proactive fashion by the employers. The performance appraisals are now being seen as very significant since these bring to light the work flows that have happened within the realms of an organization. However what one needs to understand is the fact that these performance appraisals have become dull and mundane, calling for wholesale changes, which was not the case when they were devised in the first place. The performance appraisals are bent upon creating a sense of animosity between the employers and the employees, therefore calling for the attached negativities which should be done away with at the earliest. This would be the correct way forward as far as the institution of the performance appraisals is concerned (Harel 1993). It would also provide a solution to the trouble and tension which the employees have had at the hands of the employers and more importantly the HRM. The performance appraisals have a very influencing effect on the employees and thus it is best to turn the negativity into a sense of optimism for the sake of the employees. But the direction of this optimism must stem from the aegis of the HRM down towards the employees and not the other way round. The HRM regimes must understand that performance appraisals will bring a number of positives if these are aligned in a proper manner with the workflow domains. If these performance appraisals are not handled properly, there are a number of ramifications, all of which are very disastrous for the sake of the organization. The HRM practices therefore embody the basis of success or otherwise within the realms of an organization. If the performance appraisals are not being applied in a proper manner, this is due to the weaknesses that exist within the HRM regimes and hence the remedy needs to be found out in a quick manner (London 1997). One thing that really makes the performance appraisals stand out in a league of their own is their ability to interact with employees on a one on one level. Now if these performance appraisals are handled in a way that is demeaning of their own stature, one can believe that a sense of animosity will eventually arise within the related ranks. This will make the employees feel that they are facing tough times at the hands of the HRM and thus negativity would creep in quite quickly. What is even worse is the fact that such performance appraisals can lead to instant resignations on the part of some employees who might feel that they have been given a tough time and thus there should have been a differential perspective from the end of the HRM (Denisi 1996). The organizational domains are important because these embody the basis of growth and development for the employees. Now if these employees feel that they are not getting their due, there could be some serious problems which can arise instantly. Such problems could lead to resignations by the employees which were not thought of by the management regimes in the beginning. The human resource practitioners depend a great deal on the performance appraisals. This is because they lack the vision and the foresight to think of any thing else. They believe this is the best possible mechanism in order to gauge work regimes within the employees and to remunerate them in a handsome manner. However what happens is something that is totally different and very negative for the sake of the employees. They experience a tiresome process which essentially mars their very existence within the realms of the organization. It also makes them realize that they are not worthy of a proper place within the contexts of the organization and that they need to do more so that they could justify their positions (Cooper 2004). Same is the case with some of the most hard working individuals who seem to find ways and means through which they can get over with the tyranny of the performance appraisals. They also know that these performance appraisals are mere eyewash and all these could lead up to are nothing but destruction on their part. They would play with their motivation levels as well as disrupt the manner in which their professional growth mechanisms would take place. This is absolutely disastrous for such employees who feel that their work is next to religion and commit to the same in a very dedicated fashion. The HRM has the ultimate duty to make sure that these individuals do not get de-motivated for all the wrong reasons and they must be given the boost that they require so that their work regimes could speak for their own selves. In the world of today, the business organizations which have understood this premise in a very able capacity have generally succeeded immensely well. In the end, it would be adequately sound to suggest here that the performance appraisals need to be recalculated and understood once again. As it is now, these performance appraisals are flawed in essence (Sims 2002). These must be changed immensely well so as to bring the positives which can be derived on a consistent basis. The performance appraisals are important for the sake of any business entity and in the world of today it is of paramount significance that the HRM makes the best possible use of these performance appraisals. The performance appraisals currently are very negative in their demeanor and these project the HRM domains as well as the organization in a negative fashion nonetheless (Lipiec 2001). There is a need to change this perception and this can only happen when there are whole-hearted and concerted efforts on the part of the HRM and indeed the same coming from the top management ranks within the organizational hierarchies. All said and done, it would be correct to summarize the main element within this essay that the performance appraisals need to be scrapped if they are useless for the sake of the eventual recipients, i.e. the employees themselves. Otherwise alternatives can always be drawn up. Bibliography BROWN, Brian (1998). Upward Performance Appraisals for Audit Teams: Professional Development That Is Simple. The CPA Journal, Vol. 68, November CATANO, Victor (2007). Performance Appraisal of Behavior-based Competencies: A Reliable and Valid Procedure. Personnel Psychology, Vol. 60 COOPER, Cary (2004). Reinventing Human Resources Management: Challenges and New Directions. Routledge CRONSHAW, Steven (1999). Functional Job Analysis: A Foundation for Human Resources Management. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates DENISI, Angelo (1996). A Cognitive Approach to Performance Appraisal: A Program of Research. Routledge HAREL, Gedaliahu (1993). Multi-source Performance Appraisal: an Empirical and Methodological Note. Public Administration Quarterly, Vol. 17 LIPIEC, Jacek (2001). Human Resources Management Perspective at the Turn of the Century. Public Personnel Management, Vol. 30 LONDON, Manuel (1997). Job Feedback: Giving, Seeking, and Using Feedback for Performance Improvement. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates LOSYK, Bob (2002). How to Conduct a Performance Appraisal. Public Management, Vol. 84, April REE, Malcolm (1997). Fair Employment Strategies in Human Resources Management. Personnel Psychology, Vol. 50 RICH, Jay (2008). Appraising Employee Performance Evaluation Systems. The CPA Journal, Vol. 78, February SCHOLTES, Peter (1999). Performance Appraisal: State of the Art in Practice. Personnel Psychology, Vol. 52 SIMS, Ronald (2002). Organizational Success through Effective Human Resources Management. Quorum Books SONNENTAG, Sabine (2002). Psychological Management of Individual Performance. John Wiley & Sons SULSKY, Lorne (1998). Performance Appraisal in the Changing World of Work: Implications for the Meaning and Measurement of Work Performance. Canadian Psychology, Vol. 39 Read More