Employee Selection and Performance Appraisal - Essay Example

Employee Selection and Performance Appraisal al Affiliation: Executive Summary This report was specially formulated to illuminate on the approaches to employee selection and performance appraisal used in my organization. I work in a healthcare organization referred to as Mt. Sinai Hospital located in New York. The mission statement of the organization is stipulated in its website as "To provide compassionate patient care with seamless coordination and to advance medicine through unrivaled education, research, and outreach in the many diverse communities we serve" (Mount Sinai, 2015). The organization was founded in 1852 by nine individuals from a Jewish background and currently, the organization has approximately 36,000 employees distributed across its many branches (Mount Sinai, 2015). The hospital has continued to increase its profit margins over the years. For instance, its website stipulates that its profit surpassed $660 million in the year 2012. In terms of future development, the organization projects continuous growth through effective leadership, collaboration, and innovation (Mount Sinai, 2015). One aspect that distinguishes Mt. Sinai Hospital from other healthcare organizations is our approach to employee selection and performance appraisal. The organization have adopted the use of structured during recruitment; an approach regarded reliable and authentic. Issues relating to diversity are clearly considered and demonstrated through inclusion of individuals from diverse backgrounds in the employee recruitment committee. To appraise employees performance, management by objective approach is used. In this approach, employees are assessed on their conformity to organizational standards and objectives in the achievement of results, and also performance. However, this report recommends adoption of technology to improve efficiency, use of customized screening questionnaires, and to source for support from top management. Employee selection and Performance Appraisal Introduction Mt. Sinai Hospital, an institution I work for, Is a healthcare organization located in New York and has a bed capacity of 1171, 2510 physicians, and 2278 nurses (Mount Sinai, 2015). Its mandate is provision of high quality healthcare services that meets the needs of its diverse clientele. Its ability to achieve high levels of quality can be construed as been attributed to a reliable and authentic employee selection process and performance appraisal. During the employee selection process, it is important to note that managers usually stand to gain a hit or miss. These hits and misses, as stipulated by Bohlander and Scott (2010), usually form the overall goal of the selection criteria. The employee selection process defines a hit as the most accurate prediction of hiring an employee who turns out to be unsuccessful on the job while a miss is the most inaccurate prediction of missing on to hire an employee who might have turned out to be successful while on the job (Bohlander & Scott, 2010). Having worked in the nursing field for some time now, I have come to realize the importance of employee selection and performance appraisal as it ultimately determines the success or failure of an organization. This is in regards to the fact that, recruitment of qualified employees is imperative for the achievement of projected outcomes, particularly in achieving high levels of quality in care provision. Though recruitment and selection of employees is the overall responsibility of the human resource department, line or department managers also have a role to play in selecting the best fit for their units. Barrick (2011) asserts that employee selection is a two way process that involves both the line managers and the human resource department. Understanding the procedures, policies and objectives related to this process is important when making decisions based on hiring and recruiting. This paper covers a complete, thorough and objective analysis of the process and methods used for selection and performance assessment being administered and executed in my organization, identifies areas necessitating improvement in regards to employee selection and performance appraisal, and also provides recommendations based on my analysis. Employee selection Despite the fact that most organizations prefer using standard interviews in their selection process, we have adopted the use of structured interviews in our organization. Structured interviews differ from standard interviews in that, most of the questions normally asked in standard interviews are homogeneous (Campion, 2001). For instance, Campion, (2001) posits a homogenous question asked in a standard interview to include ‘Tell me about yourself, your strengths and your weaknesses". Conversely, structured interviews involve asking detailed, predetermined job-related questions as their responses are documented and scored using a specific criterion (Campion, 2001). From what I have observed in our organization, two line managers together with human resource personnel usually conduct the interviews. This increases chances of coming to a consensus in regards to selecting the best fit (Campion, 2001). When applied properly, structured interviews have been proven to be reliable and authentic as they are considered extremely successful at predicting a candidate’s performance (Barrick, 2011). This usually gives the interviewing panel a chance to critically analyze the applicant from a social, organizational and cultural perspective. In my organization, doing so is important as it helps the panel weigh whether the applicant’s goals and values conforms or aligns with the immediate needs of the organization. In this respect, the interview process in my organization is reliable and valid. The organization I work for has been able to successfully initiate, develop and execute structured interviews. This has not being easy but it is key to ensuring that the company makes selection decisions founded on equity, ethical and on legal prerequisites. Due to the meticulous nature of the interviews in terms of the high levels of skills, knowledge, qualifications, and experience of the interviewing panel (Bradley, 2010), the method used in my organization reverences all legal, ethical, and practical requirements (Bradley, 2010). Moreover, applicants are usually treated fairly as questions are directly related to the job requirements. Ethics is achieved in terms of confidentiality of applicants personal information. No information relating to the applicants of interviewees is shared with other individuals other than those present in the interviewing panel. In terms of legality, national standards guiding the process are implemented to the fullest. Research by Bohlander and Scott (2010) supports that cultural diversity plays a major role in our lives as it heavily impacts on individual lifestyles. This is because people carry their culture everywhere they go. In relation to challenges encountered in the recruitment and selection of employees, most organizations seek to adjust their recruitment approaches to align with the diversity and multicultural needs of the candidates (Bohlander and Scott, 2010). My organization ensures individuals in the interviewing panel are culturally competent and understand the needs of different cultures. The interviewing panel also comprises of individuals from different backgrounds in terms of ethnicity, gender, age, and religion. This elevates the chances of the panel reverencing or conforming to the needs of the diverse workforce. Performance appraisal Management by objective is the type of performance appraisal system that my organization has adopted. This is a tool used for the main purpose of performance management and strategic planning. The objectives spelt out in our strategic plan are divided into divisional, departmental, and individual objectives (Bradley, 2010). Here, the supervisor or the line manager together with the employee usually agrees on realistic and measurable objective that the employee needs to achieve. The program is formally applied in my organization as it involves setting goals and targets. In so doing, the organizations projected outcomes are defined. According to Bradley (2010), management by objective encourages employees to participate in setting achievable targets thus ensuring objectivity and commitment in terms of the attainment of organizational goals and objectives. In relation to the formal program used by the management in my organization, pay and promotions are generally influenced by an employee’s performance. This paves way for ensuring that an employee’s level of performance is tracked to ensure conformity to set goals and targets. In addition, the fact that pay and promotions are based on performance serves as a source of motivation for the employees (Bradley, 2010). This method of appraisal also ensures that there is no deficiency or contamination when executing performance appraisal. There exists a direct relation between strategic goals of the organization and the standards used in evaluating performance as they are both determinants of success or productivity. organization. Performance appraisals are usually conducted at the organizational, departmental, and at the individual level. In my organization, performance appraisals are usually conducted by the human resource department. Performance management basically consists of managing activities and processes that an organization embraces in anticipation to the improvement of overall employee’s performance (Bradley, 2010). For instance, most performance appraisals usually compares overall organizational goals with the achieved objectives or outcomes. This is very valuable to an organization as it helps the human resource department measure and evaluate performance (Bradley, 2010). Being subject to human assessment, performance appraisals can turn out to be biased. More so, if these appraisals are not conducted appropriately, they can create negative experiences on employees. Since most appraisals in my organization are sometimes conducted in the absence of line managers, employee sometimes fails to receive the results of the evaluation. In simple terms, appraisals provide a blueprint for helping employees plan strategies to help them achieve their goals in preceding year or years (Barrick, 2011). In other words, they provide a structure for thinking through and planning the upcoming year and developing employee goals. In my organization, the program best meets the practice standards set for appraisal. From the periodic reviews, goals are usually set in accordance to the organizational and individual overall performance (Barrick, 2011). This, as Barrick (2010) notes, ensures that common rating errors are eliminated thus promoting effective communication as feedback is usually given back on time. It also ensures better communication and coordination since interactions between the line managers, supervisors, employees and the human resource personnel is upheld and maintained thus creating harmonious relationships within the organization (Bradley, 2010). It is worth noting the importance of proper articulation and communication of organizational goals during appraisals. Effective communication is considered a principal element of the employee selection and performance appraisal. Conversely, poor articulation of goals could lead to significant managerial problems within the organization as managers will encounter challenges in managing themselves as well as their subordinates (Bradley, 2010). As mentioned earlier, my organization has adopted management by objective appraisal method in measuring organizational and individual performance. Management by objective encourages both the line managers and the human resource department to focus primarily on achieving the goals set and also employ a results-oriented approach (Campion, 2001). This method also spells out what is expected of the supervisors and the managers. In this respect, management by objectives helps promote coordination and communication within the work environment and also helps all parties involved understand or comprehend their functions and responsibilities. Additionally, this appraisal method has been proved to improve and foster awareness within my organization in terms of comprehension of organizational objectives and projected outcomes. This is due to the fact that all parties are involved in the formulation and implementation of these objectives. Employee involvement in planning and implementation of objectives inculcates the feelings of belonging, makes them feel part of the team, and thus elevates their level of commitment to the organization (Campion, 2001). There are also frequent trainings and workshops conducted in my organization themed career development that helps improve skills and knowledge that ultimately helps mitigate common rating errors. When using management by objective method, there are some limitations that may arise during the appraisal. Without the support of the top management, the appraisal method cannot operate effectively. There is a probability of employees can resenting this appraisal method as at times the goals set are unrealistically high or unachievable. Unrealistic goals may increase overwork the employees and consequently elevate stress levels and reduce motivation (Campion, 2001). According to Campion (2001), management by objective only focuses on short term goals. This makes it hard for the management to do long-term planning due to constant variation of management variables. Management by objective also makes group goal achievement hard as employees are more concerned with achieving their targets at individual levels. Recommendations In spite of challenges encountered in the employee selection process, hiring managers need to adopt appropriate tools needed during selection as this minimizes hiring challenges and makes the process easier. For instance, one of the recommendation is to adopt the use of customized screening questionnaires whereby questions are framed in relation to the job position. Candidates should be asked to fill in these questionnaires prior to the interview. These questionnaires can help the hiring panel to highlight knock out factors and hence invite only the candidates with the required skills, talents, qualifications, and experience to the interview. The second recommendation is adoption of technology in order to leverage the hiring process. For instance, job applicants ought to fill in online customized questionnaires to also help identify their effectiveness in using technology. It is always important to have the support of top executive management when using the management by objective appraisal method.. Relevant support from the top management and other stakeholders in imperative for the achievement of projected outcomes (Bohlander and Scott, 2010). Top managers, departmental heads and employees need to work as a team in order to reduce the manhandles or challenges associated with the management by objective appraisal method (Bohlander and Scott, 2010). Goals need to be constantly reviewed and modified periodically so as to fit and conform with organizational needs. Further, it is important to ensure goals and objectives set are realistic, achievable, and clearly formulated as they function as performance guiding principles (Klerck, 2009). Conclusion Concisely, by following the appropriate channels of employee selection and performance appraisal, an organization is guaranteed to be successful as objectives, goals and responsibilities are clearly articulated by the management. Management needs to understand that management by objective is an important undertaking based on laid down principles. Therefore, management should embrace this method of appraisal as a style of measuring performance management. Not only will it conform with an organizational culture, but will also help in the achievement of positive outcomes. Thus, top managers and the human resource department need to ensure that their employee selection methods and appraisal approaches heartens the achievement of better results. References Barrick, M. (2011).  Human Resource Selection (7th Ed.).New York, NY: Sage Publications. Bohlander, G., & Scott, S. (2010) Managing Human Resources. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Bradley, J. C. (2010). Situational judgment tests: Constructs assessed and a meta-analysis of their criterion-related validities. Personnel Psychology, 63, 83-117. Campion, J. E. (2001). A review of structure in the selection interview. Personnel Psychology, 50 (3), 655-702. Klerck, G. (2009). Industrial relations and human resource management. London, UK: Routledge. Mount Sinai. (2015). About the Healthcare System. Retrieved from http://www.mountsinaihealth.org/about-the-health-system/mission Read More