While Giving Negative Feedback

When negative feedback is necessary, the best time to give it is now before the problem gets any worse. Early attention to developing problems lets you turn the painful experience of negative feedback into the more constructive process of corrective feedback. Use corrective feedback not only to stop unacceptable behavior but also to get the employee on the track to better performance.

As with positive feedback, don't always wait for a formal performance appraisal interview. When you see the need, offer feedback as soon as you can. It's never difficult to find something positive to say to the good or above average performer. It's a lot harder to find something positive to say to the employee whose work is substandard. Certainly, you can't give a substandard performer the idea that his or her work is fully satisfactory. Corrective feedback is neither easy or pleasant. You can make it easier and more effective, though, by using this format during the interview.

1. State the context. Use an I-statement that lets the employee know that you are concerned ? and why.
2. Acknowledge the employee's effort. If the employee has been working hard to meet a standard, acknowledge the effort. Look for some specific behavior you can cite to show that the employee can definitely meet the goal.
3. Describe the behavior that has you concerned. As with the rest of the appraisal interview, give specific instances of the employee's behavior.
4. Describe the effect of that behavior. Make the employee aware of the consequences. Heighten the employee's sense of responsibility.
5. State the standard. The employee needs a clear picture of what you expect. Even if the standard has been set earlier, restate it again
6. Ask for reasons and explanations. Be careful not to phrase this as a "Why haven't you...?" type of challenge. Give the employee a chance to describe why he or she did as they did.
7. Ask the employee to suggest solutions. Be ready, though, to suggest your own if the employee doesn't offer an acceptable response.
8. Decide together on a plan of action.

Ref: Alexander Hamilton Institute

Evaluation Criteria in Performance Appraisal

In choosing an appraisal system, HR professionals should consider their own organization's needs for performance appraisal. Key considerations are (1) whom the company should evaluate, and (2) what criteria should be used to evaluate.

Whom Company Should Evaluate
First, the organization must determine which employees in what types of jobs should be evaluated. Whom the organization needs to evaluate has implications for the type of system chosen. For example, a system that effectively appraises managerial performance would be quite different from a system evaluating the performance of clerical workers. Different jobs place different demands on appraisal systems. Jobs that are difficult to describe or that vary substantially in terms of activities and tasks create difficulties in terms of appraising performance.

What criteria should be used to evaluate
Next, an organization must decide what criteria it will use for evaluation. Does it want a system based on evaluating individual traits, behaviors, or job results? This decision depends in part on who is being evaluated and how the organization intends to use the performance appraisal.

TRAIT

Early graphic rating scales evaluated workers on individual traits or personal characteristics which were presumably related to job performance. Initiative, aggressiveness, reliability, and personality are examples of traits on which employees have been rated. One problem with trait rating is that the traits themselves are difficult to define and may be subject to varying interpretation by evaluators.

BEHAVIOR
Rating employees according to job behaviors is based on the assumption that there are effective and ineffective behaviors and that these have been identified for each job or type of job. Behaviors are judged effective or ineffective in terms of the results the behaviors produce (either desirable or undesirable). For example, a customer service representative could be judged on the amount of patience shown to irate customers. Evaluating employees along behavioral dimensions is especially important for employee development purposes.

JOB RESULT
Results indexes are often used for appraisal purposes if an employee's job has measurable results. Examples of job results indexes are dollar volume of sales, amount of scrap, and quantity and quality of work produced. When such quantitative results are not available, evaluators tend to use appraisal forms based on employee behaviors and/or personal characteristics. In some cases, appraisals may of necessity focus on results rather than behaviors. This is especially true where job content is highly variable, as in many managerial positions, thus making it difficult to specify appropriate behaviors for evaluative purposes. Results indexes such as turnover, absenteeism, grievances, profitability, and production rates can be used to evaluate the performance of organization units.