Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, 5/e

How to Deal With Rater Error Problems and the Appraisal Interview

Learning Objective 3

1. Give examples of how to deal with potential appraisal rater error problems.

The concerns at Juniper Networks illustrate an unpleasant fact about performance appraisals. Ratings often say more about raters than ratees because raters consciously or unconsciously do things that cause rater errors. (Or as one researcher put it, “rater idiosyncratic biases account for the largest percentage of the observed variances in performance ratings.” 47) Employees often therefore (rightfully) view appraisals as unfair, unhelpful, and counterproductive. 48 The solution begins with knowing the problems and how to avoid them, starting (see the Skills feature) with unfairness. ...