Stress-Free Performance Appraisals

6

Beware of Rating Errors

I don’t know that there are any shortcuts to doing a good job.

—Sandra Day O’Connor, first female appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court (1981)

 

When employees trust their supervisors to conduct fair and unbiased appraisals, their satisfaction with the system increases dramatically.¹ Intrinsic to this satisfaction is that the process stays trustworthy. If the process breaks down toward the end because of rating errors, the whole effort is tainted. Awareness of what these errors are, and how they affect performance evaluations, is critical to both employees and their supervisors. Employees need to stay vigilant, and the good intent of managers must be accompanied by the skill, understanding, and training required to downsize ...