Free Human Resources Essay Example

Performance appraisal is the evaluation of an employee with regard to the job he or she has conducted as well as the determination of the employee’s potential for development. The performance appraisal methods are usually formally structured so as to enable the measurement and evaluation of the employee behavior while identifying the factors affecting performance. The results of the performance can enable a company to determine how to improve the performance of the employees (Root, 2015). Effective performance of the employees will enable the society and organization to benefit. Recently, there have been concerns about the legitimacy of the performance appraisal methods that companies are using to measure the performance of their employees. A look at the performance appraisal policies adapted by Google, Statoil and Apple will enable the shedding of some light into the issue of performance appraisal.
Google carries out performance reviews twice a year. The mid-year review enables the employees to determine whether they are on their way towards the achievement of the targets. The employees can then put in a lot of work and effort so as to make sure that at the end of the year, they are able to meet or surpass their targets. The reviews at Google contain peer reviews, self-assessment, and 360 degrees assessment. The performance reviews at Google are submitted through an online tool. The self-assessment requires an employee to state their contributions and accomplishments in that period of review. Employees have to describe their strengths as well as areas that require improvements. The peer reviews require about three to eight employees to comment on the work of the employee been reviewed. The 360 degree evaluation involves the performance evaluation of an employee by managers in other departments. The managers used are those that get the chance to work with the employee being reviewed.
Apple has goals that are centered on the organization’s performance. The company recruits employees that are skilled and qualified. Apple uses salaries as an incentive towards employees’ performance. They pay salaries that are higher than the normal rates in the market. The employees who perform highly are rewarded based on their performance as well as the number of years they have worked in the company. The performance appraisal methods that Apple uses include peer assessment, 360 degrees assessment, and annual performance review.
Statoil bases its management goals on behavior and delivery. The company hires employees that are skilled and qualified. The salaries of the employees are based on fixed remuneration. The base salary is usually placed at a very competitive rate within the market. Long term incentives are for a few senior executives and members of the corporate executive committee. Employees who have high performances are greatly rewarded. The benefits offered to employees are dependent on the legal policies of the resident countries. Statoil uses performance appraisal methods that include peer assessment, annual performance reviews, and 360 degrees assessment.
Self evaluation and 360 degrees evaluation are two evaluation techniques that most companies use so as to determine the performance of the employee and to have a broader picture of areas that the employee needs to improve (Root, 2015). Self evaluation involves the employee’s own evaluation of his or her performance. The evaluation is conducted using a form that contains essay type answers as well as multiple choice answers. Any variation from the assessment of the manager creates room for discussion. 360 degree evaluation involves checking the progress of the employee within the department as well as the company (Root, 2015). Managers from other departments are required to evaluate the employee based on their work with them.
The evaluation techniques measure the performance of the employee in a subjective manner. The managers can give reviews that are genuine, and identify the areas that the employee needs to improve. An employee can give a biased review if only self assessment is used in the determination of performance. The managers are required to give a report that is not biased so as to reflect the true nature of the employee’s performance.

References

Root, G. N., (2015). Methods of Performance Evaluation. Chron. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/methods-performance-evaluation-1869.html