Performance evaluation

In human resource management, one of the important actions to be carried out is to evaluate the performance of employees. This considers all levels of the organization, including management.

The performance evaluation allows to see what are the strengths and weaknesses of a person in the work context and also aims to carry out actions to support the weakest aspects.

What aspects should a performance evaluation consider?

The basis of the performance evaluation are those points described in the profile of the worker’s position. This profile is the one desired by the organization and the applicant’s selection was based on meeting the entry attributes of said profile, but it is necessary to check whether the profile shown by the applicant corresponds to their actual performance.

In addition to the job profile, other performances are included, such as the relationship with co-workers and the attitude in stressful and high-pressure scenarios. Scenarios that require strength to separate work problems, with personal conflicts with other colleagues.

Other topics that can be considered in the performance evaluation are:

• Willingness to collaborate in other tasks that do not necessarily have to do with the position, but that support other areas.
• If the work requires presence and the execution of the tasks depends on that; the puntuality.
• The ability to contribute ideas that solve problems.
• The ability to receive constructive criticism and integrate it into work.

Who conducts the performance evaluation?

Performance evaluation is an exercise that is not necessarily vertical. That is, it can be from manager to employee, or vice versa.

• Leadership-to-employee evaluation : This is the most common evaluation and can have multiple objectives, such as evaluating the employee’s continuity in the company, giving constructive feedback, referring to the most relevant training, or proposing him as a candidate for Be promoted.

It is the direct leadership who performs this evaluation, which is personal and private.

• Evaluation from employee to leadership: This exercise is generally proposed by the management of the company and its objective is to measure the leadership performance of a boss over the group or area in charge of said leadership.

In this instance, it is the employees who measure their leadership and provide recommendations and / or criticisms to improve their performance.

This type of evaluation, due to the characteristics of subordination, is generally anonymous.

• Peer evaluation: This type of evaluation aims to measure performance, under the perception of a person of the same hierarchical level and the information that is extracted helps to improve the sense of collaboration and daily attitudes that can make the system and work climate , something more harmonious.
• Self-evaluation: Seeks that the worker makes a self-criticism of his work, identifying those weak and improvable aspects, compromising his willingness to work on said changes.

How is a performance evaluation carried out?

To develop and apply this instrument there are multiple methodologies. For example, virtual, under surveys, face-to-face, etc. But the important thing is that it has an evaluation scale that allows measurement.

Sometimes checklists are made, where checks are made of what is fulfilled and what is not. Although this instrument does not leave space for partial improvement, since it is very rigid.

The most advisable thing in order to generate a precise instrument is to make an evaluation guideline with scales and weightings, where it is established which aspects are most important for the evaluator.

Meanwhile, the application of the performance evaluation can be:

• Face-to-face: It consists of generating a private conversation environment, where the evaluator delivers the results to the evaluated person and they discuss them. Agreeing, in this way, joint actions to improve.
• Anonymous: It can be in digital or paper format, but this instrument does not indicate the name of the person evaluating.
• Group: They are groups of people who evaluate one in common. This evaluation can be anonymous, but it is not required.

Performance evaluation provides a valuable instance of feedback towards the worker and in general, about the collaborators of an institution.

Even so, sometimes it is still a way of deciding whether to keep people in their jobs. Although this aspect can be avoided by companies, carrying out efficient recruitment, monitoring, training and coaching processes. This, with the aim of recognizing in all people a talent that contributes to some extent to the achievement of the objectives of the area in which it works.

We invite you to build an evaluation guideline with weighting scales and notes, establishing aspects that you would like to evaluate in another person.