Student 1
There are four ways to improve performance ratings. Pick one that you think shows the most promise and defend your position.
- Improving performance formats
- Selecting the right raters
- Understanding how raters process information anualy
- Training raters
- Performance rating is the step in the work measurement in which the analyst observes the worker’s performance and records a value representing that performance relative to thest’s concept of standard performance.
Out of the four ways to improve performance readings, I believe that the strategy of selecting the right raters shows the most promise. All four are good ways to improve performance but I believe this one is the best choice. I think that having the right raters is everything. We need to have the right people to be fair, knowledgeable, and understand what needs to be done. I believe that everyone who will be doing ratings whether its employees rating themselves, managers rating employees, or peer review, everyone should be trained properly. I think that training is so important to make sure each employee is fair, honest, and loyal when doing evaluations. Having anonymous ratings may be the best bet because employees or managers wont be afraid to say what they truly feel.
Student2
I believe that selecting the right raters is the most promising strategy to improve performance ratings. Having the right person in this position is extremely important as the wrong rater can negatively impact everything. It is important that the right rater is strategically and thoroughly researched and thought out as they can be too eager of a person and ultimately give too high of evaluations and or too strict and give poor and unfair evaluations. According to the text, To lessen the impact of one reviewer, and to increase participation in the process, a method known as 360-degree feedback has grown more popular in recent years. Generally, this system is used in conjunction with supervisory reviews (Gerhart, 2017, p. 398). This method allows people of all levels in the company to help decide on the rater and all their perspective and point of view to be considered.
Having a supervisor rate job performance, brings their perspective into the process. For example, they are very knowledgeable about the job, the role, and the employees strengths and weaknesses as they observe them and their efforts daily. The point of view of a peer rater is important although can be seen negatively if biases are proven. For example, if the peer is friends with the employee then there is a possibility the review can be inflated. A peer rater has worked closely with the other employee and has seen their work ethic, and ability to work with others first hand so it does have its benefits. If you rate yourself, you may be blind to some of your flaws and or weaknesses. A self rater may also be too critical and harsh on their review. A customer rater will bring a new perspective as it only is based on their experience with this employee which can speak volumes. How an employee treats customers, illustrates their customer service skills and how the employee represents the company and brand. I believe this method shows the most promise and the ability to make the best decisions.
Student 3
This case can be best served by the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS). BARS are intended to incorporate qualitative and quantitative data into the employee evaluation process. BARS assesses a person’s success against particular examples of actions that are rated numerically. Critical Incident Techniques (CIT) are methods for recording human activity that has relevance in a specific environment, and they are often used to gather behavioral examples used as anchor points. Behaviorally anchored evaluation scales will help improve an organization’s output since they are dependable in that appraisals are consistent among raters and provide specific criteria by which an individual is evaluated.
It is also exact in the appraisal process, increases reliability and provides objective feedback. Since BARS is highly focused on behavior, I anticipate this approach will be most effective. The appraisal process seems to be more fair. Nonetheless, I expect the company to worry about time management. This is a lengthy procedure. As appealing as it might sound, creating a unique experience for each position will require a significant amount of time and energy in an organization with several functions.
Student4
According to Newman et. al (2017) there are five performance appraisal formats:
- Ranking
- Standard rating scales
- Behaviorally anchored rating scales
- Management by objectives
- Essay
Out of these five types of appraisal formats, I would choose Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) for this company. Every employee has the same role: packing books into boxes, so they have the same performance expectations. Yet, they are not performing at the same rate as their counterparts. Since this job can be described by a highly routine task, it can be deemed as appropriate and effective to specify behavioral expectations and use behaviors as descriptors. Additionally, since there are highly routine tasks, its easier to identify the single sequence of appropriate behaviors for accomplishing a goal; opposed to less certain tasks that make it difficult to specify expected goals and specify single sequences to follow to reach a goal (p.397). Thus, BARs seem to be the most appropriate appraisal format for this company.
Moreover, a BARs format makes evaluations less subjective since there are common definitions for each of the performance levels (p.391). This makes them less open to criticism in their accuracy since it’s based more on concrete definitions of behaviors and less on the raters’ biased ideas of good/bad/average performance. Another benefit of BARs is that it’s consistent, because of its clear standards there is little variance no matter who the rater is. It is also individualized to each position, which makes it time-consuming but less so for our organization since there is only one position.
I anticipate that there will be some employee resistance to the implementation of performance appraisals, even in this format. In order to gain greater employee buy-in there should be two-way communication and they should feel they have a voice in the matter. Also in order to implement BARS there will need to be a job analysis performed which heavily requires employee participation, and thus another outlet for their voice. Additionally, employees should know that the performance standards that are set for them should align with the organizations goal and objectives since employees are more likely to accept these standards if they are able to see the link between their work and the organizations success (Liff, 2019). Its disconcerting for employees to deal with any type of change, including implementing a performance appraisal, so there should be transparency concerning the performance standards/definitions of behavior in the forms.
Liff, S. (2019, July 31). How to Improve the Performance Appraisal Process. Retrieved from
Newman, J. M., Gerhart, B.A., & Milkovich, G. (2017). Compensation (12th ed.). New York:
McGraw- Hill Education.
Student 5
Angela Lacy, a minority employee in your accounts receivable department, has filed a charge of discrimination, alleging she was unfairly passed over for promotion and regularly receives smaller pay increases than do employees who perform less well (she alleges). You must go to your boss, the VP of HR, and explain what elements of your HR system can be used in your legal defense. What things do you hope you did in setting up and administering your systems to counter this discrimination charge?
This is such an interesting question.
My first thought process was to look towards the policy and procedure manual within our organization. I would focus on the review process. Job descriptions need to not only be thoroughly vetted, but properly represented on the appraisal forms.
I would then concentrate on the appraisal form. Do the performance criteria match the scales, and did we clearly state the objectives?
Taking Angelas previous reviews, I would not only refer to the ratings she received, but also look to the comments drafted by supervisors to seek out clarity of thought and direction. Also, I would ensure that all Managers associated with her reviews have taken the proper training to facilitate the review process.
I tend to look towards any other documents that may be relevant to the case, did Angela have any performance issues that were documented that may have resulted in lowered scoring.
In other words, I would systematically document steps taken before and during the process to present to my supervisor showing that I have done my due diligence and that we were compliant in the process.
References
Milkovich. (2016). Compensation, 12th Edition. McGraw Hill.
Student 6
In my opinion, every case that seems to be a discrimination on the surface might not be an actual discrimination. Analyzing the given case, I would recommend VP of HR to examine job descriptions and specifications of the position Angela Lacy is currently holding and wishes to be promoted to. In addition to this, I would investigate the performance ratings as well as performance feedback summary of the employee. Just because an employee claims that she performs well than others might not be true because generally people have an inflated view of themselves during self-evaluation which might not exactly reflect how others view them. So, there is a chance of discrepancies in the ratings (Mone & London, 2018).
I would also consider the organizations promotional policy and the eligibility criteria that is defined in the policy. Angela might be performing well as she claims but might fail in the eligibility criteria which requires certain years of experience in the immediate lower position to be considered for the promotion. Similarly, she might not have the required skills and qualification to be promoted to the job she is wishing for.
Angela has also claimed that she regularly receives a smaller pay increases compared to others. To defend this, I would consider the pay design and pay structure of the organization. I would see if there are any other factors than performance that affect the pay differential. The other factors could be seniority, the experience of employees, their job difficulty, and their level of job. I think highlighting these factors would provide a strong defense against Angelas claims. These are the things I would do, but I really hope that we have carefully designed and developed the promotional policy, performance appraisal policy, pay structure, and job descriptions. In addition, I would make sure that every aspect is properly documented.
Reference:
Mone E.M., & London, M. (2018). Employee Engagement Through Effective Performance Management: A Practical Guide for Managers. New York: Routledge
