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the balance sheet formal appraisals are useful by john kane how well are your employees performing you probably know who is supposed to do what on a regular basis and who was in volved in the crises and successes of last week but what about the longer term is the order clerk who wants a raise the same one who calls in sick at least twice a month is the bookkeeper who was passed over for a special training program the same one who revamped the in voice processing system on his owntime and initiative does your overworked secretary insist on using a type writer while an expensive word processing system sits idle in a small business most com munication about job perform ance takes place informally on a daytoday basis managers com mend employees on accomplish ments and tell them when theyre doing something wrong however thisrelationship does not preclude a formal appraisal where managers make an in- depth review of an employees performance and progress over the year discuss results and reasons with the employee then document conclusions in a report for his file why such a formal process for a firm with only one or two staff members who work sidebyside with the boss every day first it forces the manager to set aside the time for a serious review of the employees work this is an important considera tion which may otherwise be neg lected in the daily hassles of run ning a business written report second preparing a written re port often demands more thor oughness of thought planning and selection of words than simple discussion such a document can be used as a reference for areas of employee concern and for employers in making decisons about pay in creases promotion and upgrad ing training and development or termination how do you go about the appraisal process first com pare the employees performance against the standards you have set for the job the aspects you measure will of course depend upon the position but some com mon ones would be quality quantity you should examine his degree of accuracy neatness and thor oughness in completing tasks and whether he exhibited under standing and familiarity with pro cedures as for the quantity of work was his output in line with reasonable expectations and with that of other employees what was his ability to establish priorities and meet deadlines as for reliability you should look at the extent to which the em ployee was able to take responsi bility and complete tasks without the appliance centre presents great savings on the best selection of natural gas and propane barbecues new broilmate natural gas bbq w580n 501 sq in 40000 btu new improved stylingand graphics 4 pc 2 position porcelainized grids ample front side and bottom shelving our regular 35995 special 32995 sc93 only omo also available in propancw580 special 29995 tank extra the appliance centre canadas barbecue headquarters has arranged a spectacular showing of the latest most innovative natural gas and propane barbecues anywhere so drop into 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staff you should look at how the em ployee got along with coworkers supervisors customers and sup pliers whether he presented a good appearance and whether he was able to accept and act upon suggestions and criticism some areas are naturally more l subjective than others and these will be the ones most difficult to j assess and most subject to dis agreement interview when youve prepared your preliminary report you should arrange an interview with the em- ployee in a setting which will be private and uninterrupted you should also give him a few days notice so that he has time to 3 collect his own thoughts on the subject at the interview go over your assessment of his performance explaining your reasons for mak- tag these assessments and asking for comments and self- evaluation you should then work with him to plan objectives for personal de- yelopment and correcting weak- j nesses supplying some sugges tions on what you think he should achieve and how he should go ab- out it from your discussion you should then prepare a final report to which you both agree both sign and both keep copies appraisals performance appraisals if con- ducted properly are non- threatening valuable manage- j ment tools they help to streng then a supervisors knowledge of employee capabilities and to de- fine for staff how employers view their work if the supervisor has a good working relationship with an em- ployee the formal appraisal will only serve to confirm what both already know if the written information com- i es as a surprise there is a com- y munication gap that needs to be resolved on a much deeper level editors note john kane ca is a resident of markham and a partner in the toronto office of thome riddcll chartered accountants l wtrfwrfl you should know that 611 ol markhamarea residents shop at markville more often than anywhere else and 832 ol them receive the economisl suntribune source 1985kubas associates study