6 Reasons Staff Evaluations FAIL
I’ve worked on staff evaluations before, but this year, as I pressed forward on a batch of them, it occurred to me how royally f’d up the system is. With the economy still ‘uncertain,’ many companies are stingier than ever when it comes to raises and praise. Apparently the two go hand-in-hand. The suits think that if you shower an employee with commendations, they will expect a raise to match. But since 2009 is the year of the tide wad, it appears most organizations are holding back in all categories.
The annual review is designed to keep employees happy – but not too happy. In other words, staff evaluations are approached as a mechanism to maintain the status quo. As a younger worker, I lived and died by the annual review. Now I see what a useless gauge it really is. Every company handles evaluations and merit raises differently, but in my experience, here are a few reasons why staff evals FAIL.
1) Evaluations are like a child’s report card. From the silly grading system (Excellent, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement) to the ‘teacher’s’ comments at the end – there’s even a comments box for you to fill out just like mommy and daddy once did for you. You’re not going to get too many ‘excellents.’ Why should the company give you a glowing eval? They are afraid that anything too flattering will have you resting on your laurels and embracing mediocrity – at least for the first part of the year. From the start, you are set up to fail. Continue reading …
Article by Andrew G.R. and courtesy of jobacle.com – your cure for carbon copy career advice!
