2 Fair Evaluation
Performance appraisal should be impartial and fair. The system itself is designed to protect this. More important, however, is that each supervisor is fair and unprejudiced in their evaluation of each member of staff. There are several types of error, however, that supervisors are likely to unconsciously commit.
・Halo Effect： This is where the knowledge of one trait influences the supervisor's impression of other traits. Halo effects can be either positive(where an employee, who is good in one particular area, is given a good rating in other areas as well) or negative(where an employee, who is mediocre in one particular area, is given a bad rating in other areas as well). Supervisors must appraise their staff separately in each evaluation area and base grades on facts rather than impressions.
・Leniency Error： Supervisors who desire to be liked by their staff or wish to avoid confrontation are likely to be too lenient in evaluations. Supervisors must have confidence in their evaluation. If they have the trust of their staff, a strict evaluation will not create no confrontation.
・Central Tendency Error： Supervisors often rate the majority of their staff within a narrow range, usually around center or average, without taking into account how each employee has actually performed. As a result of this, high performers will be discouraged while mediocre performers will be complacent and given no motivation to improve their performance. Supervisors must have confidence in their evaluation and fulfill the purpose of performance appraisal by rating the actual performance of their employees. They must be realistic and accept the fact that certain employees are good performers while others are consistently bad.
・Personal Standards Effect： Supervisors tend to evaluate according to their own personal performance standards. An evaluator may, for example, give a high rating to staff with the same opinions as their own or give a low grade to staff with a different character to theirs. Supervisors are also liable to demand that their staff display the same level of ability as their own and this can only result in an over critical evaluation of their staff. Supervisors are expected to evaluate the employees' performance according to the ability and attitude required to accomplish the task they have been assigned to. They must never grade their staff according to their own performance level or on personal sense of values.
・Prior or Recent Events Error： Often, evaluators focus too much on an employee's prior or most recent performance in the evaluation process. When a supervisor was dissatisfied with an employee's performance in the past, they may let a previous rating influence their grade, even if the employee has performed well thereafter. If an employee makes a mistake just before they are evaluated, the supervisor may give them a bad rating regardless of whether or not they performed well before the mistake. Supervisors should observe their staff on a regular basis throughout the evaluation period. The timing of the performance is irrelevant. The most important factor is how much the performance has contributed to the overall organizational goal.
