Introduction
Employee evaluation is one of the most important functions of human resource management in an organization. The activity has a myriad range of benefits to an organization which are deemed important for success. For instance, the evaluation of employees not only enables an organization to enhance labor productivity but also plays an important role in reducing cost labor.
Determining Productivity of Different Types of Labor
Employee evaluation in this study will enable the HSE department in the Port Management Company to improve productivity and reduce cost. The assessment will embrace different levels of productivity among the managers, middle-level managers and employees in the lowest level of the organization structure. To determine the productivity of the managers, the evaluation process will assess the production targets set for each manager within the organization. This will entail a comparison between the actual production targets and the set targets by the organization. The most common problem that the evaluation team will face when assessing the productivity of managers is a lack of adequate feedback from the managers since they have to coordinate the workers below them. In addition to this, some managers may be too busy to participate in the evaluation process.
To assess middle managers, the evaluation program will utilize annual performance reviews, which appraise the managers on a continuum of performance elements such as effective communication when giving instructions to the employees, ability to make good decisions on different issues, ability to communicate organizational values to the employees and the ability to influence the formation of teamwork and group dynamics. However, during the evaluation of middle managers, some problems may arise which include giving biased information based on their performance and lack of cooperation with the evaluation team.
The third group to assess is the lowest level employees in the organization who are involved in the actual production process. This group will also be assessed using the annual performance review which will identify the employees’ ability to meet production targets, commitment of the employee towards attainment of promotion and salary increase, ability to employ to take instructions and implement. The major problems when assessing this group of employees include lack of cooperation during the evaluation, the resistance of the employees to participate in the program and failure to fill all gaps in the performance evaluation forms.
Performance Reviews
During a performance evaluation, the organization will be guided by the elements in the annual performance reviews. The elements can be categorized into individual competencies and corporate competencies. The individual competencies to be used in this case include the ability to meet the set targets, the quality of work and the strategy used in handling work. Corporate competencies include knowledge and skills, creativity and innovation, and flexibility at work.
Problems of Assessing Workers in Groups
Performance evaluation is a very easy task when it is done on an individual basis, however, evaluation of group performance can be very difficult to determine, especially in circumstances where the evaluator cannot differentiate individual and group productivity. The other problem is that in such cases employees tend to give conflicting information during the assessment.
Recommendations
Based on the problems which affect performance evaluation, the following recommendations should be considered by the organization.
- Educate the employees on the roles of performance evaluation.
- Prepare the employees for the evaluation to reduce resistance.
- Determine the goals of evaluation at every level of labor productivity.
- Set individual targets for each member of the production group.