Performance appraisal doc

1. Performance appraisal doc
How to rate your workplace and compare it with others
Workplaces vary enormously. From the hustle and bustle of a factory floor to well lit
beautiful individual offices. It is quite surprising the environments that we can tolerate
to earn our living. Organisations vary as well, there are companies, public sector
departments and ministries as well as non-profits. Organisational structures can vary
with steep hierarchies with well defined ranks to flat almost linear structures of co-
operatives. Many organisations have several sites, and of course some of these sites
may be in different countries. Internal to the structure are individuals who manage the
organisation, from the Chairman of the Board, CEO or Managing Director down to
the supervisory level. Some managers may be slave drivers while others could be
considered as too easy going. Salaries and wages will differ from one job to another;
some employees treated fairly some are not.
So with all these variations how is it possible that workplaces can be compared? The
way through this is how people respond to their workplace, similar to how tourists
respond to hotels overseas. A tourist will feel that their satisfaction will be the highest
as economic theory informs us, with the person's needs met. However, one person's
preferences may be another's dislike For instance, being in a busy tourist area may not
suit the individual seeking quiet and peace in their holiday hotel. But when all the
ratings of that particular hotel are averaged, an observer can then make judgments
about the hotel and whether to book it or not. All this is very necessary information to
make better decisions on spending that vacation dollar or euro than just chancing a
hotel blindly.
Similarly we can draw conclusions about our workplaces. Add up the levels of
satisfaction and an average rating can be given. An observer can then make judgments
about which workplaces are the happiest. This information is what is missing from a
job search point of view. Many people get caught on being in unhappy workplaces as
they have walked in blindly. There is no other way that they can get this very
necessary information. For instance, would you join a company that is known to have
a unhappy rating? For many people the answer would be no. Some might still battle
on, believing that it will not affect them. That is ok, as that is their choice, but for
those who prefer to work in happier situations, it does matter. Stress will occur shortly
after arrival as their needs are not being met, and with that come the longer-term
harmful effects of stress on their health with lower immune responses and more
illness, physical and mental. After all, most people spend at least 8 hours a day in
their workplace and if they are unhappy that equates to one third of their lives.
Considering that one third will be spent sleeping, the remaining time will be spent
worrying about their work - after work hours!
So how can the illusory idea of happiness be measured? Simply through measuring
their emotional response to their workplace.

2. The three major dimensions of emotions that people feel are that of connection, those
of appreciation and finally those linked with trust. It is these three themes that are
developed in the star rating system so that a true assessment can take place.
Connection will be measured in terms of respect that you feel in your workplace. Are
the other employees friendly?
Appreciation is measured on how you feel about your tangible rewards (salary, wages,
perks of the job, allowances etc) and the more intangible recognition (thanks,
employee of the month awards etc) for the work that you do.
Trust is measured by the feelings of freedom that you have in your workplace, this
can be in terms of appropriate supervision (not micro-managing), high autonomy,
being able to speak up even if it is bad news about the work or organisation.
Sometimes workplaces can be very fear driven for instance, "Meet the production
target or you are fired!" type of communications from your boss.
Theory has it that if you are not feeling good about these three emotional dimensions
that it will result in stress for you, or vice versa, stress will push you into feeling
unhappy about your workplace. Your rating has to rely on your honest measures of
how you feel, then it can be a true reflection of the workplace.
What if I rate my company low and yet others rate it highly? There are several
comments about this fact. Employees could be told to rate high and against their true
feelings, it could result in a skewed average rating. We would like you to contact us if
you think that this is the case and we can look into this possible breach. If it is a true
reflection, it could be that a bully has targeted you, and that your unhappiness is
created by this harmful practice. This outcome would verify your instincts and create
an awareness of what is truly going on. Of course our advice in this instance is to
leave the bully, but you must ensure that you have another job in place first. Finally it
could be down to the possibility that you may have some difficulties integrating into a
workplace and checking this out with professional help (for instance a career advisor)
may be of assistance to you.
So answering the questions of:
· How well do you feel connected to your workplace?
· How well are you appreciated in your workplace?
· How well are you trusted in your workplace?
By rating with one to five stars will ensure an accurate reflection of how happy
(satisfied) or unhappy (dissatisfied) you are in your workplace. To give an example:
A person rates the questions after reading and understanding what is being measured
· How well do you feel connected to your workplace? (4 stars)
· How well are you appreciated in your workplace? (2 stars)

3. · How well are you trusted in your workplace? (1 star)
This gives a total of 7 stars. Divide by 3, and we have 2.33 as an overall indicator of
this person's satisfaction with his/her workplace.
Why should I bother to rate my workplace? It can be a good reality check for you as
an employee to see how others view the workplace. Also it gives a measure to how to
employees feel about the workplace when a jobseeker or applicant is considering
future employment. Being honest with your assessment will help incoming workers
decide on whether or not to continue with their application and look elsewhere.
Probably the biggest effect will be on your workplace management. Shareholders
would be interested, as well as investors. It is a very important measure of how well
management is working, as they can compare your workplace to:
· other workplaces within the organisation
· other workplaces within your industry or country
This means it is a highly valued piece of management information that is rarely
produced in organisational development, management performance reviews or
reflected in the stockmarket share price.
http://performanceappraisalebooks.info/ : Over 200 ebooks, templates, forms for
performance appraisal.