26Doing Performance Appraisals

PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS can be as informal as telling someone “You’re doing a nice job,” or as elaborate as a full written report and a formal meeting with the employee.

Clearly, all of us like to know how we’re doing. A formal system of performance appraisal—for example, one or two planned reviews with the employee each year for the specific purpose of discussing how she’s doing—is preferable to the informal method, which is too often equivalent to doing nothing.

Some managers are convinced that they communicate effectively with their employees and that their employees know exactly where they stand. An interview with the employees, however, will often indicate that they feel the need for greater communication.

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