Evaluations are critical to the success of companies, but are often poorly done with little thought or effort. More importantly, they are sometimes done with little follow-up or forward thinking. This can easily change with the use of a few tips that make evaluations a pleasurable experience to ultimately benefit both the employee and the employer.

Evaluations are an opportunity for real communication to occur. A few things to remember when conducting evaluations:
1. Although the review is conducted by a leader, the input of the employee is equally valuable. Self-awareness inspires people to do better to be better.
2. Two to three actions should be agreed upon with the employee, along with a time frame for them to be accomplished. The leader should make time to follow-up with the person individually, with others in the same department, and also should evaluate for him/herself.
3. It is also helpful to assign ratings to various performance characteristics, for example, a rating of 1-10. This will give a point of reference to skills or actions and assist in tracking of progress going forward.

It takes effort to properly complete an evaluation with honest, sincere communication. But this is how we improve and how to become invested in our work. Most people we want working for us “like to learn”. This process can easily provide a career path and tie it to how employees are perceived and ultimately what they will share with others.

Some questions to consider:

•   Are you conducting meaningful evaluations?
•   Do you provide goals to work toward both in the short term and for years to come?
•   Are your employee’s talents and skills being properly utilized?

If your organization needs help conducting meaningful evaluations that provide clarity, contact our expert guides at 800-786-4332 or email CClemmer@AppliedVisionWorks.com. It only takes 30 minutes to get started!