Should We Provide Training For Employees On Performance Management & Appraisal?
The answer is a loud YES! When companies try to improve their performance management and appraisal processes, typically they provide almost all of the training to managers and supervisors, and minimal or absolutely NO training to employees. This reflects a misconception that performance management and appraisal is done TO employees, so employees need not understand it. That's a sure recipe for sabotaging the system.
The truth is that employees make up half of the manager-employee dyad or performance appraisal "pair". When they understand the process, and the manager takes the position that appraisal and performance management is best done as a partnership, it works far better -- less frustration, anger, accusations of bias and unfairness -- the benefits are huge.
But, employees need to understand their roles in the process. If you want employees who are active participants in their jobs, and their appraisal (and trust me, you do), then they need two things. They need to understand the point of the process, and they need to have the skills (these may be communication based, asking the right questions, analytic skills) to be active participants.
We recommend that employees recieve appropriate training in two ways -- through relatively short training sessions done in groups, and, through less formal training that is part of the conversation between manager and employee during all phases of the performance management process. This means each manager, in effect, becomes a performance management coach.
See Also:
- Can You Suggest Any Short, Concise Material We Can Use To Train Employees in Performance Management & Appraisal?
- Getting The Most From Performance Appraisals for Employees