The Annual Performance Evaluation should provide a comparison of actual on-the-job performance to establish performance measurement standards. The Annual Performance Evaluation encourages periodic and structured communication between supervisors and employees about the job.

First, employees should know their job description and company expectations for their position. The annual performance evaluation is based upon the job description and objectives developed during annual evaluation.

With the Job Description the employee is to enter the position definition, major duties, qualifications, and salary range corresponding to his/her position. The employee can list and describe the major objectives assigned for the current evaluation period. Both the supervisor and the employee are to sign and date the job description, indicating agreement that the duties listed reflect those assigned during the evaluation period. The supervisor should maintain the signed copy in employee files.

Managers should set expectations, gather data, and provide ongoing feedback to the employees to assist them in utilizing their skills, expertise and ideas to produce results. To provide this direction, managers should communicate to employees what is expected of them, define satisfactory performance for those expectations, and then monitor and evaluate the performance on an ongoing basis. In meeting with the employee, the manager should list and describe a minimum of three (3) major objectives to be completed in the upcoming evaluation period.

Managers have to define expectations for every position. These expectations and performance measurement standards should be communicated to each new employee within the first week of employment, and reviewed at least once a year with all employees. Managers should be responsible for meeting with each employee at the beginning of the evaluation period to develop a performance plan and review expectations or core competencies. The employee’s expectation plan should contain specific performance expectations or core competencies based on the duties of the position. Expectations for each position can include: purpose of the position, key responsibilities (tasks and duties), conduct expectations, and performance standards.

Also, expectations should include measures such as quality, quantity, timeliness, initiative, and teamwork for each key responsibility. The performance plan should serve as a written contract between employees and manager for defined and negotiated work expectations. Remember performance of each core responsibility is evaluated by determining the degree to which the employee met each measure. Then the overall performance level is determined.

Managers are expected to monitor employee performance and discuss performance with their employees regularly throughout the year. Before the annual performance evaluation effective date, managers will discuss with employees how their performance has met the measures for core responsibilities that were developed for that performance cycle.

Using the previously established core responsibilities and corresponding performance measures, the supervisor makes an evaluation of the employee’s performance over the past year. As supervisor you should encourage your employees to perform a self-evaluation to provide you consideration in completing the evaluation.

Managers will meet with employees to review final performance. Manager’s are to review employee’s final ratings and overall assessment with the employee, indicating areas of strength as well as areas in need of improvement. Managers should immediately identify poor, substandard, or unacceptable performance. Substandard performances must include an improvement plan, which should have an improvement period between 1 month and 3 months. The manager and the employee should develop the improvement plan.

Particular attention should be given to clarifying major discrepancies between the employees and manager’s ratings. It is recommended that both the employee and the manager keep backup copies of the evaluations.