THE IMPACT OF STAFF APPRAISAL ON PERSONNEL PERFORMANCE

ABSTRACT

Personal department is one of the challenging forces in our organization today. The function of the department include employment of staff, wages and salaries administration, health and safety of staff, staff appraisal and other personal functions.

We are emphasizing on staff appraisal and about the strong effect it has on a personnel performance.

Staff appraisal is the undiluted procedure whereby every organization takes stock of its human resource with regards to  its present performance; the likes and dislikes of each individual, his or her strengths and failures.

Staff appraisal has its objectives that has to be achieved, its limitations that can affect the study, scope of the study and relevance of the study, which will be discussed in the topic.

This study makes personnel department an inevitable department in an organization because it sees to the welfare of the employees by ensuring that they are fairly and equitably compensated, which include employee classification, rate determination and also by correcting the attitude of subordinates who have violated rules and regulations.

It also sees to the welfare of the organization by ensuring that competent personnel fill all positions in order to maintain a stable labour force and good performance.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

An organization with a good regulation in business and holds customer’s satisfaction at heart must have department in order to ensure progressiveness and continuity of the business.

There are various types of department in an organization but we are emphasizing on personal department. The department is charged with the management of people for the success of any organization. The department has evolved over the years due to the realizations that the people employed in an organization are collectively a resource that should be utilized to its full extent.

One of the function of a personnel department is appraising staff which is also known as staff performance appraisal, staff evaluation, merit rating etc.

The moment an employee is hired into an organization either as a secretary or C.E.O. of the organization, some one begins a performance appraisal.

In today’s ever competitive economy characterized by risk taking, organization must survive and the key to such survival is a revitalized human resource. Employees who do have what it takes; Skills, talents, capabilities, experience, qualification and genuine work culture and who are problem solvers are not readily available. It is necessary that organization nurture, nourish and develop its staff through performance appraisal.

Performance appraisal is designed to meet the needs of the organization by providing systematic judgments to back up salary increases, transfer, demotions or terminations and to meet the needs of the individual by telling him or her how they are doing and suggesting needed changes in his or her behaviour, attitudes, skills and creativity.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A sound staff’s performance appraisal must be the major goal of every organization. In doing so, the head of department (H.O.D) or personnel department must be in consultation with the other departmental heads in order to prepare recommendations and suggestions on a wider view on performance appraisal.

In recent years, performance appraisal has been attracting significance attention in the world of management. Emphasis is no longer on personality traits and abilities but more on present performance, future potentials and goals.

Killen (1977) defined performance appraisal as a planned evaluation of an employee’s job performance and also the term used for a variety of techniques by which superiors, peers, subordinates and the individual i.e. employees themselves rate, rank or describe their work effectiveness.

According to Richard A. Enion, appraisal of the subordinate’s job performance is written by the Supervisor and the superior submits the written appraisal to a committee which reviews and approves, this must not be forgotten when implementing performance appraisal.

Stalz (1966) writes that the process of performance appraisal follows a set of pattern like a man’s performance is periodically appraised by his superior.

Willima F. Laide indicated that personnel manager is responsible for designing and overseeing the appraisal programme. The person who conducts the appraisal varies from company to company.

However, direct   participation by the line manager in the operation of the programme is necessary for successive progressiveness and expansion of the business.

In most companies, the primary responsibility for the performance appraisal falls on the immediate superior or supervisor. The best approach is to combine the appraisal from several sources, the time period is either annually or semi – annually.