ling the operations of the business enterprise (Cardy & Dobbins, 1994, p. 3). Without such evaluations, a business would have trouble gauging its success and future direction. Feedback and communication are ongoing processes. The written evaluation form used at the end of the year should be a culmination of the feedback the employee received throughout the entire year (Steingold, 1997, p. 2-20).
Written job descriptions and performance standards that spell out the duties and responsibilities of the employees are essential for measuring successful work groups and individuals. The job description drives the appraisal process. The job's criteria, experience and skills then build into the goals by which an employee's performance can be measured (Weiss, 1991, p. 98). Clearly written job-related standards that are communicated to the employee at the beginning of the rating period should be the only basis by which the employee's performance is measured.
It is important that the evaluation system be carefully planned and have standards that are applied equally to all employees within the same job classifications. Ill-planned performance measures leave it open for the immediate supervisors to fill in the blanks and make subjective interpretations about the actions under review. Such subjective interpretations can lead to allegations of discrimination by the company. The evaluation system must incorporate obvious and direct measures that attempt to avoid subjective decision-making, disparate treatment and discrimination (Weiss, 1991, p. 94).
A well-planned and organized employee performance evaluation form can help an organization avoid litigation if an employee should later be passed over for a promotion or terminated. But, a subjectively applied evaluation or a disorganized evaluation procedure can lead to heavy legal costs. The courts have been flooded with work-related cases alleging wrongful discharge and illegal discr...