What is the actual effect of performance appraisal? Is it useful for all employees? The author's view is simple: employees with any real ability won't take performance appraisal seriously! Of course, all management measures are just tools, with no inherent good or bad, but they depend on the conditions and the employees they are applied to. First, check whether these prerequisites are met:
1, a closed work environment with few external comparison factors;
2, both the process and results of employees' work can be quantified (e.g., production workshop workers);
3, the company's internal atmosphere is good, transparent, and fair, and the boss can treat everyone equally;
4, employees are highly replaceable, and management can change personnel at any time. If so, then performance appraisal can still play a role. If not, performance appraisal may just be a formality, or even become a tool for bullying or forcing employees to resign. From the perspective of individual employees, if an employee relies on this job to support their family and lacks the ability to change jobs, then no matter how unreasonable the performance appraisal is, they will endure it. But for those with any ability and the readiness to leave at any time, who would take this seriously? Moreover, among the current workforce, there are more and more post-90s employees. These kids have never suffered much, don't know what survival pressure is, and their family conditions are generally decent. Even if they don't work, they won't starve, and they won't stay at a job for life. Performance appraisal, in plain terms, is just about deducting money, so its actual binding force on them is likely limited. Of course, post-90s employees are not completely resistant to management. If certain prerequisites are met, they are also willing to work hard in the company, such as: 1, Work environment Office standards, on-site environment, cleaning level (don't expect post-90s to take turns doing daily cleaning). 2, Care for employees' living aspects When employees come to work, life comes first, then work. This includes the cleanliness of restrooms, toilet paper supply, refrigerators, drinking water, tea rooms, work meal arrangements, and whether there are private lockers. 3, Humanistic environment Whether there are bosses who lose their temper randomly, relatives or confidants of the boss who are bossy, or colleagues who enjoy gossip and sarcasm. 4, Work standards Whether job descriptions are complete, whether execution manuals for various tasks are complete, whether contingency plans and handling plans for various problems are complete, whether there are response mechanisms for emergencies and difficult issues, and whether the criteria for determining responsibility in accident investigations are clear. 5, Whether work is interesting Whether the work itself is interesting, fun, easy to get started, and whether it brings a sense of achievement and honor. 6, Development space Water flows downhill, people strive to move up; that's normal. Don't say vague things like "work hard and you won't be treated unfairly." Instead, be clear about the future direction: whether it's promotion, increased income, the opportunity to lead a project independently, or obtaining company shares. If it's internal promotion, are the conditions and channels transparent? If it's external development, what measures are there to enhance personal industry value, and what is the company platform's role in personal external development? I believe that doing the above basic work well before discussing how to use performance appraisal will be more realistic. The author comes from a private business background, having operated a family distributor company for many years, and has also served as a business manager and trainer in several production enterprises. The research direction is internal management of small and medium-sized private enterprises, with main topics including personnel management, cost control, management backend construction, and the integration of retired military personnel into private enterprises. They have continuously broken down over 400 topics related to internal management of private enterprises, and have kept updating material collection and solutions. -END-