Performances assessment represents an important process in the human resources activity and most certainly the easiest concept to quantify and monetize.

What does “performance” mean?

In general performance is seen as a favorable result. However performance evaluation doesn’t take into account only the employees’ professional results but the whole complex of interpersonal and professional qualities, behaviors, abilities, knowledge which pushes the employee forward to performance or back to failure in a certain job.

It is very important to note the fact that employee’s performance regards his/her qualities or flaws in reference to the job he/she has in a certain organization. Only an exact knowledge of the responsibilities and the company’s specific (organizational culture, economic status) can generate relevant results inside the evaluation processes.

What do we therefore evaluate?

The evaluation process lies under the sign of four essential questions:

What do my employees know in order to do their job well? (question which reveals the level of professional knowledge)

What are my employees able to do at their job? (question revealing the level of energy, motivation and specific behaviors of employees)

What do they do? (question which reveals the level of day-to-day tasks fulfillment)

What do they want from their job? (the answer to this question will show the level of conformity to regulations, motivation, and adhesion towards the company)

The benefits of assessment processes

Practice underlines the fact that organizations with a constant evaluation program are more opened to innovation, have employees that are more motivated and communicate more efficiently.

From the employees’ point of view the benefits are:

- Evaluation offers them the possibility to identify the field in which they have deficiencies which they need to remediate;

- Helps in creating an optimal self conscience, by comparing self assessments with the ones made by others.

From the employers’ perspective, there are other benefits:

- Evaluations set some standards that need to be achieved inside the company and indicate their accomplishment;

- Can be the ground for an efficient rewards management, setting
he possibility to rank the wages and benefits packages;

- Has a self regulatory role inside the recruitment and selection processes and the professional development ones, evaluating the quality of employed human resources or inside the training programs inside the company.

What do the employees from your company/department know, do, can and want? The answer to this question must be revealed at least two times a year!