Checklists and weighted checklists

Another easy type of individual evaluation method is the checklist. A particular checklist represents, in its simplest type, a set of objectives or descriptive statements about the employee and his behaviour. If the rater strongly believes that the worker possesses a particular listed trait, he checks the item; or else, he leaves the item blank. A more current variation of the checklist method is the weighted list. Under this, the value of each of question may be weighted equally or definite questions can be weighted more heavily than others. The following are some sample questions in the checklist.

1.   Is the worker really interested in the task assigned?        Yes/No
2.   Is worker respected by his colleagues (co-workers)         Yes/No
3.   Does worker respect his superiors?                               Yes/No
4.   Does worker follow instructions properly?                       Yes/No
5.   Does worker make mistakes frequently?                         Yes/No

A rating score from the checklist helps the manager in evaluating performance of the workers. The checklist method has a serious restriction. The rater may be unfair in distinguishing the positive & negative questions. He can assign biased weights to the questions. Another restriction could be that this method is costly and time consuming. At last, it becomes complex for the manager to assemble, analyse & weigh a number of statements regarding the employee's characteristics, behaviours and contributions.