FEATURES

The major characteristics of performance appraisal can be listed thus:

1. The appraisal is a systematic procedure involving three steps:

• Setting up work standards.
• Assessing employee's real performance relative to these standards.
• Offering feedback to the worker so that he may eliminate deficiencies and develop performance in course of time.

2. It tries to discover how well the worker is performing the job and attempt to establish a plan for further development.

3. The appraisal is performed periodically, according to a specific plan. It is certainly not a one shot deal.

4. It is not a past-oriented activity, with the intention of putting bad performers in a spot. Instead of, it is a future oriented activity showing worker where things have gone incorrect, how to set everything in an order & deliver results by using their potential in a proper way.

5. It is not job evaluation. It refers to how well someone is doing an assigned job. On the other hand job evaluation determines how much a job is worth to the organisation and thus, what range of pay should be assigned to the particular job.

6. Performance appraisal is not restricted to 'calling the fouls'. Its focus is on worker development. It forces managers to become coaches instead of judges. The appraisal procedure provides an opportunity to recognize issues for discussion, eliminate any potential difficulty, and set new goals for attaining high performance.

7. Performance appraisal can be formal or informal. The informal evaluation is more probable to be subjective & influenced by personal factors. Some workers are liked better than others and have, for that cause only, better chances of attaining various kinds of rewards than others. The formal system is likely to be more fair & objective, as it is carried out systematically, by using printed appraisal forms.