Why Some Managers Hate the Performance Evaluation?

Performance evaluations have been suggested as a measure of employee productivity in
the workplace. Some companies have adopted evaluations as a way of ensuring that direct
feedback is given to employees based on their execution of duties and responsibilities.
Employees are made to be more self-aware of their performance based on various metrics. In
addition, performance evaluations have been advocated as a method of setting clear performance
expectations. The implementation of performance evaluations is faced with stiff opposition.
Managers and employees do not like performance evaluations. Research on the same has
suggested various themes, including their perceived lack of objectivity.
One of the reasons why managers hate performance reviews is the fact that they do not
live up to their expectations. Many managers feel that the performance evaluation fail to give an
accurate evaluation of the employees. The focus is too much on the negative traits that
employees exhibit instead of the positive aspects that employees may show. Many managers do
not have a personal touch with their employees (Aguinis, Joo, & Gottfredson, 2011). Managers
are thus put in a tight position when evaluating employees without sufficient background data.
Managers also have a problem with the standardized nature of performance evaluations.
Managers cannot vary the format, and this leaves little room for creativity. Mangers hate having
to assess employees in just one way.
Some managers fear giving negative feedback to employees. A good manager is one
who is able to give honest feedback to employees based on their performances. However, many
managers are unable to execute this role correctly. In some organizations, the management is
unable to be direct in giving feedback (Aguinis, Joo, & Gottfredson, 2011). They fear that this

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may create disharmony, and this may affect the workplace environment. Giving constructive
criticism to employees is one of the most difficult tasks managers execute. Managers must
remain objective while beginning with praises and then proceeding to give negative criticism. No
one likes to be told negative things about their execution of duties and responsibilities. Even high
performing employees do not like negative feedback (Bouskila-Yam & Kluger, 2011).
Combining both negative and positive feedback can help ensure that the process is seamless. It is
also important to give suggestions on how the problems can be fixed.
Performance appraisals are associated with high levels of anxiety within the workforce.
Employees feel anxious because they are unsure of the feedback that they will obtain from the
management. The evaluation process creates a disconnect between the management and
employees. While the management may be enjoying a cordial relationship with the employees,
this relationship may be adversely affected by performance evaluations. There is hostility
between the management and the workforce when performance evaluations are being conducted.
Many employees feel that the management is not objective enough when carrying out the
evaluations (Aguinis, Joo, & Gottfredson, 2011). Performance evaluations are associated with
the problem of rater bias. Managers may consider nonperformance factors such as gender and
race. Employees may then react to this bias by low levels of performance as well as low levels of
job satisfaction. Managers who have an understanding of the problems that performance
evaluations may create in the workplace hate performance evaluations. Performance evaluation
consumes a lot of time (Aguinis, Joo, & Gottfredson, 2011). Gathering the data is time-
consuming, and this may create a problem in a company that seeks to achieve certain goals that
are time-bound. Managers who are concerned with the performance of their organizations may
find it difficult to set aside the goals they have set and instead concentrate on gathering data.

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Managers play a unique role in organizations. They are therefore expected to exhibit
certain traits that are central to their execution of various duties. One of the main traits that
managers must exhibit is transparency. Employees have certain expectations of managers. When
conducting performance evaluations, managers must ensure that they avoid bias. They must
strive to give honest feedback to employees. Managers must ensure that they do not hide difficult
realities or escape from the truth. Instead, managers should not protect employees but instead
must be honest and direct (De Waal et al., 2012). Another key trait is excellent communication
skills. Managers are expected to perform excellently in the area of communication. Managers
must have the appropriate body language when passing messages. Good managers must also
ensure that they give regular feedback to the employees. Managers should not wait for
performance evaluations to give feedback to the employees.
A manager must also have proper listening skills. A manager must ensure that they listen
to the problems that the employees are going through. Employees want to have their insights
implemented in organizations. A good manager must pay keen attention to the need of
employees when running an organization (Lounsbury et al., 2016). A manager must also
encourage teamwork. Without teamwork, a company cannot achieve high levels of success.
Managers must therefore collaborate with the employees and eliminate any toxic behavior.
Managers must ensure that performance evaluations do not drive a divide in the workforce.
The key elements in performance evaluation include clearly defined goals and objectives.
Every performance evaluation exercise must be guided by clearly defined goals. It must also
have accurate and reliable data. The effectiveness of a performance evaluation is tagged on the
accuracy of the data (Cheng et al., 2012). A performance evaluation must have privacy. The data
collected must be handled in a professional manner. Negative evaluation should be coupled with

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positive criticism as well as methods that employees can use to improve their performance.
Performance appraisal should be less time consuming. Time is of the essence, and many
managers are opposed to activities that are highly time consuming. The performance criteria
must be well defined. All employees must have an understanding of the performance criteria that
are applied in the organization. The criteria must match the needs of the employees.

Performance Evaluation Form

Employee:
Job Title:
Date of Evaluation:

Evaluation Criteria

Performance Category Rating
Quality of work a. Exceeds expectations
b. Meets expectations
c. Needs improvement
d. Unacceptable
Comment:

Attendance and punctuality a. Exceeds expectations
b. Meets expectations
c. Needs improvement
d. Unacceptable
Comment:

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Reliability and dependability a. Exceeds expectations
b. Meets expectations
c. Needs improvement
d. Unacceptable
Comment:

Decision making a. Exceeds expectations
b. Meets expectations
c. Needs improvement
d. Unacceptable
Comment:

Teamwork a. Exceeds expectations
b. Meets expectations
c. Needs improvement
d. Unacceptable
Comment:

The evaluation correlates with the organization’s objectives of high performance.
Employees are expected to be punctual as well as work in a team. Further, employees are
expected to be highly dependable.

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References

Aguinis, H., Joo, H., & Gottfredson, R. K. (2011). Why we hate performance
management—And why we should love it. Business Horizons, 54(6), 503-507.
Bouskila-Yam, O., & Kluger, A. N. (2011). Strength-based performance appraisal and goal
setting. Human Resource Management Review, 21(2), 137-147.
Cheng, Y. W., Cheng, J. H., Wu, C. L., & Lin, C. H. (2012). Operational characteristics and
performance evaluation of the ELV recycling industry in Taiwan. Resources,
Conservation and Recycling, 65, 29-35.
De Waal, A. A., Van der Heijden, B. I., Selvarajah, C., & Meyer, D. (2012). Characteristics of
high performing managers in The Netherlands. Leadership & Organization Development
Journal.
Lounsbury, J. W., Sundstrom, E. D., Gibson, L. W., Loveland, J. M., & Drost, A. W. (2016).
Core personality traits of managers. Journal of Managerial Psychology.