- Know the employee’s job description thoroughly. You are evaluating how well the employee meets the job requirements, not against other employee’s or what the employee’s potential is.
- Always conduct the evaluation in private, with no interruptions. Schedule each evaluation far enough apart so that there is plenty of time to discuss everything in one sitting.
- Don’t let one incident or trait, positive or negative, dominate the evaluation. Look at the whole picture over the entire time since the last evaluation.
- Evaluations should be balanced between positive and negative attributes, never one sided. A totally negative evaluation will almost never motivate a poor employee. Bring out some of his/her positive contributions and in detail describe what changes are needed. A totally negative evaluation will only scare the employee. Should a negative evaluation be warranted it is probable that the employee should have been terminated long ago.
- Review past evaluations but don’t dwell on them. Look at areas where improvement has taken place or a decline in performance.
- Always back up your thoughts and appraisals with specific examples. Allow plenty of time for the employee’s comments. Remember, you could be wrong. If examples or circumstances come out in the evaluation that was never mentioned before, you are guilty of allowing the communication process to deteriorate.
- Don’t cover too much material or expect the employee to make drastic changes overnight. An evaluation is only part in a series of continuous steps to help and direct the employee.
- Begin the evaluation with some positive points and then direct the discussion to areas that need improvement.
- Certain personality traits and deficiencies may not always be changeable. Don’t overemphasize them but relate them into how they might affect his/her job performance and the performance of others.
- Finish the evaluation on a positive note. The employee should leave with a good feeling about his/her positive contributions to the restaurant and how precisely what and how to improve his/her performance.
- After the evaluation, make certain that you follow up on the thoughts, ideas, and recommendations that were brought out during the evaluation. Without a follow up the evaluation is of little value.
- Evaluations are confidential. Keep them that way.
12 Points to Consider When Conducting Employee Evaluations
Share this post with your friends
the path to success begins here
Take action today and make your new or existing restaurant a success.
