Performance Appraisals: Key to Strong Staff

by Amber Elaine Marks, do good Trainer & Consultant

In last month’s Doing Good, I discussed strategies for retaining talented staff, including the value of performance appraisals (also called performance reviews or employee evaluations). This month, let’s look more closely at this important process and ways to make the annual reviews something everyone looks forward to – or at least not something to be dreaded!

What are the purposes of conducting performance appraisals?
Set clear expectations & outlining future goals. The document that goes in the employee’s file, as well as the act of creating the document together, establish mutually understood expectations for short term and long term performance.

Document accomplishments as well as unmet expectations. The employee file is the only official record of an employee’s successes and failures. Calling upon these documents will be helpful when you consider the employee for promotion, when you initiate disciplinary procedures, when you are asked to provide a salary increase, or when you are in a position to provide an employment reference.

What are the main elements of an appraisal tool?
There are a wide variety of on-line and written tools available for you to use free or to purchase. However, most incorporate some common elements:

Description of current role and responsibilities. This could be an attached job description, a paragraph summarizing duties, or an outline of tasks and activities.

Rating of performance in relation to established goals and/or objectives. This could be a scale from 1 to 5, a series of ratings such as “Meets Expectations” and “Exceeds Expectations,” or an area for a more in depth assessment with one or more paragraphs of details and examples.

Outline of future goals. The planned performance review meeting is an ideal setting for the supervisor and employee to discuss the goals each has for the position and the organization. Any additional responsibilities can be identified and any areas where improvement is required should be clearly articulated. Whenever possible, broad goals should be accompanied by specific and measurable objectives.

Professional development opportunities. Performance appraisals provide an opportunity to compare an employee’s skills and training with current and future responsibilities. Together, an employee and supervisor can identify training needs or professional development interests and create a plan for the employee to continue his or her development. Remember, this is another great way to retain talented staff!

Employee comments. In many organizations, employees are given an opportunity to present their own comments to accompany their review form. This could be in the form of a blank section at the end of a standard form, a separate letter prepared by the employee, etc.

Signatures. Supervisors and employees should both sign and date the permanent appraisal document and each should retain their own copies. An employee doesn’t have to agree with the contents of the appraisal, but should be required to sign the form acknowledging receipt of the information. reference.

How often should I evaluate employee performance?
You are always in a position to observe and acknowledge employee performance. However, most groups establish a timeline for employee reviews ranging from quarterly to biannually to annually. All employees may be reviewed during an evaluation ‘season,’ perhaps related to year end or another relevant time period. In other offices, evaluations are conducted at the time of the employee’s annual anniversary. Sometimes there are more frequent evaluations in the initial period after hire, such as every three months, and then shifted to annual reviews after the end of a probation period. Regardless, all employees should know when and how they will be evaluated so there are no surprises.

How do I involve employees in the process?
There are many philosophies on performance reviews – enough to fill entire college courses. You can have a process that ranges from very simple to very involved. You may have a basic form that you fill out and then review with the employee during a private meeting. In some organizations, the employees fill out the same or different forms reflecting on their own performance and submit their document to the supervisor in advance of the review meeting. There are also evaluation processes where employees are given an opportunity to provide feedback regarding the performance of coworkers and even supervisors. Employees are often encouraged to think about their review meeting in advance so that in addition to past performance, they can also discuss their goals for the future. Many sample evaluation tools and templates are available online or in library books and should be shared with employees when they are hired so they can know what to expect at their first review.

Where can I learn more?
Try these web sites for some samples and suggestions: http://www.managementhelp.org/perf_mng/appraisl.htm
http://performance-appraisals.org/appraisal-library/Forms_Letters_and_Other_Tools/
http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/forms/pedescr.htm

Open Monday! do good's New Office!

by Laura Huth, President & CEO, do good Consulting

Thanks to dozens of volunteers, friends, people I have never even met, and even my parents (who came down from Chicago for four days), do good Consulting's new office in downtown Urbana is slated to open on time on Monday, March 5. They transformed ho-hum into wow! A special thanks goes out to: Amber Marks, Douglas Kistler, Helen Miller, Morton Dorothy, Mark Allen, Julie Bennington, Caroline Huth, Patrick Rietz, Alice Rietz, Jen Knapp, Danny Brown, Jessica Frank, Mike and Pat Huth, Beth Simpson, and Tim Newcomb for their time.

Located on the southwest corner of Race and Green, the new do good  space is now a sleek, inviting office in which to assist clients in working toward social change. In the last two weeks, these folks helped to paint walls, change out lighting fixtures, lay new cork flooring, and hang new white and bulletin boards. This week, we are on schedule to move desks, file cabinets, folders, and computers. When the weather warms up, we will mount a custom-design, hand-made do good Consulting sign above our door and do some landscaping outside.

We will host an open house later this year after we are fully settled. For now, stop by to see us at 201 West Green in downtown Urbana, across from the Urbana Free Library and Lincoln Square Village. We would love to have you as a guest! We can still be reached at 778-1687 or laurahuth@dogoodconsulting.org.

Group Profile: Community Shares of Illinois

by Jen Knapp, Special Projects Coordinator, do good Consulting

Looking to enjoy great food while benefiting local nonprofits? If so, Tuesday, March 13 is your night. The statewide non-profit organization, Community Shares of Illinois, will host Share-A-Meal, a fundraising event benefiting its 70 member nonprofit groups. Participating restaurants across Illinois have agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds that evening to Community Shares and its member organizations. “Diners can support lots of groups at one time, so it has broad appeal,” reports Community Shares Executive Director Mike Doyle. “At Share-A-Meal you get to talk with friends and co-workers at some of the best restaurants in town.” Local restaurants involved in the event are Café Luna, Camelot Room at the Historic Lincoln Hotel, Kennedy’s, Milo’s, and The Great Impasta.

Share-A-Meal is only one part of Community Shares of Illinois’ work. The group’s main focus is workplace giving. Since its founding, Community Shares has raised over $4 million for its member organizations and has established itself as a national leader in managing charitable giving campaigns in the workplace.

Community Shares of Illinois has over 70 member non-profit organizations working on issues such as affordable housing, healthcare, the environment, civil rights, and social justice. When people opt to give through Community Shares, they can designate donations to specific member organizations or to Community Shares, who divides such donations among member groups. “What appeals to people is the choice Community Shares offers.” Doyle says. “Individuals have the opportunity to direct their dollars. Businesses are continually opening up to employee choice in retirement plans and health insurance, and we are extending that to workplace giving. This way, people can give to what they care most about.”

Community Shares is also beneficial to nonprofits continually struggling to find stable funding. “I used to work for a local nonprofit," reports Doyle, “and the most challenging part was building a stable financial base. Many nonprofits want to maintain connection with donors and gain independence from institutional funding (government and foundation grants). Workplace giving is a vehicle for giving nonprofits the connection and independence they seek.”

Interested in getting involved with Community Shares? Contact Mike Doyle at mdoyle@cs-il.org or check out www.cs-il.org. Oh, and do good will see you at Share-A-Meal (we’ll be at Milo’s!) on Tuesday, March 13!