09) The Performance Rating errors.

There are a number of common rater errors, regardless of the review mechanism employed. HR should take the initiative in training managers on how to recognize and mitigate their impact on the system. The following are examples of common mistakes:

• lack of differentiation

Because raters are generally hesitant to express judgment or lack the courage to defend their evaluations, everyone may be rated similarly. This attitude can be lenient (everyone receives great ratings), severe (everyone receives negative ratings), or a general feeling that everyone is doing OK (and everyone gets rated in the middle). Poor training or a failure by an organization to convey that performance-based judgments are an important component of the managerial function are sometimes blamed for a manager's unwillingness to differentiate.

• The influence of time.

When managers fail to measure performance, provide feedback, and document results on a regular basis, they frequently forget about the earlier portion of the performance period. As a result, they place an excessive emphasis on recent occurrences.

• The effect of a halo or horns. 

When an employee is highly skilled or inept in one area, and the supervisor grades the person accordingly high or poor in all areas, the "halo" and "horns" effects result.

• Employment or bias on the part of the person.

Some supervisors may let their personal sentiments towards workers or their opinions of them influence the performance evaluation process.

• Incomplete or incorrect information/preparation.

Managers may fail to obtain essential information about an employee's real performance from those who deal with the person the most directly, resulting in an incorrect appraisal.

References

• SHRM. 2021. Managing Employee Performance. [online] Available at: <https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingemployeeperformance.aspx> [Accessed 15 December 2021].
• iEduNote. 2021. Rating Errors. [online] Available at: <https://www.iedunote.com/rating-errors> [Accessed 15 December 2021].