Introduction

Employee Appraisal is known under different names. A few of these are:
Performance Appraisal, Annual Confidential Report, Work Performance Review, Performance Rating, Employee Merit Rating, Employee Evaluation, Progress Report, Fitness Report, Behavioral Assessment, Personal Review, etc. It is one of the most effective tools available to an executive to ensure that subordinates do well in their jobs on a continuous basis, adjust with their colleagues, and maintain good conduct and behaviour. In short they become model employees.

Definitions

Several authors have tried to define the term performance appraisal:

i. “Performance Appraisal is the process of determining how well employees do their jobs compared to set of standards, and communicating that information to the employees”.

ii. “Performance Appraisal is the method by which the workers’ efficiency is appraised during a given period using systematic and uniform performance standards”.

iii. “Performance Appraisal is a process of evaluating an employee’s performance on a job in terms if its requirements”.

Some of the finest perceptions are that of Peter F. Drucker – a most renowned management guru of our times. He says:

“One of the most common complaints of employee in an organisation is needed that they are not being appraised and are not being told whether they do well or poorly”.

“One single activity (Writing Appraisal Report) is more effective than the year round propaganda about the work culture and work discipline in the department/ organisation”.

“Appraisal Forms are filled but appraisal interview in which the appraiser is expected to discuss the performance with a man is almost never conducted”

“If nothing else appraisal of subordinate does reflect competence of his boss in judging performance of his subordinate. In a way in front of your boss”.