Performance Appraisal Questionnaire- The best questions to ask!

Employees eagerly wait for performance appraisals as it is a process that is crucial for their career growth. On one hand, where employees look forward to receiving performance feedback, employers, on the other hand, face difficulty in asking the right questions. Drafting a performance appraisal questionnaire isn’t a child’s play. You might need questions that are relevant to the performance appraisal process. Therefore, today, we are going to share the best performance appraisal questionnaire that you can use to make the best out of your performance review session. However, before starting let’s first understand the basics of a performance appraisal process.

What Is the Performance Appraisal Process? 

Performance appraisal is the systematic and structured examination of employee performance. This system of evaluation offers employers the ability to help employees improve their performance. With the right performance appraisal questionnaire, managers can ensure the appraisal process is efficient. The questionnaire for the performance appraisal also helps to rate employees and helps in making sound decisions. Let’s now understand the objectives of the performance appraisal process: 

 

Objectives of Performance Appraisal Process

Organizations these days understand the need for performance appraisals. This is the first and most important step in promoting an employee based on subjective and objective considerations such as performance and capability. There are numerous objectives of performance evaluations. The primary objective of it is to assess and improve employees’ performance in order to maximize their future potential and value to the organization. Some of the common objectives of conducting performance appraisals are as follows: 

Providing Feedback 

The most common reason for a business to implement a performance appraisal system is to provide feedback. The individual learns exactly how well he or she performed over the preceding twelve months through the performance appraisal process, and can then use that information to improve future performance. 

It’s not always easy to provide feedback to staff.  Misunderstanding the negative feedback is also possible. Employees will not know what and where they need to improve and work on if they do not receive reliable feedback, and ultimately the organization will suffer. There are methods to provide honest, candid remarks without harming professional relationships or causing harm to those we are attempting to assist. 

Facilitate Promotion Decision 

Let’s not deny that we all look forward to progress and promotions. What criteria should the company use to determine who gets the gold rings?  Performance appraisal makes it easy to make excellent decisions about filling the most critical roles with the most talented employees. 

Performance appraisal can be extremely valuable for making personal choices such as promotions, transfers, and terminations. Employers might make decisions based on knowledge about an individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Appraisal systems can assist management in assessing the efficacy of its selection and placement activities. If freshly hired staff consistently perform poorly, managers should question whether they are hiring the right individuals in the first place. 

If promotions are what everyone wants, demotions are something that hardly anyone wants. When economic realities compel a company to shrink, however, performance appraisal aids in retaining the most talented employees and identifying poor performers who have an impact on the business’s output. 

Motivating Superior Performance 

Another common motivation for using a performance management software is to improve employee morale. In a variety of methods, performance appraisal motivates workers to deliver exceptional results. For starters, the appraisal process enables them to learn exactly what the firm considers “better.” Second, because most people want to be perceived as better performers, a performance appraisal process allows them to show what they are. Finally, performance evaluations urge employees to avoid being labeled as poor performers or average performers. 

For Determining Changes in Compensation

This is another classic application of performance evaluation. Pay for performance is a concept that almost every company believes in. But without a performance measure, it’s not possible to make salary decisions? Performance assessment is a strategy for ensuring that people who do a better job are compensated well.

To Encourage Coaching and Mentoring 

Managers are expected to be excellent coaches and mentors to their subordinates. Performance appraisal indicates areas where employees may require coaching and it also encourages supervisors to coach actively. 

Improving The Overall Performance of the Organization

The most crucial and primary reason for a company to establish a performance appraisal system is for this reason. A performance appraisal system enables the organization to communicate performance expectations to all team members and measure how effectively each individual is performing. When everyone is clear on the expectations and understands how he or she is performing against them, the organization’s overall success will improve and will result in achieving organizational goals very quickly. 

Also Read: Performance Appraisal during the Pandemic

Performance Appraisal Questionnaire based on Appraisal Methods

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Management by Objectives is the method that intends to effectively connect broad company goals with personal objectives while validating objectives using the SMART method to determine whether the established goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-sensitive. 

Management by objectives (MBO) is an appraisal process in which managers and employees collaborate to create, plan, organize, and communicate goals for a certain appraisal period. Following the establishment of defined goals, managers and subordinates meet on a regular basis to review progress and debate the possibility of achieving those goals. 

Employees are evaluated based on their performance at the end of the review period (quarterly, half-yearly, or annual). Success is rewarded with a promotion and a raise in compensation, whereas failure results in a transfer or additional training. In this approach, practical goals are usually prioritized, while intangible factors such as interpersonal skills, commitment, and so on are sometimes overlooked.

 

Steps to a successful MBO programme implementation: 

• Every manager should have five to ten goals to be achieved which should be detailed and measurable. 
• Managers can write down their objectives, mission, and targets, which will be finalized after a review. 
• Each goal must have a clear description as well as a to-do list to achieve the same. 
• Determine how and how often progress can be measured. 
• Make a list of corrective actions that will be implemented if progress does not meet expectations. There should be a Plan B to achieve the goals and target. 

Performance Appraisal Questionnaire for MBO Programme

1. How many years have you been working with this organization?

• 1year 
• More Than 1 and less than 5 
• 5-8 years 
• 8-15 years

2. Do you believe that while evaluating a performance, all of the factors that aid or impede performance are taken into account?

• Yes 
• No

3. Are you satisfied with the weighting assigned by PMS to each activity that you must complete within the designated time frame?

• Yes 
• No 

4. Do you believe that a Performance Management System can assist you in setting and achieving relevant objectives? 

• Yes 
• No

5. Do you think your leadership and interpersonal skills are developed during the Performance Management System?

• Yes 
• No

6. Are you satisfied with the existing Performance Management Process?

• Yes
• No 

 360-degree feedback- Performance Appraisal Questionnaire

360-degree performance appraisal is one of the most important and effective performance review systems that analyze an individual based on feedback from the employee’s circle of influence, which includes managers, peers, customers, and direct reports. This strategy will not only eliminate favoritism in performance reviews but will also provide a clear picture of a person’s abilities. In this method, various sources of information are reviewed before speaking with the employee face-to-face. During this procedure, each employee is graded on the job they did base on the job descriptions they were given. 

This performance appraisal approach is intended to effectively connect broad company goals with personal objectives while validating objectives using the SMART method to determine whether the established goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive. 

Employees are evaluated based on their performance at the end of the review period (quarterly, half-yearly, or annual). Success is rewarded with a promotion and a raise in compensation, whereas failure results in a transfer or additional training. In this approach, practical goals are usually prioritized, while intangible factors such as interpersonal skills, commitment, and so on are sometimes overlooked. 

Merits of using the 360-degree feedback method: 

• Individuals’ understanding of how they perform and the influence it has on other stakeholders increases. 
• Serve as a medium for activities such as coaching, counseling, and professional development. 
• Encourage people to invest in their personal development and to accept challenges 
• Integrate performance feedback with the company culture to increase employee engagement. 

Performance Appraisal Questions for the 360-degree feedback :

1. Do you think we are using the right method to measure employee performance? 

• By the management 
• Self-appraisal, appraisal by superiors, appraisal by subordinates, and appraisal by peers. 

2. Do you expect any salary increment after Appraisal? 

• Yes 
• No

3. Do you believe that 360-degree performance appraisal helps people set and achieve meaningful missions and goals?

• Yes, I do 
• No, I don’t feel so

4. Do 360-degree performance appraisals help to create an environment where everyone is encouraged to share their work burdens?

• Yes 
• No

5. Do the promotions strictly based on the Performance Appraisal Process?

• Yes
• No
•  

6. Are you satisfied with the existing 360-degree Performance Appraisal system?

• Yes
• No 

Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS)

In a performance appraisal process, behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) bring qualitative as well as quantitative benefits. Employee performance is compared to particular behavioral examples that are connected to numerical evaluations in BARS. Multiple BARS statements, which characterize prevalent behaviors that an employee performs on a regular basis, are anchored by each performance level on a scale. These statements serve as a basis for comparing an individual’s performance to preset standards relevant to their role and degree of employment. 

Advantages of BARS

• It creates clear standards, provides improved feedback, and accurate performance analysis with consistent evaluation. 
• Reduce the possibility of favoritism and ensure fairness throughout the evaluation process. 

Performance Appraisal Questionnaire- BARS Method

1. What goals and objectives do you think we add to your bucket?  
2. Do you feel enough responsibilities are given to you?  
3. What are the skills you want so that you can be a better candidate for a promotion? 
4. Are we able to meet your expectations? 
5. On a scale of 1-10, how much would you rate the company? 
6. What do you think are my key skills? 
7. What do you think are your biggest strengths and weaknesses? 
8. How well do you think you get along with the rest of your team members?
9. What are the challenges that our company is facing right now? 
10. What is the next milestone our company is moving towards? 
11. Do you hope to grow with the company? 
12. What were your biggest achievements over the past few years?

The Bottom Line

So these are some of the examples of the questions you can add to your performance appraisal questionnaire. These questions can help you analyze how well you are doing in terms of performance management. You can analyze whether or not your current performance appraisal process satisfies your employees. These inputs will help you in making the right decisions and changing the existing processes if they don’t align much with your employees as well as the company’s growth. 

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Also Read: Bell Curve in Performance Appraisal