Why Do Performance Appraisals

Performance evaluations give the employer an opportunity to provide periodic feedback to employees. An employee’s strengths may be pointed out to him, which builds confidence and lets the employee know that his positive contributions to the employer have not gone unnoticed. At the same time, the employee’s areas for improvement may be identified and prioritized. If handled appropriately, this lets the employee know that the employer cares about his development, and wants to help him grow as a professional. In a way, performance evaluations should be considered part of the employer’s staff development program. Performance evaluations also serve another purpose: they build a paper trail that may be useful to the employer in the event that it must terminate an employee.