Is it necessary to have employee evaluations?
Absolutely! Most businesses, regardless of their size, have similar goals of increasing sales, expanding product lines or locations, reaching new markets, implementing additional leadership, etc. All of these goals heavily rely on and are tied to the quality of your employees and their work ethic.
Establishing an internal evaluation process will help you see which employees are helping you succeed, which ones could be entrusted with more responsibility, and which ones may need more guidance/training. Evaluations provide a specific time to talk about personal goals for each employee and how to work towards improving their skills. If possible, it is highly suggested that evaluations occur each quarter so results can be monitored easily.
What is discussed during an employee evaluation?
A helpful employee evaluation, or an employee review, includes discussion of soft skills (communication, team work, critical thinking, etc) as well as job specific skills. There is also time for discussing personal goals (attend a learning seminar, increase sales by __%, learn ___ skill, etc) that should be completed or heavily worked on before the next review. Lastly, there should be time for the manager/supervisor to discuss any other evaluation comments with the employee.
How long does it take to complete an employee evaluation?
It is important to take employee evaluations seriously and complete the evaluation form with thought. Your employees keep your business going and are valuable. This is your time to help them see their qualities that can be capitalized on to be more successful and weaknesses they need to work on. Take time to critically think about each employee before quickly filling out the your form. This may be different for each manager, but it could take 30-60 minutes (+/-) to honestly complete an evaluation. It is suggested to block out an hour to spend discussing the evaluation with your employee to clarify any questions they may have and give you time to further explain your responses.