APPRAISALS AND CAREER PLANNING

It is inevitable and fortuitous that going through the evaluation process frequently causes employees to review their own career progress or master plans. More than anything else, an appraisal tells you how you are doing and whether you should make adjustments to your long-term career path. It is a time of self-evaluation.

As a front-line supervisor, you will want to tie your appraisals to the future planning of your employees. If they receive weak appraisals, what can they do to make improvements before the next period arrives? What self-improvement projects might they undertake to eliminate deficiencies?

Mrs. Petronzio was the director of a convalescent home with a staff of thirty-six. This year, for the first time, she was required by new management to do appraisals on all employees. She viewed the new responsibility as a challenge that could increase staff productivity and spent considerable time reading about appraisal techniques and getting acquainted with the form.

Her first appraisal was with Maisie, a vocational nurse, who was highly dependable and capable of taking over any position that did not require the presence of a registered nurse. Mrs. Petronzio rated Maisie excellent in every category but cooperativeness because, in recent months, Maisie had become irritated with others in a variety of situations.

Under Mrs. Petronzio's gentle probing, Maisie admitted that she was frequently upset over the poor attitudes and performance of registered nurses who were paid substantially more than she. When Mrs. Petronzio suggested that Maisie could qualify as a registered nurse with special training at a local college, she was interested. Eventually she undertook the program. Not only did Maisie receive an excellent rating in all factors the next time around but, after three years of training, she became a registered nurse—something that might not have occurred without the formal appraisal interview.