Performance appraisals in improving employee performance

Performance appraisals in improving employee performance All organization faces the problem of directing the energies of their staff to the task of achieving organization goals and objectives. In doing so, organization need to devise means to influences and channel the behavior of their contributions. Performance appraisals constitute one of the major management tools employed in this process. This is based on the perception of an individuals performance in a job is improved by having definite goals, feedback about their performance and complemented by an appropriate reward system. Therefore, performance appraisal are been implemented. Performance appraisals are used in nearly all organization in worldwide. Corporations use different tools and have a number of goals for performance appraisal often resulting in some confusion as to the true purpose of performance appraisal systems. However, it is core because it allows an organization to measure and evaluate an individual employees behavior and accomplishment over a specific period of time (DeVries et al, 1981). There are many advantages in using performance appraisal in facilities organizational decision employees decision such as reward allocation, promotion or demotions, layoffs or recalls and transfers (Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). It also assists manager to develop employees. Additionally performance appraisal may increase employee commitment and satisfactions due to improvements in organization communication. The outcomes of performance appraisal are in the form of work performance, affective organizational commitment and turnover intention are very crucial to support the overall growth of an organization. According to business dictionary, Performance Appraisals define as a process by which a manager or consultant and evaluates an employees work behavior by comparing it with present standards, documents the result of the comparison and uses the results to provide feedback to the employee to show where improvements are needed and why. Performance Appraisals are employed to determine who needs what training, and who will be promoted, demoted, retained or fired. Besides that, the employees merit like initiative, dependability, and personality to compare with others and ranked or rate base on their performances. Although the performance appraisal is very importance for every kind of organization, it does have several functions. The primary purpose of performance appraisal is to justify the individual performance most often through (1) Clarifying job requirement and standards. (2) Providing feedback to the employee regarding his or her progress toward meeting these standards (3) guiding future performance by formulating an action plan and allocating rewards and opportunity. The purpose of providing feedback is to improve performance in the future for employees and team leaders. Managers able to get valuable information from their staff regarding about the employee and it will help the employee to make their jobs more productive. This process can go through by providing feedback in performance appraisals work units can identify problems that interfere with everyones and take steps to rectify them. Besides that, it also provides an opportunity to discuss strength and resolution of performance deficiencies of an employee. By this, it will allow the employees to move in his/ her direction. The employers promote a positive attitude, advancement and motivation to make the employee to understand their own special potential and find the roles which they really fit well. This also helps the employee to develop as a whole-person which is an important aspect of modern corporate responsibility. The advantage of it is the employment market in which all employers com pete to attract the best recruits and to retain the best staff. Second purpose of performance appraisal is to guide future performance by formulating an action plan and allocating rewards and opportunity. This is where the action plan put into place. The employee should be given time frame for the implementation of the plan in the future. So that the employee can spelled out completely and know what actions should be taken and when it should implement. The organization should inform the employee regarding the plan. Therefore the employee know what is to be accomplished, once the implementation of the plan. Besides that the manager and employee should communicate on a regular basis to discuss the effectiveness of the plan. Therefore, the business moves one step closer to the achievement of their set goal and objectives. This also helps to maintains record of workers that are legally viable which can protect the business when dealing in cases of dismissals and demotions. Importance of performance Appraisal The need of the performance appraisal system is mainly to find out the area of strengths and weakness of the employees. These strengths and weakness are studied by the HR managers carefully and are discussed with the employees the time of the appraisal. The performance appraisal process involves setting of performance standards which can help the comparison of the performance of all the employees. Communication of these standards to all the employees of the company is also one of the most crucial processes in the performance appraisal process. Performance measurement is a process which taken time and lot of efforts on part of the senior management of the organization. At many places, marks or grades are given to the employees by comparing their actual employee performance with the desired performance. Performance appraisal strengths and weakness can help employees conduct a reality check on them and improve their performance. The last step in the performance appraisal process is that of decision making in which the employees are given sufficient time to learn new technologies, be more efficient, increase their working speed and improve the quality of their work. The performance appraisal methods adopted by companies can differ depending on their needs. In many organizations, the feedback on job performance is ambiguous or is given annually as a ritualistic exercise. Many subordinates therefore haven trouble in gasping how their efforts are perceived by the organization. Almost everyone who has worked at a job can remember times when they were unclear on how their performance was being judged. The annual performance appraisal system tends to serve only a little purpose such as salary administration, training and succession planning, but this is not the sole objective of performance appraisal. These objectives will only dilute and weaken the clarity and validity of any appraisal system. Most organization ties the formal appraisal system directly to salary increase, which decrease their validity. Performance appraisal systems are important for organization because it proper enforcement of personal decisions, help works as control device and also give guide the employee development. Performance appraisals provide employee and manager w ith opportunities to discuss areas in which employees excel and those in which employees need improvement. Performance appraisal should be conducted on a regular basis and they need not be directly attached to promotion opportunities. Performance appraisal is importance in term of personal attention because during the review, supervisor and an employee discuss the employees strengths and weakness. This give an opportunity for the employee personally face the supervisor and able to address personal concerns. Besides that, it also importance to communicate about the divisional and also company goal. These help the management to communicate with employee regarding about goal of the company and also highlight the way in which the employees can participate in the achievement of those goals. Benefit of appraisal Most significant benefit of performance appraisal is conducted properly by both supervisors and subordinates have reported the experiences as beneficial and positive. Many supervisor avoid administering performance reviews because the fear of criticizing their employees and also the paperwork. Employees also fear because of negative feedback, being refused a raise or punished for issues out of their control. But appraisal offers a valuable opportunity to focus on work activities and goals, to identify and correct existing problems and to encourage better future performance. Thus the performance of the whole organization is enhanced. Performance appraisal benefits the employee in (1) increased employee productivity and (2) improve areas of weakness. Increased employee productivity Supervisors use performance appraisals to help employees to get a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities within the framework of the company goals. When the employees know that they are an integral component to the overall performance of the company, they will feel more accountable with their duties. Therefore, the supervisor can accurately identify their weaknesses and assist employees in improving and also able to increase the productivity of the employee. Improve areas of Weakness Performance appraisals can expose employees weaknesses and enables them to improve for further career development. Employees have to use the feedback to expand their skill base and focus on areas that need coaching and education. Motivate employees Performance appraisal enables supervisors to formally recognize the achievements and contributions of their employees. The appreciation which receives from subordinates help to increased retention of highly productive employees. During the performance appraisals, supervisor may use incentives such as raises and promotions to motive the employees. For management, performance appraisals bring out the key and non-key performers. The management then takes steps to hone the key performers and develop the non-key into putting in their best. Performance appraisals identify the areas where training and development are needed. This is to expose their weakness and enable them to improve for future career development, if an employee desires to become a manager, yet leadership are lacking, performance reports reveal this incompetency. Employees use review to expend their skill base and focus areas that need coaching and education. This is to assist employees in deciding if they are in the industry that matches their values and personality. Besides that it helps the management to generate idea for improvement. How to improve employee performance Implementing employee appraisal is an important responsibility for a company manager and supervisor. Employees are highly praised for their contribution and given constructive ways to improve the area that are still being learned. Therefore, well designed appraisal systems can strengthen good relationships between supervisors and employees. To improve the appraisal system, there are several ways such as (1) a collaborative approach, (2) Clear objective, (3) Focus on observable behavior (4) Avoid personal feedback. A collaborative approach If both supervisor and employees help to develop the appraisal system, they are likely to endorse it. Therefore, the collaborative approach has several advantages. The appraisal system is likely to be accepted and endorsed by both supervisor and employees since it was created by their peers. Besides that, the actual appraisal form will probably be more meaningful and appropriate since it directly reflects the objectives of their peers. In addition, performance dimensions are tailored to the organization and are clearly defined in appropriate terms. The policies and procedures take into account organizational objectives and concerns. Clear objective In formal performance appraisal system there will be two objectives that compete during the appraisal process. Firstly is to provide feedback to the employees. This is to help the employees to develop themselves and improve their performance. Secondly is to document the performance and to communicate and support administrative decisions about salary increase, promotions, and transfers. Therefore, an effective appraisal system is to focus on one objective during the interviews. These help the supervisor to conduct the interview to improve performance as often as necessary for the benefit of employees, supervisors and the organization as a whole. Focus on observable behavior In appraisal process, discussion between supervisor and employee is most important. In this process, supervisor are not been trained to handle the interview with their employees. The main reason why this process is importance because it help the employees to understand and use the feedback to develop themselves and improve their performance in future. If the feedback it not clear, then it will be difficult for the employee to understand. Avoid personal feedback In all appraisal form contain a section on employee strengths and weaknesses where supervisors comment about the employees aptitudes and qualities that will contribute to or interfere with an employees job performance. In the form, the supervisor need to rate the employees on the personal traits such as maturity, attitude and personality. The problem arises when the supervisor gives feedback to their employees. The employees often become suspicious when they receive general comment such as rate between 3 on a 5 point scale of maturity or poor interpersonal skill. This type of feedback are often disagree by the employees because the characteristic being evaluated are not directly observed. The supervisor does not see the initiative, aptitude, maturity or even job knowledge and interpersonal skill of the employees but they see in a large number of individual behavior form they infer traits and aptitudes. The supervisors who evaluate their employees in these vague, subjective terms may find themselves in court defending their performance appraisals against charges of EEO violations and discrimination against women and minorities. Summary To summarize, performance appraisal should be viewed as a beneficial process within the context of an effective systems of personnel management. It should be accepted as a normal management responsibility to review the performance of all employees and for all managers to discuss performance with their subordinates on a regular basis. Performance appraisal can be an effective tool if they are used in a constructive and motivating manner. The appraisal should target specific areas of weakness and strength. It is importance for employees to know the areas where they are under performing as well as the categories where they excel. A performance appraisal should be a well-though out instrument designed to bring about a desired behavior. When you communicate with an employee using a performance appraisal, it provides an opportunity for clarification of any discrepancies. Those elements will help to ensure that performance appraisal conducted in any organization will yield the desired benef its and be more readily accepted by all concerned.

The Philippine Local Fiscal Administration in a Decentralized Setup

Decentralization in the Philippines took three forms- devolution, deconcentration and delegation. As Carino affirms, the framers of the 1987 Constitution institutionalized decentralization with the end-view of realizing democracy and development especially at the grassroots level. Devolution paved way for the transfer of political power from the central government to the local government units.This transfer of power and functions was accompanied by the provision of a higher Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), broader tax base and a just share in the national wealth to finance devolved responsibilities and provision of various goods and services. This was accompanied by deconcentration which is the transfer of administrative powers and functions from central offices of government agencies to the field offices at the regional, provincial, and municipal/city level.In consonance with the concept that local government units are more responsive to the needs of their communities, deconcentrat ion was institutionalized vis-a- vis devolution as a means for national government agencies (NGAs) to provide assistance to LGUs by setting standards in the implementation of various programs and monitor the operation and services of the LGUs along the different socio-economic and political dimensions.Contrary to the past practices wherein the central government through the national government agencies (NGAs) exercises a degree of control in the implementation of programs at the LGU level, deconcentration aims to lessen, if not remove, the control from the national government and replace it with supervisory functions. Ideally, through deconcentration, NGAs set standards and supervise LGU’s provision of various services to the community (i. e. DOH and LGU health services).Decentralization in the Philippines also took the form of delegation, or what other author calls as â€Å"debureaucratization†. This was the result of the surmounting clamor for participatory governanc e and active citizenship during the ouster of the late President Ferdinand Marcos through the People’s Power Revolution and even prior to and after the said historic event. The author of the Consitution saw it fit, as a response to the call of the times, to put greater emphasis on the involvement of non- government organizations, people’s organizations, and the private sector in governance.In this way, democracy and development was believed to be realized when the voices of the marginalized, poor and other people aggrupations are heard and considered in decision-making at the different government level. In contrast to the experience of other countries, decentralization in the Philippines took a complete form. This may be attributed to the political atmosphere in the 1980’s- 1900’s conducive to decentralization and democratic form of government. Colombia deconcentrated its state services but placed a limit in the delegation and devolution of powers.Same ca n be said with the experiences of Mexico and Togo. The Philippines also has a legal framework conducive to democratic decentralization. Decentralization throbs in the Article X of the 1987 Constitution where the Congress is mandated to enact a Local Government Code which â€Å"shall provide for a more responsive and accountable local government structure instituted through a system of decentralization†. Countries like Spain and China lack this legal framework despite substantial decentralization.This means that decentralization in the Philippines possesses a degree of â€Å"permanency† that would ensure the continuity in LGUs’ exercise of devolved powers and functions. In the words of Katorobo, decentralization in the Philippines has a â€Å"more stable environment† (Katorobo, 2004). The system of decentralization in the country is also more responsive to the needs of the local community. Unlike the experiences of India, China and Russia where powers and functions were only devolved at the state and regional levels, decentralization in the Philippines reaches down to the basic unit of government, the barangays.Due to our country’s bent towards democracy, the Philippines has a â€Å"higher form of decentralization† as compared to other countries (Ibid. ). The central government has transferred more powers and functions to the local governments and has provided more avenues for civil society engagement in local governance. Role of Local Fiscal Administration in a Decentralized Setup The transfer of powers and functions to local government units (LGUs) necessitates the transfer and redistribution of financial resources. LGUs need sources and means to finance devolved services.Thus, the Local Government Code of 1991 provided LGUs with an increase in the IRA share, broader tax base, and a just share in the national wealth. The redistribution of financial resources is essential for LGUs to realize local development as more r esponsive services are provided to the community. Local fiscal administration plays an important role in the attainment of local development as well as in the attainment of national goals. LGUs have to maximize powers and functions particularly their taxing powers and other functions in line with revenue generation and resource allocation to hasten development at the local level.A good local fiscal administration is needed to realize inclusive growth and poverty reduction as outlined in the Philippine Development Plan 2011- 2016. Improvements in the different aspects of local fiscal administration- systems, structures, processes, officials and personnel, and policy environment- is a means for the local government to obtain higher income levels to finance local government operations and services intended to uplift living conditions in the communities.As stated in the Handbook of Local Fiscal Administration in the Philippines by Celestino, et. al. , these improvements may come in the form of new technology, good staffing patterns, adequate skills of personnel, heightened awareness of LGUs of available credit facilities, enhanced capacity of LGU for development planning, and the presence of political will among others.These contribute to increased LGU revenues and improved delivery of services to the community. Ultimately, poor living conditions and issues on human development (i. e.  health diseases, malnutrition, illiteracy, unemployment, underemployment, environmental degradation, etc. ) are addressed when LGUs are able to provide more than adequate services. Improvements along these areas have an intrinsic value to the society. A healthier and educated population is a way of eradicating poverty. Same is true with the provision and generation of jobs at the local level. Same can be said with efforts to protect and preserve ecological balance in any given community. These contribute to the achievement of inclusive growth and eradication of poverty.Local Fisca l Administration 20 Years after the Code’s Enactment A closer look at the 20- year Philippine experience of decentralization,however, shows that the country has succeeded only to a certain extent in its decentralization efforts. Llanto, in his discussion paper, â€Å"The Assignment of Functions and Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations in the Philippines Twenty Years after Decentralization†, has observed that expenditure responsibilities with benefits confined within the territorial jurisdiction of local governments were correctly assigned to LGUs.By these, he means that the Code correctly devolved functions and responsibilities on social demands and concerns that LGUs are in the best positions to respond to. He also mentioned that the Code ensured a clear tax- expenditure assignment. Nonetheless, despite success stories on decentralization particularly on local fiscal autonomy, Llanto observed pressing issues that need to be addressed if the country has to succeed in its decentralization efforts. These issues are: 1. The conduct of regular local public expenditure review 2. The use of poverty index, human development index, or resource indicator instead of the equal sharing criteria. 3. The improvement of local tax administration. 4. The review and updating of local tax codes. 5. The institutionalization of a monitoring and reward system to recognize good local government performance in fiscal administration. 6. The avoidance of the imposition of unfunded mandates by the identification of source of funding apart from the coffers of the local government units 7. The alliance building/ resource pooling among LGUs for activities and services with inter-jurisdictional spillovers.There is still a lot of work to be done in our pursuit of successful decentralization and the attainment of local development. Legislators and other policy makers have to pause and seriously consider the issues which surfaced in our first 20 years of decentralization. I believe that if we are to make any progress, incremental steps have to be taken towards countering these issues and challenges. And there is no importune time than the present to start providing interventions to the multiple concerns that confront the Philippine decentralization system.

Mental state

1. Why is a defendant’s mental state at the time of the offense (MSO) important from a legal standpoint?From a legal standpoint, the relevance of the mental state of the defendant is important because it determines whether or not the act was done with any capability, aptitude, or ability.   These factors are relevant because they determine if the defendant acted with consciousness in the commission of the offense.   The commission of an offense without any knowledge of the gravity of the situation or under a state of insanity is an exempting circumstance that exonerates the defendant from any criminal liability.The mental state is also important during the custodial investigation wherein the defendant is read his Miranda Rights.   This is particularly important because the law provides that the accused has the right to know of the nature of the charges against him and the possible consequences of any answer which he may give during such questioning.   A mentally incapa ble or incompetent person will be unable to comprehend these matters and therefore it is important to determine his capacity.Another perspective is that the mental state of the defendant also determines his competency to stand trial (CST), Competency to refuse an insanity defense, Competency to confess, Competency to waive rights to silence, Competency to dismiss counsel, Competency to serve a sentence, and Competency to be executed.   Under the Constitutional requirement of due process, the defendant has a right to know the charges against him and also to cross examine any witnesses that will be presented as well as the right to defend himself in court.   Without a determination of the competency of the defendant, such rights of the defendant may be violated which is against the Constitutional guarantee of due process.2. What is the role of a forensic psychologist in such cases?The role of a forensic psychologist in such cases is to determine the mental competency of the defend ant.   The in-depth knowledge of human cognitive and emotional functioning that the forensic psychologist possesses enables him to arrive at a conclusion on whether or not the defendant is competent to stand trial.   The forensic psychologist can also conduct and insanity examination to determine whether or not the act was done with criminal intent (mens rea) by the defendant.The different forensic assessment instruments that the forensic psychologist utilizes in order to determine the competency of the defendant are the following, Competency Screening Test (CST), Competency Assessment Instrument (CAI), Interdisciplinary Fitness Interview (IFI) and the MacArthur Structured Assessment of the Competencies of Criminal Defendants (MacSAC-CD).3. What mistakes might a forensic psychologist make when conducting this type of evaluation?The most common error that a forensic psychologist might make during these types of evaluations involves the area of predicting the human behavior of the defendant.   While the different tests and evaluations that the forensic psychologists use may be relatively accurate in determining the competency of the defendant to stand trial and at the commission of the offense, the difficulty lies in determining how long the incompetency will last and whether or not the defendant is liable to commit future crimes in case the defendant is released or exonerated.At the present there is no way of determining whether or not the defendant may commit future crimes.   It must also be remembered that the forensic psychologist conducting the examination must also be well versed with the pertinent provisions of law applicable to the case.References:Adler, J. R. (Ed.). (2004). Forensic Psychology: Concepts, debates and practice. Cullompton: Willan.Ribner, N.G.(2002). California School of Professional Psychology Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology. Jossey-Bass. ISBN 0-7879-5948-0

A Critique Of America s Correctional System - 1444 Words

A Critique of America’s Correctional System: from prisonization to reform Imprisonment is a rising social issue in America. To put in a numerical perspective, America at only 4% of the world’s population of 7.1 billion is surprisingly the world’s largest jailer at an overwhelming 22 % of the global prison population (Lee 2015). Currently the prison system costs American’s nearly 70 billion dollars (Borowski 2015). With this amount of federal funds going towards housing and feeding inmates, questions begin forming about the effectiveness of the correctional system. Do the punishments fit the crimes, and if so, is it economically beneficial? This paper discusses the benefits and problems of the correctional system in the United States, and†¦show more content†¦One undeniably true statement remains: the American criminal justice system’s purpose is to provide fair and just judicial review for all, affordability to those that need it (Bureau of Justice Statistics). Discussions about correctional system reform take place not only for the aforementioned reasons, but also for the reason that evidence shows incarceration simply does not work. Two thirds (2/3) of prisoners re-offend. With statistics like these, incarceration appears to simply provide a place away from society to cast away criminals, all while costing citizens billions of dollars each year. Should the current methods continue, or is reform a feasible option? I think the numbers speak for themselves. America clearly has a problem with its correctional system. First, when looking at the numerical data about the prison population there is an overwhelming amount of minorities. Selke and Andersson state, â€Å"sociodemographic variables such as crime trends, unemployment rates, levels of urbanization, per capita incomes, educational opportunities, poverty levels, and the racial makeup of the population† all positively influence incarceration rates (2003). The idea behind the social stress theory suggests when multiple social stressors infiltrate an area that crime will also increase, leading to incarceration. Selke and Andersson’s study investigates imprisonment rates using the social stress theory which evaluates social