TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Accurate Annual Evaluations Are Important Management Tools

ADVERTISEMENT

Highlands Today Staff

Published: September 23, 2007

It seems odd that Avon Park doesn't do annual evaluations of department heads. That's the case, though, and we don't believe it's fair to department heads and it's certainly not good management of people by business standards.

Good managers understand that employees need to know where they stand on a regular basis, which means regular communication. Along with that, they should have an accurate evaluation every year. The key word here is "accurate." Glowing annual evaluations sure make everyone feel warm and fuzzy, but they don't begin to identify weaknesses, strengths and areas where improvement is necessary.

Sitting down with a good employee and telling them that along with all their positives, they also have weaknesses is one of the toughest things a manager has to do. It's also, perhaps, the most important thing they do.

City Manager C.B. Shirey said doing annual evaluations are not his style. He even told a Highlands Today reporter that there is research they are counterproductive. We've never seen research that makes such claims, although certainly somewhere someone has said that. But it's widely accepted in the business world that accurate evaluations are productive and allows employees know where they stand.

It's ironic that Avon Park department heads are not evaluated but some departments, such as the police, public works and finance, do annual employee evaluations. Why do the bosses dodge evaluations and employees receive them?

One reason given that evaluations are a bad idea is that they can be used in future litigation. It's true that if someone has received glowing evaluations, and then is fired for poor performance, it could be a legal issue if they are fired for the very things they were praised for in a review. Then again, if poor performance is not brought up during the evaluation process, then it is the manager who is at fault.

For those who at the time of their evaluation are doing a good job, and then performance drops off, documented poor performance actions in addition to annual evaluations are more than enough to protect from future legal action. Of course anyone can sue, but doesn't mean they will win.

Voters evaluate elected officials at election time, and they can make their voices heard through a variety of means. City, county and school managers should be evaluated regularly, as should every manager and employee below them. That's the way successful private businesses operate, and that model transfers just fine to public service.

We hope Avon Park, and any other local governments, uses basic business principles such as accurate annual evaluations to keep on track. Done right, they are invaluable to employees and managers. Done poorly, and they aren't worth the paper they are written on.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT