Question 1:

Performance appraisals evaluate an employee's current and or past performance relative to his or her performance standard (Dessler, 2013). This seems to be the standard way of evaluating employees, at least in my current organization. Depending on your rank the Army has a monthly or quarterly counseling session in which your superior goes through all the areas in which you are doing well, needing improvement, and setting goals for you to achieve to make you a better soldier which will help you get promoted. For me being a Senior Non Commissioned Officer "NCO" I get counseled quarterly, during these counseling sessions my boss goes over what achievements I have made throughout the quarter, also we set new goals. During this time he or she will let me know where I rank currently with all my peers. This ranking system then goes on our annual report, which, gets used when it comes time for promotion. If you really want to progress in the Army now it is important to be within the top three NCO's that are being rated in the same job as you. This ranking system really helps clear up who is really deserving of the promotion. However, the rest of the annual report is sometimes fluffed up to make a person sound better than they really are. This is usually due to having weak leaders who are afraid to tell the soldier the truth and try to save face instead. But again the recent change to ranking all the NCO's will help with this, as you can't fluff a person up but then have a low ranking number. If I could change one thing about the current evaluation guidelines I would make it to where the individual would have to develop a plan for him or herself each year to show exactly how they plan to become a better leader, this will help during the evaluation process as it gives one more area to hold the person accountable. Also this will show how much drive the person has which will again help rank the NC

Question 2:

I think it is possible to link an appraisal to a performance appraisal, but in only in some circumstances. Generally, a performance appraisal should, as our text stated, set work standards, assess the employees actual performance relative to those standards, and provide feedback to help the employee eliminate performance deficiencies, or to continue to perform above par. The KEY is to have clearly defined performance standards, and a clearly defined policy of performance bonuses. This is very easy to conceptualize in a manufacturing setup, where a bonus may be paid for meeting or exceeding a defined manufacturing goal. It becomes more difficult when the employee is more knowledge-based, and the job may not have such clearly defined endstates.

In the manufacturing case, the appraisal/performance bonus could be tied together, as long as both are (again) clearly defined, and do not change arbitrarily. That way, the appraisal can discuss the employee's ability to meet defined standards as a part of the discussion, and discuss other issues separately.

If it were up to me, I would ensure performance tasks, performance goals, and any associated rewards were clearly defined and provided to all employees via their managers. These goals need to be as quantifiable as possible in order to minimize (or eliminate) bias, and allow the manager to provide continuous feedback. Without that, the appraisal process would be "nebulous and fuzzy", and provide too large an opportunity for generic feedback, without truly providing the employee with the appraisal they deserve, good or bad. This results in employee dis-satisfaction, and then employee churn.

Question 3:

What are the factors that would make you most likely to quit a job?

The primary factors that would make me consider finding alternate employment are lack of upward mobility, not feeling valued for my contributions to the organization, unwarranted micro-management, and an overall lack of camaraderie or teamwork.

Is the relationship between your pay and your perception of your performance a reason?

Not now...I'm active duty and have no choice. J When I retire, factors such as cost of living and getting paid what I think I am worth will be part of the equation.

Why or why not?

Why: when I retire from military service - In my opinion, certain compensations can make a person feel more valued and should result in a reciprocal amount of effort to do their best. There is time off, awards, public recognition, and monetary benefits (e.g., performance bonus) (Dessler, 2013).

What could your organization do to keep you?

Be fair, consistent, and judge personnel based on actual performance.

Question 4:

Factors that would make me want to quit my job are pay, promotion opportunity, work/life balance, length of commute, nature of work, and company culture. The relationship between my pay and my perception of my performance is a factor that I would consider. For example, if I am consistently working hard and I deserve a promotion; I would want to be rewarded for my exceptional performance. If I never received promotions for my hard work, I would be less motivated to strive for more responsibility or go above and beyond for the company. If my organization created motivation for me to work harder and receive more responsibilities, I would definitely consider staying. For example, rewarding and acknowledging my hard work and occasional bonuses/ promotions.