Workforce Assessment Assessed

Human resources execs concerned they’re not effectively measuring employee performance might find the Human Capital Management 2005 Study from Columbia, Md.,-based competency management and learning solutions provider Avilar Technologies worth a read.

Administered to 96 random human resources professionals, almost half of the respondents were at the senior management level working at organizations that ranged in size from less than 100 employees to more than 10,000.

On the issue of employee self-assessments, the good news is that 91 percent thought this popular tool is at least “somewhat accurate”; the bad news is many could also cite reasons why the tool isn’t “extremely accurate.” Forty-six percent, for instance, say employees have a tendency to either over- or under report their abilities; 45 percent believe employees feel an honest self-assessment may be used against them; and 41 percent think the competencies employees are using to assess themselves do not accurately reflect their job.

Respondents believed that manager assessments are only slightly more accurate than self-assessments. They identified several reasons why these evaluations are not extremely accurate. Sixty-one percent said managers have not been trained on how to properly assess people; 40 percent say the competencies managers are using to assess their employees do not accurately reflect the job; and 28 percent report that managers play favorites.

Though performance appraisals may not be the best way to assess the impact of competency management, more than half of the respondents indicated those appraisals are still what they use for that purpose.

More than half of the companies that participated in the survey said they are not currently using 360-degree assessments. Many said they do not use this tool because it is time consuming and too expensive, while some indicated their company has never considered implementing it, but they don’t know why. Surprisingly, 19 percent of respondents who said their company use 360-degree assessments work at companies with less than 100 employees. One explanation for this finding, Avilar posits, is the management in these companies has decided this tool is helpful for improving employees’ performance, so they are willing to spend money on it. Overall, 64 percent of the respondents who said their company uses 360 assessments are from companies with 1,000 or more employees.

For more information, visit www.avilar.com.