Do your performance appraisals boost productivity?

New managing duties stir up more anxiety between boss and subordinate than scheduled performance appraisals. Yet, Pas are an integral part of the employeeemployer relationship.

So how do you relieve that tension and tap the full benefits of performance appraisal? Training is the best answer. Wen you do them the right way, performance appraisals are key factors in boosting individual productivity and development," says Lester R. Bittel, professor emeritus of management at James Madison University and editor of The Encyclopedia of Management McGraw-Hill).

"Better still," he adds, "managers who are well-trained in conducting appraisals are injecting a dynamic motivating method into their managing styles."

Ifs ironic," Bittel admits. "Most employees really want to know How am I doing? 'but they seldom ask. Many managers would be happy to answer, but they hesitate to take the initiative."

Your first step in training is to make sure that anyone making appraisals understands this rule: Judge the work, not the person. In other words, appraise performance, not personal characteristics. But how do you hammer that rule into your appraisers?

IMPROVING APPRAISERS' SKILLS If your company is like most organizations, it is sure to have on record specific examples of poor appraisals, ones that placed a manager in deep trouble. Combine some of these common appraisal …