Performance Review Terms

Craig David

I have created a performance review system where managers are asked to rate their employee on various job related areas using 3 categories, Commendable, Effective, and Marginal. I have a basic system that Commendable equals a 2 score, Effective a 1, and Marginal a 0, and in the end you add up the numbers to get a certain merit raise. I have clearly defined what each term means but my managers do not like the terms themselves. They recommended we just use A, B, or C or even one manager said we could use colors. Their concern is that the terms have their own implied meaning regardless of the definition. I also informed them we were going to do a calibration exercise to get every manager on the same page but they were still resistant.

What terms do you use to rate your employees? Any suggestions of new terms I am open to anything besides colors?

Thanks
Craig

Don D

I agree that your labels are going to have undesirable connotations. The ones our corporation uses are as follows:

Unsatisfactory: Performance results fail to achieve core essential functions of the position.

Working Toward Goals: Most position performance agreements and/or assignments clearly achieved. Positively working towards achieving all objectives.

Achieved: Performance achieves all position performance agreements and/or assignments.

Exceeds: performance exceeds some position performance greements and/or assignments.

Outstanding: Performance far exceeds all position performance agreements and/or assignments.

ritaanz

We have three.

Excellent - Exceptional performance. Greatly exceeds expectations

Satisfactory - Good performance. Performs to standard

Minor - Marginal performance. Slightly below expectations

Works for us.

smaces_twin

consistently exceeds expectations
exceeds expectations
meets expectations
below expectations
consistently below expectations

Take the middle three and you've got 1-3.

AJ SPHR

We use a 3-point scale with the terms used by smaces_twin's company:
3 - Exceeds Expectations
2 - Meets, sometimes exceeds expectations
1 - Does not meet expectations

We purposefully stated the middle category the way it is so that it captures some of the "fair" category, the "good" category and the "very good" category. Otherwise managers have a tendency to rate someone a 3 when an employee occasionally exceeds expectations. So our 2 category is very broad. It works well for us.