Why Introduce Staff Assessment in Your Manufacturing Business
Employee performance is important for the success of any manufacturing business. Therefore, boosting employee performance should be the priority of any manufacturing business owner. While your human resources department will advise you to focus on the development and motivation of your staff, staff performance assessment should come first.
Staff performance assessment refers to the evaluation of staff productivity to help craft strategies for improvement. Manufacturing business owners rely on staff assessment to identify the employees eligible for promotions and wage increases. They also rely on it to identify the problems their employees face in their day-to-day work. Below are the methods of staff performance assessment you can use in your manufacturing business to boost the performance of your employees.
Management by Objectives (MBO)
MBO is among the commonest staff assessment methods that allow managers and employees to identify, plan, organize, and communicate the objectives to be prioritizeD during an appraisal. After setting the objectives, the managers and employees discuss the progress for establishing and controlling the feasibility of their objectives.
Manufacturing business owners use this method to ensure that their goals and those of their employees match. Still, the method focuses more on intangible goals, such as interpersonal skills and commitment to work. Employers base their judgment on the assessment results at the end of the review period, which may be quarterly, half-yearly, annually, or bi-annually.
360-Degree Feedback
Business owners base this multi-dimensional assessment method on the information they gather from the circles of their employees, such as managers, peers, clients, and direct reports. One great thing about the 360-degree feedback method is that it eliminates bias during reviews.
A quick example, if a manager gives negative feedback about one employee because they have never gotten along well, you will easily note it after checking the reviews of other circles, such as the clients and their peers. One effective remedy for such situations involves moving the employee or manager to another department.
This staff assessment method has many components, which include self-appraisals. Self-appraisals allow the employees to examine themselves and identify their strengths and weaknesses. The other key components of this method include peers reviews, managerial reviews, subordinate appraising managers, and client reviews.
Assessment Center Method: Iskander Makhmudov
This method came into being in the early 1930s but it was later improved to match the needs of modern businesses. Unlike the other two assessment methods in our list, the Assessment Center Method helps employees see how other people see them and understand the implications of their performance. One big advantage of this assessment method in the manufacturing industry is that it allows managers to gauge the performance and predict the future performance of employees.
The assessment center method requires employees to participate in social-simulation activities, like decision-making problems, information discussions, and some other tasks that help enhance the success of roles in the manufacturing business. However, like other assessment methods, the assessment center method has its drawbacks. One big problem with this method is that it is cost-intensive and it takes a lot of time.
As this post has demonstrated, reviewing the performance of your employees in your production facility regularly to boost their productivity and efficiency is important. As Iskander Makhmudov states, staff assessment allows the management and business owners to understand their employees and help them attain their career goals. It also helps them minimize staff attrition. So, it is time to choose one of the assessment methods above and employ it in your business.
