Here at Friendlier Organics, we believe in the principles of marketing and all that it stands for. When considering marketing, we often reference the 4 Ps of marketing of which People is one of them.

The following article is adapted from an Indeed article with our views on the importance of People to the success of your business. Without the right people for your business no amount of promotional marketing will offset the wrong people.

Why do we measure employees’ performance? Why do we measure our business performance? To identify what we are doing well and what needs improvement. Besides real estate, your employees are one of your biggest assets and resource. You want to know they are working well for your company. If you have employees then you would benefit from a recruitment strategy, this strategy will include elements post hiring.

Therefore measuring your employees’ performance is an essential tool to evaluate success and encourage improvement. A tool employers use is an evaluation/appraisal form, which they may refer to during an employee evaluation or performance review. Read on to learn what you should include in your employee appraisal forms and how to implement them with your team. We have included a few simple free templates for you to use. If you are uncomfortable carrying out performance reviews then please out for assistance. 

What is an appraisal form?

An appraisal form is a document that business owners, managers, and human resources staff use evaluate and track the performance of employees. The form should include goals, that are SMART and they often include ratings and room for comments on performance (both good and bad), this allows both parties to monitor progress and identify any trends. On an appraisal form, the employee’s direct supervisor keeps track of the employee’s achievements and contributions during a specific period. They also indicate the employees’ areas of strength and weakness. Resulting in a joint action plan to move forward. 

Managers often use the performance appraisal form to guide them through an employee’s performance review by highlighting specific items to discuss. When going through the appraisal form, both the employee and manager can work together to create goals for the employee. It is important to note that the whole evaluation process is a win-win environment and not an excuse to browbeat employees. Any matters that may require disciplinary action should be carried out separately via the company’s disciplinary procedure. 

How to create an appraisal form

A well-made performance appraisal form might be a very simple document, it helps both you and the employee understand what the employee is doing well and how they can improve. Include relevant appraisal factors that break down the evaluation by different skills, knowledge, and qualities. Customize the form to fit your company’s goals and the metrics you want to track for your employees. 

Here are some areas to consider when creating an appraisal form:
 

1. A rating rubric

Personally, I believe that all evaluations should include a measure to gain quantitative data. Think of the key objectives of an employee’s role and separate them into different categories. Then, rate how well they’re meeting each objective. A common rating system is the 5-point rating scale. Detail what each rating means to help managers in different departments rate employees consistently. Here’s an example of what each number signifies in this type of rating scale:

• 1 = Poor (consistently fails to meet expectations)
• 2 = Fair (frequently fails to meet expectations) 
• 3 = Good (usually meets expectations)
• 4 = Very Good (frequently surpasses expectations)
• 5 = Excellent (consistently surpasses expectations)

2. The employee’s achievements

Most employers fill out a new appraisal form for each performance review. Highlight the employee’s greatest achievements during the review period. Include what projects the employee successfully completed or what they did well.

3. What the employee can improve on

Think about what areas the employee could improve on. For instance, an employee might not communicate well with the team or they might show up late frequently, hurting their productivity.

4. Improvements since the last review

If the employee has already had a performance review, note the things they have or haven’t improved since your last meeting. Detail what actions they took to meet their previous goals. By reflecting on what worked for them, they can use this insight for their new goals.

5. The employee’s professional goals

Help the employee create new professional goals for this next review period. Choose SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals so the employee is more likely to accomplish this goal in a set timeframe.

6. Comments from the employee

The employee comments section lets employees explain themselves in writing. Here they can include why their work isn’t meeting company standards, or they could express what they enjoy about their position.

Performance appraisal template

An appraisal form should help you thoroughly evaluate your employees. It’s a useful tool to keep track of their efforts and achievements. Feel free to copy and paste this into a word document.

Here is a performance appraisal template you can use:

Employee’s name:
Position:
Department:
Supervisor’s name:
Review period:
Date of performance review:
 

[Objective 1]: [rating]
 

[Objective 2]: [rating]
 

[Objective 3]: [rating]
 

[Objective 4]: [rating]
 

[Objective 5]: [rating]
 

Overall rating: [number]/25
 

Achievements:
 

Areas of improvement:
 

Actions the employee took to improve from their previous review:
 

Professional goals:
 

Employee’s comments:
 

Appraisal form example

Fully complete an employee’s appraisal form so they can learn how they’re doing in each aspect of their job.

Here is an example to get you started:

Employee’s name: Lisa Nelson
Position: Marketing specialist
Department: Marketing
Supervisor’s name: Jorge Diaz
Review period: 7/1/19-1/1/20
Date of performance review: 1/12/20
 

Collaboration: 4
Lisa participated actively in the team meetings for the latest marketing campaign. She collaborated well with the graphic designer on the campaign to ensure the graphics matched the campaign goals.
 

Work ethic: 5
Lisa has thrown herself into her new position and is putting in the effort to understand and excel at her new responsibilities.
 

Problem-solving: 3
Because she’s new in the position, Lisa tends to go to her supervisor immediately when she faces a problem. She’s slowly gaining more confidence in herself and learning how to work through problems when they arise.
 

Decision making: 5
Lisa shows good judgment when developing marketing materials. She consistently uses market research on customer trends to make decisions about marketing campaigns.
 

Organization: 4
Lisa usually arrives on time and is ready to start work immediately. On the two days she arrived late during this review period, she worked late to work her full shift. Her organizational skills allow her to work efficiently on her marketing campaigns.
 

Overall rating: 21/25
 

Achievements: During her review period, Lisa was promoted from marketing associate to marketing specialist. In this new role, she is working hard to prove that she is ready for more responsibilities. 
 

Areas of improvement: Lisa could improve on trying to solve problems before seeking assistance.
 

Actions the employee took to improve from their previous review: Her previous goal was to come to work on time more consistently. Lisa made great strides in achieving this goal. When she comes in late occasionally, she is sure to stay late to make up her time.
 

Professional goals: During our review, Lisa expressed that she wants to be confident in her new role. She’s working toward this goal by trying to rely on herself to solve more problems. 
 

Employee’s comments: This has been a busy review period for me. Now that I know my strengths and weaknesses, I look forward to working toward my new goals. 
 

Frequently asked questions about appraisal forms

Appraisal forms are a great way for employers can keep track of their employees’ performance and have documented open communication. The key is to make sure you’re consistently filling the form out with impactful appraisal comments so you can accurately rate your employees.

Here are common questions employers ask about appraisal forms:

Can employees have an appraisal form to fill out?

Before your employee’s performance review, give them a self-evaluation form (with a how-to guide) to complete that has them identify their strengths and areas for improvement. This can help them reflect on their efforts and gives you or their manager a good idea of how the employee thinks they’re doing. This also helps you compare how you see them performing with their own point of view, which is often very different. You may find that inherent human nature takes over and they focus more on the negative.

Why are appraisal forms important?

They’re important because it helps the employer create an objective evaluation of an employee. When team members receive regular feedback, they can focus their attention on areas they need to improve and feel motivated by learning their strengths. It also protects the business should a relationship turn sour and requires parting ways. You have documented that journey.

Should employers get appraisal forms?

To learn how you’re doing as an employer, you could have your staff fill out an appraisal form to evaluate you. Employees may appreciate that you’re putting in the effort to be a better leader. Remember to put your ego to one side, and do not start a witch hunt.

What is the best appraisal method?

The best appraisal method can vary based on the industry, your evaluation goals, and your preferences. Using a numerical ranking system helps you quantify performance and make easy comparisons from one evaluation to the next. Combining the rankings with written statements and specific examples gives a well-rounded picture of the employee’s performance. A good balance between quantitative and qualitative data is ideal. Remember the appraisal methods needs to be a win-win for both employer and employee as it is a tool for both to grow.

What is the difference between a performance appraisal and a performance evaluation?

The terms performance appraisal and performance evaluation are often used interchangeably. They both describe the process of reviewing an employee’s work. A performance review is another common term used to describe the evaluation process. Your company can determine how often to conduct evaluations using the performance appraisal forms and how to implement them.

How often should an evaluation be carried out?
This depends on numerous factors, like the length of employment, is the company going through a pivot, has the employee recently taken on a new role. etc.

To Summarize The Benefits of Using a Performance Evaluation Form

• It can be used in measuring the overall performance of your employees.
• It helps in identifying different areas of commendation and those that need remediation.
• It makes it easy for an employer to rate his or her employees, dependent on their total percentage score.
• Performance evaluation offers both positive and negative feedback, which the employee can use in improving his or her work skills.
• Motivates employees, when supported by proper merit-based compensation systems.
• It provides a structured process on how to approach the management when you want to identify problems and clarify the expectations and plans.
• The collected detail can be used to measure and monitor the success of your business and the induction practices.
• It makes it possible to identify under-performers and decide whether to keep them with hopes of improvement or let them go.
• It makes it easy for record-keeping where you can review any changes at any time in the future.
• The performance form has an important role, especially when deciding who to promote, reward, or transfer.

Useful templates to download for free.

New Employee Performance Review Form

Employee Evaluation Form

Basic Staff Evaluation Form

Attracting employees to your company has the same principles as marketing your business. The difference is a change of audience, a change of message, and perhaps a change of the medium.

What is the difference between recruiting and business development? Here at Friendlier Organics, they go hand in hand, most businesses will need to recruit and hire staff to achieve business development, even if you are a gig economy company such as Uber etc.

Every time you put your company ‘out there, whether you are running a promo or posting a job, people form an impression of you. With recruitment, you have to convince your audience that what you are communicating and selling—a place in your company—is right for them.

Currently, it seems like everyone is hiring, so how do you cut through a noisy job marketplace and draw the best candidates to your business?

Read these five tips to successfully build your team.

1. Know what you want

Start with clearly identifying what the business needs. For most businesses, this is a great opportunity to carry out a gap analysis and find the right person for a job rather than just replace. What a specific job role means to you will be different from what it means to someone else. It is not just about skills and qualifications but also a good fit for your existing team, and other qualities. If you run a window-washing service, your top candidate might be “efficient and quick` mover”; if you are bringing on board a customer service representative, a “good listener and quick thinker” may be more of what you need.

It is good to avoid hiring someone just because you think they are like you. Certain differences can be a good thing and a source of fresh ideas. What’s key is for the candidate to fit the role, and not to change the role to fit the employee.

2. Search the right places

Once you are clear on your needs for an employee, you have to figure out where to look for it, this is where you will need to think outside the existing box, of indeed. If you’re seeking a recent graduate you’ll want to contact local universities or colleges. LinkedIn can be a great source for a wide range of professionals. Depending on who you’re looking for, you may need to try different channels. Your customer base could be an exceptional resource.

3. Set yourself apart

When you’re posting a position, aim to communicate what differentiates you from your competitors. As with marketing carry out a competitor analysis and base, it on their job adverts. When it comes to writing a posting, rather than give a laundry list of duties (the old, “the successful candidate will…”) try to paint a picture of what working in your business will be like. How does a typical day go for someone in that role? What will they start doing and where could they end up six months from now? Create a story in the mind of any potential candidates.

4. Let your employees be your ambassadors

No job board will sell your company as your employees can! If you really want your people to spread the word to their networks, you can even offer incentives for references. It can be worth it: Candidates referred by your own staff are more likely to be better employees and stay longer than random applicants.

5. Tailor your pitch to the person

When you’re ready to talk to a candidate, be sure to listen for what they’re looking for career-wise. Top performers don’t just want a job—they usually have career goals of their own and want to know how you can help them achieve their objectives.

Don’t be afraid to promote what your company has to offer, but at the same time be honest. There’s no point promising something you can’t provide, because they’ll find out sooner or later and may choose to move on when they do.

Approaching top talent on social media

A lot of companies post jobs on various social media platforms, such as Linkedin, Facebook, etc. However, you can also turn the search around and use social media to find people who would be good for your company.

If you’re approaching someone on social media, let them know why you’re contacting them, e.g.: “I saw on your LinkedIn profile you have lots of experience building apps for the construction industry. My company develops software for the sector and I wondered if you’d be interested in talking…”

And remember—you’re marketing yourself! Even if the person isn’t interested, thank them for their time and ask if they might know someone. Reaching out this way builds both your network and your brand.

Finally, a good strategy is to be always recruiting, what I mean, share your successes and team efforts, when you are ready to hire, potential clients will have been watching.

Do you need some help with your recruitment strategies? Then please reach out for a free consultation.