Hi Afolabi,
My apologies, I only saw your response now.
Appraisal Smart is a web-based (Internet or Intranet) Performance Appraisal/Review System that serves as an "electronic" (as opposed to paper-based) place to load Performance Agreements, performance evidence, completed Performance Reviews, and Performance Improvement Plans, as well as automating the rating process with resultant performance percentages to use e.g. for performance-based remuneration.
Both line manager and direct report can access the system and these electronic documents from anywhere in the world (also from their home PC’s of course) via the internet with their personal Login ID’s and Passwords. They can also save documents on their own PC’s and print it out. Every company buying an Appraisal Smart License gets its own dedicated system, plus all data gets encrypted for security reasons.
A web-based system, however, does not obviate the need for one-on-one, face-to-face appraisal interviews at all. These should still take place as always. Appraisal Smart only makes this entire process so much easier from an administrative point of view. Also, records of past Agreements, Reviews, and Performance Improvement Plans (stored in the system Archive) are click-easy accessible, and never get deleted.
So subjectivity or objectivity when using it is not a function of the system itself, but of the way Performance Measures and Standards with Rating Keys are formulated (plus actual performance measured and recorded during the performance period of course).
Re your question as to how to evaluate some-one who is physically far away from you:
Every situation will call for a customised solution, but the following are guidelines:
• You cannot evaluate someone’s performance if you do not know how they have performed (this even happens sometimes with employees physically close to line managers when the latter use a poor performance management system)
• Only QUANTIFIABLE MEASURES can be evaluated objectively, despite a geographical separation between appraisor and appraisee (e.g. sales targets)
• QUALITATIVE MEASURES (what you call “physical & emotive�) (being subjective, e.g. Competencies) cannot be assessed by someone who did not observe it personally.
In the latter case, you need to involve those who CAN report on those subjective performance measures of some-one reporting to you, but who are geographically removed from you. Such respondents can typically be that person’s location/branch/regional manager (even if not line manager), team mates/colleagues, customers, and suppliers (i.e. 360-degree feedback/appraisal).
You can get their input by means of e.g. appropriately designed (and anonymously completed) BEHAVIOURAL QUESTIONNAIRES sent to them (Appraisal Smart will also cover this functionality soon - all done online).
The full result of such an appraisal will thus be a combination of what you can personally assess as line manager (the quantitative), and what people close to the employee will tell you in questionnaires (the qualitative).
Read all about the Features and Benefits of the Appraisal Smart System on our website:
www.appraisal-smart.com (A number of companies are using it already).
Cheers
William