Assignment #2 

Week 3  – Assignment Due  
(Sunday of that week)

Length: 500 – 750 words


Please choose from among the following scenarios, and prepare a performance appraisal of the individual you have selected.  You must include in your document each of the bulleted points which are indicated below.

You have identified a member of your department whose performance over the past year has been marginal, at best. However, you also know that this particular individual has been struggling with health issues which have resulted in temporary hospitalization for a one-week period, and so, you attribute a significant level of his or her performance to these physical problems.  While this person does not generally have a role which requires a consistent level of interaction with other staff members, you would like to see if such duties can be added, and would also like to set a specific deadline by which time you will be able to establish this individual’s longevity within your department.


You have a technical writer on your staff who has just retired from active military service.  The individual is quiet, articulate, and cooperative; however, you also notice that he or she tends to exhibit a lack of self-confidence, in terms of completing assigned writing tasks.  Such a trait is particularly evident during the construction of technical manuals and/or other types of proposals which require a group effort.  You want to support this staff member’s desire to advance in the company; but, you also believe that you have to be able to successfully address these specific issues first.


One of the strongest producers on your staff is a woman who is now six or seven months pregnant, and while you want to promote her, you are also very cognizant of the fact that she is about to take a three-month maternity leave, once her child is delivered.  Therefore, in evaluating her relative “usefulness” to the company, you have to factor in how much her level of seniority translates into higher pay, and whether her absence has the capacity to interfere with her promotion potential.

You have a worker who is extremely detail-oriented and is a “people-pleasure” by nature.  Thus, any assigned task that you give this person, he or she willingly completes, and makes sure that very few, if any errors are committed in response.  However, the same staff member is also quite shy and has difficulties, in terms of standing up for him- or herself, which has actually led to several interoffice confrontations with co-workers.  Now, you have to decide, weighing the person’s abilities and attitudes against the impact that his or her performance has had upon the morale of your department, whether a promotion is in order.  


Assignment Criteria:

Compose an original Job Performance Appraisal and Planning Form, which must consist of the following key elements:

In your Introduction, you must describe the duties this individual has been assigned, related tasks that he or she has completed, and responsibilities which have not been executed satisfactorily, as well a brief explanation of the impact this person’s performance has had upon your department’s overall goals and objectives.

Your second section must include a “ranking scale” such as “Level 1,” “Level 2,” etc., which indicates certain objective criteria that are being used to evaluate the employee’s performance.  Thus, each corresponding increment on the scale must have an identifiable subheading such as, “Outstanding,” “Performs to Expectations,” and, “Needs Improvement,” that will clearly indicate the category to which you are assigning this person.  Additionally, underneath each subheading, you must include a brief (three- to five-sentence) explanation of the performance standards which define each ranking.  Similarly, you must also include a “box” beside each category, and then, place a checkmark in the appropriate box which most clearly designates this employee’s level of performance.

Your third section must identify at least three goals which were set during last year’s evaluation, and a corresponding rating of how well that staff member has done.  Similarly, an optional element is to include a “Comment” section that provides additional information regarding “outcome,” with respect to the employee’s progress toward reaching each of these goals.

Your fourth section will include a list of specific job responsibilities that this individual has been assigned, and a corresponding rating scale as well.  Then, for each of the duties which are defined, include a two- or three-sentence explanation of what the maximum level of performance would be, in order to complete each task successfully.  The corresponding rating scale will then assess actual performance versus each of these stated objectives.

Your fifth section will simply indicate a cumulative total of the previous performance criteria, and define the outcome as one final “ranking.”

Your sixth section will then identify at least five significant goals, duties, or tasks that the staff member will be expected to perform and/or achieve during the coming year.  A corresponding one- or two-sentence explanation must also be provided for each of these performance criteria which indicate to the employee how his or her “success” will be measured.

Your seventh and final section must include a Performance Development Plan that will clearly identify the most important outcomes to be achieved during the coming year, and how these expectations are aligned with departmental goals.