How To Evaluate Employees?

Employee evaluation or appraisal is a primitive administrative art that is considered by many to be a dirty job, as it involves one person judging another, which always leaves a sense of dissatisfaction and a doubt whether it is a foolproof method. However, it is done by each and every company, big and small, as it is essential for the growth of the company. In some companies, it is documented as a proper appraisal system; whereas, in others it is done informally.

The evaluation systems should be designed in such a way that they lessen any bias on employees. There is no one method that is better than another and it all depends on individual organizational setting. A method most suitable for one may spell disaster to another.

Reason for Evaluation

There are several reasons why employee evaluation is done. It is done to see if an employee deserves a change in position or compensation, to determine if an employee is performing well during training, to see if an employee needs to be terminated or just as part of a continuous research on personnel that many companies conduct.

Who is evaluating?

The next step is to determine who is going to perform this evaluation on a regular basis. This is based on the kind of information that is sought and it may involve one or more people. It is also a good idea to have the customers and co-workers provide evaluation, as well as the employees themselves evaluating their performance. This way all angles are taken care of and the evaluation is bound to be more comprehensive.

Methods Of Evaluation

A comprehensive evaluation includes one that focuses on the employees’ traits, behavior and results; although some organizations focus on any one or two of these traits.

Trait-focused: In an evaluation system where the focus is on the traits of the employee; the punctuality, discipline, helpfulness and dependability among other traits are looked at. Many experts are of the opinion that this is a very biased evaluation related to circumstances. It has also been found that the accuracy of this type of evaluation is low and it is advised that this form of evaluation be used to supplement other types of evaluation.

Behavior-focused: This entails focusing on the behavior of the employees. This actually entails looking at what each employee does, whether an employee is performing in an appropriate manner in the company or if any inappropriate behavior is noted. This trait is rated from poor to excellent on the rating scale. It shows in which areas an employee excels and the areas they will have to work on.

Result-focused: The last but the best form of evaluation is the one that focuses on the performance of an employee. It shows what each employee has accomplished in their jobs. This is the most commonly used employee evaluation tool that helps in gauging the employees’ contribution to the company. It entails evaluating the quantity of work done, quality of work done, attendance and employee safety. Towards this end, production reports are created on a daily basis and the evaluation, whether it is monthly or quarterly or yearly is based on facts and figures from these reports. The safety incident reports, safety evaluation reports, quality reports and attendance reports are checked. In many companies, interviews with the employee’s supervisor, co-workers, customers as well as the employees themselves are conducted.

Informing The Employees

Once the employee evaluation system is in place, employees should be intimated as to the way they are going to be evaluated. There should be no surprises in store for them and they should know everything the management is planning. This encourages employees to show better results, which is what any company should be looking at. If some employee fails to live up to the mark in spite of having been told about the evaluation, the employer has a legal right to terminate or take disciplinary measures.

The Actual Employee Evaluation

Once the employees are informed, the next thing to do is to put the system into practice. Employee evaluation cannot be a quick process. It is a continuous process and the results taken either every month, 3 months, 6 months or yearly depending on the company. This evaluation helps with any administrative decisions, such as hiring, promotion, rises and firing.

These evaluation reports should consist of both positive and negative aspects of an employee’s performance and critical incidents involving the employees should be logged separately.

Discussing the evaluation

This is done with the employees themselves and they should be given a clear picture of their performance and some companies even give a small evaluation report to the employees. They even have a self-appraisal form that the employee fills up, which may reveal crucial points from the employee’s perspective that the management may have not noticed.

As long as the evaluation reports do not contain remarks, such as “She is God’s gift to the company and the company survive without her” or “He has fallen so low with his performance, he is digging his own grave,” employee evaluation helps a company improve by having good reliable employees as well as maintaining a good employer-employee relationship.

Semana

SENAKULO / HOLY WEEK RITUALS & PROCESSIONS
April 6 12 | Nationwide
A nationwide celebration of Lenten Season

SEMANA SANTA SA BIKOL
April 6 12 | Calabanga, Camarines Sur
A week-long observance of Bicolanos unique religiosity and a pilgrimage to “Amang Hinulid”

MORIONES FESTIVAL
April 6 12 | Marinduque
A festival of the moriones, colorfuly garbed and masked soldiers and centurions; culminates in the reenactment of the beheading of Longinus. The entire towns of Boac, Mogpog and Gasan are virtually converted into huge stages as the story of Longinus unfolds.

ALLAW TA APO SANDAWA (TRIBES HONOR MT. APO)_
April 7 | Kidapawan City, North Cotabato
A gathering of all highland tribes in honor of Mt. Apo as the country’’s highest peak, it comes as no surprise that Mt. Apo is considered sacred ground. Join the highland tribes of Mindanao to the mountain in this annual gathering.

“3RD ASEAN PARAGAMES VISMIN ELIMINATION GAMES”
April 7- April 9 | Zamboanga City
Paralethics from Visayas and Mindanao will converge in Zamboanga City for a three-day sports competition. Champions in this event will then compete in the 3rd ASEAN Paragames to be held in Manila in December 2005.

NATIONAL INVITATIONAL SKIMBOARDING COMPETITION
April 8- April 9 | Misamis Oriental
A showcase of skills, courage and agility of skimboarders coming from various parts of the country.

MT. HAMIGUITAN JOURNEY
April 08 - 12 | La Unino, San Isidro, Davao Oriental
A trek to Mt. Hamiguitan where one finds the 600 hectares Bonsai Field or the so called “Pgymy Forest”.

GEMS OF THE PHILIPPINES (YAMAN NG PILIPINAS)
April 08 | Maharlika Hall of Casino Filipino, Parañaque City
A dinner/cultural show presented by the Asian Gem Tourism Foundation, Inc. in cooperation with DOT and PAGCOR. It is an authentic cultural extravaganza showcasing the rich heritage of Filipino culture, fashion, traditions and festivities through dances, music and songs.

ARAW NG KAGITINGAN_
April 9 | Mt Samat, Bataan
The fall of Bataan is commemorated every year. Top government officials, Japanese and American WW II veterans including their Filipino counterparts and visitors go to Mt. Samat to participate at the annual rites held to honor the bravery of the soldiers who fought for the defense of Bataan.

PASKO SA KASAKIT (SEMANA SANTA SA BANTAYAN)_
April 9 10 | Bantayan, Cebu
A unique mixture of solemn religious rites and local celebration in Bantayan Island where friends of the residents and tourists experience the scenic rites and cool off the summer heat in beautiful white sandy beaches

Aswang

April Fools’ Day: Origin and History

April Fools’ Day, sometimes called All Fools’ Day, is one of the most light hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar.

New Year’s Day Moves

Ancient cultures, including those as varied as the Romans and the Hindus, celebrated New Year’s Day on or around April 1. It closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.) In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the new year.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year’s Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year’s day to Jan. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on “fool’s errands” or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.

Problems With This Explanation

There are at least two difficulties with this explanation. The first is that it doesn’t fully account for the spread of April Fools’ Day to other European countries. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, for example, but April Fools’ Day was already well established there by that point. The second is that we have no direct historical evidence for this explanation, only conjecture, and that conjecture appears to have been made more recently.

Constantine and Kugel

Another explanation of the origins of April Fools’ Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.

“In a way,” explained Prof. Boskin, “it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor.”

This explanation was brought to the public’s attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they’d been victims of an April Fools’ joke themselves.

Spring Fever

It is worth noting that many different cultures have had days of foolishness around the start of April, give or take a couple of weeks. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25, rejoicing in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar has Holi, and the Jewish calendar has Purim. Perhaps there’s something about the time of year, with its turn from winter to spring, that lends itself to lighthearted celebrations.

Observances Around the World

April Fools’ Day is observed throughout the Western world. Practices include sending someone on a “fool’s errand,” looking for things that don’t exist; playing pranks; and trying to get people to believe ridiculous things.

The French call April 1 Poisson d’Avril, or “April Fish.” French children sometimes tape a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying “Poisson d’Avril” when the prank is discovered.

The Top 10 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time

#1: The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest

1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, “place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”

#2: Sidd Finch

1985: Sports Illustrated published a story about a new rookie pitcher who planned to play for the Mets. His name was Sidd Finch, and he could reportedly throw a baseball at 168 mph with pinpoint accuracy. This was 65 mph faster than the previous record. Surprisingly, Sidd Finch had never even played the game before. Instead, he had mastered the “art of the pitch” in a Tibetan monastery under the guidance of the “great poet-saint Lama Milaraspa.” Mets fans celebrated their teams’ amazing luck at having found such a gifted player, and Sports Illustrated was flooded with requests for more information. In reality this legendary player only existed in the imagination of the author of the article, George Plimpton.

#3: Instant Color TV 1962:

In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.

#4: The Taco Liberty Bell

1996: The Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

#5: San Serriffe

1977: The British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement devoted to San Serriffe, a small republic said to consist of several semi-colon-shaped islands located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture of this obscure nation. Its two main islands were named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. Its capital was Bodoni, and its leader was General Pica. The Guardian’s phones rang all day as readers sought more information about the idyllic holiday spot. Only a few noticed that everything about the island was named after printer’s terminology. The success of this hoax is widely credited with launching the enthusiasm for April Foolery that gripped the British tabloids in subsequent decades.

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#6: Nixon for President

1992: National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech. Listeners responded viscerally to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was impersonated by comedian Rich Little.

#7: Alabama Changes the Value of Pi

1998: The April 1998 issue of the New Mexicans for Science and Reason newsletter contained an article claiming that the Alabama state legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi from 3.14159 to the ‘Biblical value’ of 3.0. Soon the article made its way onto the internet, and then it rapidly spread around the world, forwarded by email. It only became apparent how far the article had spread when the Alabama legislature began receiving hundreds of calls from people protesting the legislation. The original article, which was intended as a parody of legislative attempts to circumscribe the teaching of evolution, was written by physicist Mark Boslough.

#8: The Left-Handed Whopper

1998: Burger King published a full page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a “Left-Handed Whopper” specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to request the new sandwich. Simultaneously, according to the press release, “many others requested their own ‘right handed’ version.”

#9: Hotheaded Naked Ice Borers

1995: Discover Magazine reported that the highly respected wildlife biologist Dr. Aprile Pazzo had found a new species in Antarctica: the hotheaded naked ice borer. These fascinating creatures had bony plates on their heads that, fed by numerous blood vessels, could become burning hot, allowing the animals to bore through ice at high speeds. They used this ability to hunt penguins, melting the ice beneath the penguins and causing them to sink downwards into the resulting slush where the hotheads consumed them. After much research, Dr. Pazzo theorized that the hotheads might have been responsible for the mysterious disappearance of noted Antarctic explorer Philippe Poisson in 1837. “To the ice borers, he would have looked like a penguin,” the article quoted her as saying. Discover received more mail in response to this article than they had received for any other article in their history.

#10: Planetary Alignment Decreases Gravity

1976: The British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that at 9:47 AM a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that listeners could experience in their very own homes. The planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment that would counteract and lessen the Earth’s own gravity. Moore told his listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment that this planetary alignment occurred, they would experience a strange floating sensation. When 9:47 AM arrived, BBC2 began to receive hundreds of phone calls from listeners claiming to have felt the sensation. One woman even reported that she and her eleven friends had risen from their chairs and floated around the room.