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Keeping a Diary on Employee Performance

December 8, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi 1 Comment

Keeping a Diary on Employee Performance

Blog reader Sasawat from Bangkok (Thailand) asks:

“I recently joined a multinational chemicals company that uses a performance appraisal system. I supervise seven engineers. To help me do their performance evaluations at the end of the year, should I maintain a diary to record their projects and actions?”

Most managers rely on employee performance in the period immediately preceding the performance evaluation deadline. Unfortunately, they do not weigh performance from throughout the year (or quarter, if their organizations use a quarterly review system.) Some employees exploit this behavior by slacking-off during most of the year and by shaping-up in the weeks before a performance evaluation is due.

Keeping a Diary on Employee PerformanceA log or a diary will help managers record employee projects and behaviors in one location. Clearly, recording significant and relevant examples of employee performance helps managers write objective performance summaries.

Recording events in a dairy every week, however, becomes overwhelming when you have seven employees. Instead, ask each employee to keep a diary of his/her achievements. Review this information with your employee once every week. Give regular, specific feedback, both affirmative and corrective. This ensures that you keep yourself informed of your employee’s work and demonstrates that you care about his/her current work and achievements.

When a performance evaluation is due, study the employee’s diary along with your notes, if any from your weekly meetings. You should not have to dig through your files or seek reports from various sources. You will have accumulated all the data you will need, in one place, to help you prepare for an effective performance evaluation statement and discussion.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. General Electric’s Jack Welch Identifies Four Types of Managers
  2. Employee Engagement: Show Them How They Make a Difference
  3. How to Start a Hybrid-Remote Work Model
  4. How to Handle Employees who Moonlight
  5. Seven Easy Ways to Motivate Employees and Increase Productivity

Filed Under: Managing People Tagged With: Great Manager, Performance Management

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. mdp says

    January 17, 2020 at 7:25 AM

    Very well written.
    Can we have an update in present day situation article with more actionable inputs on content of performance diary.

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About: Nagesh Belludi [hire] is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based freethinker, investor, and leadership coach. He specializes in helping executives and companies ensure that the overall quality of their decision-making benefits isn’t compromised by a lack of a big-picture understanding.

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