Offering a quick read on the basics of performance reviews, this guide features short, informally written chapters, bulleted lists, self-examinations, seven types of sidebars, and chapter-ending checklists of important points.

Most managers hate conducting performance appraisal discussions. What's worse, few feel confident in their ability to accurately assess the performance of a subordinate. In The Performance Appraisal Question and Answer Book, expert Dick Grote answers over 100 of the most common -- and most difficult -- questions about this vitally important but often misunderstood and misused tool, including:* How should I react when an employee starts crying during the appraisal discussion . . . or gets mad at me?* Which is more important -- the results the person achieved or the way she went about doing the.

Winner of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) Award of Excellence for 2008 Selected for the 2008 ISPI Award of Excellence for Outstanding Communication Foreword by Marshall Goldsmith While many supervisors know how to identify flaws in their employees' performance, only the best managers truly know what it takes to fix the problem. A Manager's Guide to Improving Workplace Performanc e offers a practical, step-by-step approach to guiding employees to excellence by analyzing their problem areas, developing creative solutions, and implementing change. Employee performance expert Roger Chevalier has helped thousands of managers and human resources professionals to bring out the best in their workers. Using case studies and real-life examples, he shows supervisors how to take their employees from good to great by: * using tools like the Performance Coaching Process, Performance Counseling Guide, and Performance Analysis Worksheets * tailoring the amount of direction and support to an employee's specific abilities and motivations * applying the Situational Leadership model to teams and individual employees. Practical and authoritative, this book offers a positive, yet realistic solution for one of the greatest workplace challenges facing managers.

Conducting performance appraisals can be a daunting prospect, especially for new managers. With the same brand of accessible and sage advice readers have come to rely on from The First-Time Manager, this helpful guide provides straightforward, useful information that will enable anyone to take on this important task with confidence and skill. Filled with ready-to-use tools including sample dialogues, phrases, and documents, as well as plenty of useful tips,The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Performance Appraisalsshows readers how to: review an employee’s past performance prepare for the face-to-face meeting assess how successful the employee has been at meeting goals set new objectives help develop career plans evaluate performers at every level understand the importance of coaching and counseling throughout the year write up the appraisal and use ratings follow up effectively This book is an essential resource for managers who want to get the most from the performance appraisal process . . . and from their people.

Managing people is a tricky business—and managers and small business owners need a clear understanding of the essentials of human resources to survive. The original edition of The Manager’s Guide to HR gives you an introduction to the regulations, rights, and responsibilities related to hiring and firing, benefits, compensation, documentation, performance evaluations, training, and more. However, much has changed since then. Extensively revised, this second edition covers all the key areas of the original edition and brings you up to speed on current developments in employment law, including: How social media is changing the recruitment landscape Shifting labor standards regarding compensation and benefits The National Labor Relations Board’s stance on work-related employee speech on social media The Employee Retirement Income Security Act New record-keeping requirements Amendments to the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act Featuring step-by-step guidance on everything from COBRA compliance to privacy issues, The Manager’s Guide to HR is now once again the most up-to-date, invaluable resource any manager of personnel could have.

For everyone who hates to write performance evaluations, this book will help managers keep superstars motivated, spur midlevel performers to superior work, and turn around problem employees. The CD-ROM enables managers to tailor evaluations to their own needs and requirements. Toropov also offers important advice on termination, nondiscriminatory appraisal practices and face-to-face communication techniques. Index.

Insights from organizations that are navigating the novel challenges of the digital workplace. How can technology and analytics help companies manage people? Why do teams working remotely still need leaders? When should organizations use digital assessment tools for gauging talent and potential? This book from MIT Sloan Management Review answers questions managers are only beginning to ask, presenting insights and stories from organizations navigating the novel challenges of the digital workplace. Experts from business and academia describe what's worked, what's failed, and what they've learned in the new world of work. They look at strategies that organizations use to help managers and employees adapt to the fast-changing digital environment, from the benefits of wool-gathering to the use of anonymous chats; examine digital tools for collaboration, including interactive spreadsheets and analytics that increase transparency; and discuss such “big-picture” trends as expanded notions of value and new frontiers in upskilling. A detailed case study, produced by MIT Sloan Management Review in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, explores how IBM reimagined talent and performance management with the goal of increasing employee engagement. Contributors Steve Berez, Ethan Bernstein, Josh Bersin, Matthew Bidwell, Ryan Bonnici, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Rob Cross, Chris DeBrusk, Federica De Stefano, Thomas H. Davenport, Angela Duckworth, Ken Favaro, Lynda Gratton, Peter Gray, Lindred Greer, John Hagel III, Manish Jhunjhunwala, David Kiron, Frieda Klotz,, David Lazer, Massimo Magni, Likoebe Maruping, Kelly Monahan, Will Poindexter, Reb Rebele, Adam Roseman, Michael Schrage, Jeff Schwartz, Jesse Shore, Brian SolisBarbara Spindel, Anna A. Tavis, Adam Waytz,, David Waller, Maggie Wooll

Efficiently and effectively assess employees performance. Are your employees meeting their goals? Is their work improving over time? Understanding where your employees are succeeding—and falling short—is a pivotal part of ensuring you have the right talent to meet organizational objectives. In order to work with your people and effectively monitor their progress, you need a system in place. The HBR Guide to Performance Management provides a new multi-step, cyclical process to help you keep track of your employees' work, identify where they need to improve, and ensure they're growing with the organization. You'll learn to: Set clear employee goals that align with company objectives Monitor progress and check in regularly Close performance gaps Understand when to use performance analytics Create opportunities for growth, tailored to the individual Overcome and avoid burnout on your team Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Do you supervise people? If so, this book is for you. One of a manager’s toughest—and most important—responsibilities is to evaluate an employee’s performance, providing honest feedback and clarifying what they’ve done well and where they need to improve. In How to Be Good at Performance Appraisals, Dick Grote provides a concise, hands-on guide to succeeding at every step of the performance appraisal process—no matter what performance management system your organization uses. Through step-by-step instructions, examples, do-and-don’t bullet lists, sample dialogues, and suggested scripts, he shows you how to handle every appraisal activity from setting goals and defining job responsibilities to evaluating performance quality and discussing the performance evaluation face-to-face. Based on decades of experience guiding managers through their biggest challenges, Grote helps answer the questions he hears most often: • How do I set goals effectively? How many goals should someone set? • How do I evaluate a person’s behaviors? Which counts more, behaviors or results? • How do I determine the right performance appraisal rating? How do I explain my rating to a skeptical employee? • How do I tell someone she’s not meeting my expectations? How do I deliver bad news? Grote also explains how to tackle other thorny performance management tasks, including determining compensation and terminating poor performers. In accessible and useful language, How to Be Good at Performance Appraisals will help you handle performance appraisals confidently and successfully, no matter the size or culture of your organization. It’s the one book you need to excel at this daunting yet critical task.

Managing people is difficult wherever you work. But in the tech industry, where management is also a technical discipline, the learning curve can be brutal—especially when there are few tools, texts, and frameworks to help you. In this practical guide, author Camille Fournier (tech lead turned CTO) takes you through each stage in the journey from engineer to technical manager. From mentoring interns to working with senior staff, you’ll get actionable advice for approaching various obstacles in your path. This book is ideal whether you’re a new manager, a mentor, or a more experienced leader looking for fresh advice. Pick up this book and learn how to become a better manager and leader in your organization. Begin by exploring what you expect from a manager Understand what it takes to be a good mentor, and a good tech lead Learn how to manage individual members while remaining focused on the entire team Understand how to manage yourself and avoid common pitfalls that challenge many leaders Manage multiple teams and learn how to manage managers Learn how to build and bootstrap a unifying culture in teams