he essay method of performance appr

he essay method of performance appraisal requires the appraiser to prepare a written statement about employees being appraised. The essay describes specific strengths and weaknesses in job performance. Further, the essay may suggest actions the employee might take in order to remedy problem areas identified in the appraisal.

The essay may be written by the appraiser alone, or it be prepared with input from the employee.

While the rating scale is structured and confining, the narrative essay allows the appraiser to examine any relevant issue, attribute, or performance. Thus, appraisers are able to place emphasis on whatever issues or attributes they feel are appropriate. In this sense, the narrative essay is open-ended and flexible.

For example, the narrative essay may indicate that the incumbent’s job description needs revision. Further, additional comments in the essay may pertain to the conditions and circumstances of effective/ineffective employee behavior. The narrative essay is also flexible enough to permit comments from the employee.

On the other hand, the essay method is time-consuming and more difficult to administer. Generally, appraisers find the narrative essay more demanding than methods such as rating scales. Furthermore, the greatest advantage - freedom of expression - is also a disadvantage. For example, different writing skills of appraisers can distort the process. Since the process is subjective (and, in general, we're striving for objectivity in evaluation), it is difficult to compare the results of different employees.