Recent Behavior Bias
Anyone who has observed the behavior of young children several weeks before Christmas can readily identify with the problem of recent behavior bias. All of a sudden, it seems, the wildest kids in the neighborhood develop angelic personalities in anticipation of the rewards they hope to receive from old Saint Nick Individuals in the workforce are not children, but they are human. Virtually every employee knows precisely when he or she is scheduled for a performance review. Although his or her actions may not be concious, an employee's behavior often improves and productivity tends to rise several days or weeks before the scheduled evaluation. It is only natural for a rater to remember recent behavior more clearly than actions from the more distant past. However, performance appraisals generally cover a specified period of time. and an individual's performance over the entire period should be Maintaining records of performance through appraisal period helps avoid this problem.