Let’s make the case for using competencies on Appraisal forms.
- Competencies provide a level playing field, a common thread for all employees. If everyone is accountable for the same competencies, we’re all measured with the same stick.
- Competencies allow organizations to pull meaningful reports, comparing things like departmental performance, individual performance, or organizational strengths. With common threads, data can be cross-compared.
- Competencies can be used to differentiate positions. Use a set of common competencies for everyone, then add one or two to differentiate specific positions.
- Competencies provide a way out. Have an employee and a job that aren’t making a match? When compared against others, competencies can reveal the mismatch.
In our experience, we’d humbly suggest keeping the quantity of competencies to a minimum, though. We recommend 5 competencies on a form, or fewer. Choose “big idea” competencies, like communication, for example. Or, teamwork. This way, the competency covers a large umbrella or performance, and it’s easier to have fewer on a form. Fewer competencies also means less rater fatigue (when a rater hurriedly rates an Appraisal because he/she is tired of the task.)
Some of the most popular competencies we’re seen are: communication, teamwork, work quality.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Trakstar.com. In April 2023, Mitratech acquired Trakstar, a leading provider of performance management, talent acquisition, and workforce analytics solutions. The content has since been updated to reflect Mitratech’s broader commitment to supporting the entire employee lifecycle — from recruitment and onboarding to learning and development — as well as the integration of HR compliance best practices across our growing Human Resources portfolio.
