What are the types of performance appraisals?

There are several ways to apply the performance appraisal process, which vary according to the company's structure and its familiarity with the habit of exchanging feedbacks.
Self-evaluation
As the name suggests, the employee himself evaluates his own performance. Normally, in this case, the company makes available a pre-defined performance evaluation questionnaire according to the organization's objectives.

After the initial self-reflection, the manager should meet with that collaborator to assess the responses. From there, it will be possible to prepare individual development plans (PDI's) that will help the employee to develop the points that need to be worked on.

It is also important to observe whether the collaborator sees himself in a way corresponding to the general impressions made about him. For example, if he assigns a grade that is much lower than his actual performance for the period, it is likely that he is overcharging himself or accumulating extra attributions. With this, it is possible to align expectations, reality and draw an adequate plan.

A point to be emphasized is that it is not recommended to use only the self-assessment due to its negative points. One of them is that most employees tend to overestimate their performance within a certain period. The reason for this phenomenon is not known for sure, but it is probably linked to a fear of suffering negative consequences from the result achieved.

If only the self-assessment is carried out, it is essential that the objectives of the assessment are very well explained and that there is a good awareness and training of employees for that moment. In addition, when only self-assessment is carried out, a systemic view of the employee's performance is lost through feedback from external evaluators. Therefore, it is suggested that not only this type of assessment be carried out, but that peers, managers and subordinates (if any) also assess the employee.

90º or direct evaluation
In this type of assessment, the manager, together with the help of HR, define the competencies or other criteria to be assessed. From this it is possible to analyze the performance of the employees of each team.

The manager's participation is very important considering that he is the one who has direct contact with the activities performed by the employee and, because of that, has a more systemic view of his performance. This is an interesting strategy because it is a way to bring the manager closer to the employee, empowers the manager and actually holds him accountable for managing his team.

In this way, the manager, with the support of HR, is responsible for the support and management of his team, such as for guidance, training, counseling, provision of information and equipment, definition of goals and objectives that must be achieved and also for charging of results. At the same time, the employee must perform their role, present the results and demand the necessary resources.

In any case, it is important for HR to intervene in this process to ensure an impartial and transparent assessment. This is because it may happen that the manager gives good marks for the entire evaluation if he likes the employee, or the opposite, if something has happened that harmed the interpersonal relationship.

180º or joint evaluation
This model involves the manager and his subordinate, who will carry out the self-assessment.

The evaluation form must be completed individually by each party, after which they can meet for a discussion of common and divergent points. In this way, it is possible to reach a consensus and prepare plans so that the employee's performance is as expected.

It is worth remembering that this way of evaluating will be more efficient if there is a constant exchange of feedback between both, as a way to provide more transparency in the relationship between the two, and there is no lack of consensus in the performance evaluation process itself. Not to mention that it is a way to give flexibility to the process, as it provides opportunities for dialogue as the employee's growth, which reduces the rigid and inflexible hierarchy of authority within the company.

360º evaluation
In this type of performance evaluation, from the manager, colleagues, peers, employees and even customers and suppliers participate. Everyone evaluates themselves and generates inputs for HR to work on development actions or train employees in a more targeted way. Therefore, this approach is usually quite thorough.

It's the ideal opportunity to understand not only individual performance, but also the relationship between peers, which allows you to unfold even more insights for the growth of the sector and the company as a whole.

The  360º Assessment is usually applied in companies that already have more experience and maturity with the process, in addition to a better structured feedback culture.

Customer review
If an employee is directly linked to the contact with the customer, it is interesting that the customer himself gives feedback. It is essential to know what the customer thought of the contact they had with the company.

Being aware of how customers relate to your brand can improve your loyalty. After all, the better the service, the greater the chances of winning these people over and still guaranteeing good recommendations.

In this case, it is necessary to prepare a questionnaire - preferably brief and objective - with questions about the service and contact with the company for the customer to answer. Was it well attended? Have the doubts been clarified? Was the team proactive? Is the product or service likely to be recommended?

Finally, as each company has different needs, formats and objectives, there is no ideal performance evaluation. It is necessary to analyze how familiar the institution is with the process and see which is the most suitable process for the company.

For example, if your company has never carried out a performance evaluation, it might be interesting to carry out a 90º evaluation in which only the manager will evaluate the subordinate. If there is already a greater openness to this type of process or even a well-structured feedback culture, it might be nice to invest in a 360º evaluation in which everyone will evaluate and be evaluated.

It is also important to always take into account the personnel policy, the characteristics of the positions involved and what the objectives of the assessment itself are.