Berks & Beyond Blog

Implementing a faulty or sloppy employee review system can put your company at risk.  One misstep can lead a disgruntled employee to “pull the trigger” on a hairy lawsuit.  So as a responsible manager, how do you keep your company out of the crosshairs?

Here is a quick list of best practices for ensuring your performance reviews are legally defensible:

1. Develop adaptable appraisal forms.  Use flexible forms evaluators can change to suit the type of position available.  The forms should allow evaluators to: incorporate specific job criteria; weight and prioritize attributes and job responsibilities; easily keep accurate, detailed annual review records for all employees.  Should you need to protect your company in the case of a dispute, this standard documentation will provide valuable evidence that evaluators conducted all appraisals in a consistent manner.
2. Train your evaluators.  Provide written instructions on the purpose and mechanics of your review system.  Teach evaluators to base appraisals upon observed evidence - never “gut feelings” or other subjective criteria.  Include information on potential EEO problems and emphasize the importance of accuracy.  Supplement written instruction with role playing, and require evaluators to sign a statement saying they’ve received and reviewed the instructions.
3. Clearly communicate the review process ahead of time.  When review time comes around, make sure employees know:  the purpose of the reviews; the impact they’ll have on employees’ work; how the reviews will be conducted; what to expect during discussions.
4. Require employees to agree to primary job duties.  During the evaluation, ask each employee to review the job duties on which he has been rated.  To prevent later debates, require each employee to sign a statement that the list provided constitutes an accurate and complete list of his major job duties.
5. Safeguard against inaccuracy and evaluator bias.  Emphasize the importance of avoiding stereotypes based on race, sex, age or any other characteristics.  Monitor evaluators and develop a system of cross-checks to ensure evaluators do not go too easy on employees, or consistently rate a particular group lower than another.
6. Summarize and distribute reviews.  Have evaluators write up salient aspects of each employee appraisal and distribute copies to all relevant parties.
7. Have each employee review and sign his evaluation.  After being given the opportunity to review and write in his own comments, require each employee to sign and date the evaluation.  This will discourage employee attempts to dispute the evaluation down the road.
8. Keep a regular review schedule.  Like any other inconsistency in employment actions, failure to provide timely reviews can become the basis for an EEO charge or other frivolous lawsuit.
9. Provide for appeals on grievances.  Give employees the right to appeal performance reviews to a higher level supervisor.  In addition to being a goodwill gesture, this process will also undermine the case of any employee who later attacks the evaluation in an EEO or wrongful discharge claim.

Make it Easier on Yourself

Remember, our temporary employment services save you the risks, time and hassles associated with performance reviews.  Contact us today to learn more.

Ever wonder how we got into the habit of sharing chocolates, cards and romantic dinners every February 14th?  While historians are not precisely sure how Valentine’s Day originated, several theories exist.  Here are a few:

• One idea links Valentine’s Day to an ancient Roman celebration called Lupercalia.  Celebrated every February15th, the holiday honored the Roman gods Lupercus and Faunus.
• Another theory claims Valentine’s Day has Christian origins, dating back to an early saint and a priest who were both named Valentine.  The saint was put to death on February 14th.  Over 200 years later, Pope Gelasius named February 14th Valentine’s Day.  The priest named Valentine married couples in secret, against the current Emperor’s rules.
• Valentine’s Day is also thought to have possibly originated from the idea that birds choose their mates on February 14th.

While Valentine’s Day could have originated from any one of these sources, it is most likely an intermingling of all these traditions and folklore.

Our modern version of Valentine’s Day can be traced back to England and France.  The first box of Valentine’s Day candy is said to have been given in the late 1800’s, and the first greeting card, created in the 1400’s, was actually a Valentine’s Day card.  It’s currently on display at the British Museum in London.

Looking for ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Southern Pennsylvania?  

Click here for gift and dinner ideas in Reading, PA.

Click here for quick links to hotels, florists and more in York, PA.

Are you a temporary or contract employee?  Considering taking the plunge?  If so, here are a few key staffing statistics from the American Staffing Association you may find interesting:

• 2.66 million people are employed by staffing companies each day.
• 79% of staffing employees work full-time (virtually the same as the rest of the work force).
• 66% of staffing employees consider flexible work time important.
• 80% of staffing clients say staffing firms offer a good way to find people who can become permanent employees.
• 67% of staffing employees say that “choice of assignments” was an important factor in their job decision.
• 90% of staffing companies provide free training to their temporary and contract employees.
• 65% of staffing employees say they developed new or improved work skills while on assignment.

Want to learn more?

Visit the American Staffing Association’s website to learn more about the staffing industry, or for more employee staffing statistics.

What are your thoughts?

Flexibility.  Experience.  Choice of assignments.  Bridge to permanent employment.  These are just a few of the reasons millions of Americans - and thousands of Berks & Beyond employees - have chosen temporary and contract work.  What are the most important reasons to you?  Please leave your comments below, or contact us directly via our website.

Wintertime is the perfect time to explore one of Harrisburg’s greatest treasures - The State Museum of Pennsylvania.  Located at 300 North Street, this interactive museum covers all aspects of Pennsylvania’s history and holds extensive collections relating to some of America’s most significant events.

From January 24 through May 2, 2010, the museum will host the traveling exhibition Tusks!  Ice Age Mammoths and Mastodons.  The exhibit tells the story of modern elephant’s extinct relatives who roamed much of North America until the end of the last Ice Age.

The exhibition opening marks the debut of The State Museum’s newly remounted Marshalls Creek Mastodon, one of the most significant fossil specimens recovered from Pennsylvania.

Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 12 noon to 5 p.m.

General admission is $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for children and senior citizens.

For more information on Tusks! as well as other programs, exhibitions, and events at The State Museum, click on www.statemuseumpa.org.