Sample Staff Performance Appraisal Form

Here are my suggestions for doing written performance appraisals in your practice.

Be low-key and give your staff some advance warning. Let them warm up to the idea that you are ‘trying something new.’

If you have never done performance appraisals in your practice, one way to ease into them is to let employees use your version of the form below to evaluate themselves and then compare their self-appraisal with yours in a day or two. 

Keep all discussions private and confidential. 

If you have a small staff, which means you serve as your own office manager, the appraisal should be one-on-one. If there is a practice owner and an office manager, both of you should meet with the employee.
 
Be sensitive to people’s feelings. But, don't overrate mediocre employees just to be nice. An undeserved good rating could come back to haunt you at raise time or when you decide to terminate a poor performer.

Be realistic. Target just two or three specific skills or areas of responsibility and then schedule a 30, 60 or 90 day follow-up to review improvement. For example, “Susie will learn how to take K readings by April 1, 2010.”

Set measurable criteria for performance. For example, job standards of, "Greet all patients within 30 seconds of entering the office" or "Complete all files by end of shift" are far more precise than "Improve patient communications" or "Keep the work area clean."

Keep all appraisals and employee comments on file for future reference, at salary review time and for the next performance appraisal.

Click here to download a sample staff evaluation form.

Regards,
Jerry Hayes, OD

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Disclaimer: The information and opinions contained on this site are for discussion purposes only and are NOT intended to serve as legal, accounting or investment advice. ©2010 Jerry Hayes, OD. Not to be reproduced without written permission of the author.