The BARS (behaviorally anchored rating scales) method of evaluating employe es carries typical job appraisals one step

further: Instead of relying on behaviors that can be appraised in any position in a company, the BARS method bases eva luations on specific behaviors required for each individual position in an individ ual company. The BARS method explained Development of BARS evaluations requires an in-depth understanding of each p ositions key tasks, along with an understanding of the full range of behaviors di splayed by individuals in carrying out such tasks. You rate these behaviors for e ach employee; then you anchor each behavior to points on a rating scale, which indicates whether the behavior is exceptional, excellent, fully competent, or uns atisfactory. The result is a rating scale for each task. For example, in a hypothetical position of human resources coordinator, one of t he job holders responsibilities is to complete status change notices, which upda te the personnel system regarding changes in employee pay, position, title, super visor, and personal data. The BARS method for this specific task in this specific job could read as follows: 5 Exceptional performance: Accurately completes and submits all status chan ge notices within an hour of request. 4 Excellent performance: Verifies all status change notice information with r equesting manager before submitting. 3 Fully competent performance: Completes status change notice forms by th e end of the workday. 2 Marginal performance: Argues when asked to complete a status change not ice. 1 Unsatisfactory performance: Says status change notice forms have been su bmitted when they havent. Pros and cons of the BARS method The BARS approach offers several key advantages: Its behaviorally based. The BARS system is totally focused on employee perfor mance. Ideally, it removes all uncertainty regarding the meaning of each numeri cal rating. Its easy to use. The clear behavioral indicators make the process easier for the

manager to carry out and the employee to accept. Its equitable. With its heavy emphasis on behavior, the evaluation process come s across as fair. Its fully individualized. From the standpoint of consistency within a company, BARS is designed and applied individually and uniquely for every position. Its action-oriented. With an understanding of the specific performance expectati ons and standards of excellence, employees can much more easily take steps to i mprove their performance, and theyre more likely to do so as a result. Like any method, BARS isnt perfect. Here are some of the drawbacks to the B ARS approach: The process of creating and implementing BARS is time-consuming, difficult, a nd expensive. Each BARS form must be created from scratch for every position in the company. Sometimes the listed behaviors still dont include certain actions required of the employee, so managers can have difficulty as signing a rating. Its high maintenance. Jobs change over time, which means that BARS requires a high degree of monitoring and maintenance. Its demanding of managers. In order to successfully conduct BARS evaluations , managers need detailed information regarding the actions of their employees. Gathering such data can be quite time-consuming, and many managers end up l etting this slide.