Employees Lived Experiences with the Performance Appraisal System

Extant research illustrated the efficacy of the appraisal system from the perspectives of the evaluators of employees’ performance. Although a plethora of performance management literature exists on the appraisers’ perceptions, the perspectives of the employees have received little attention. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was to understand the meanings of the lived experiences of junior employees with the performance appraisal system. The performance management systems framework and goal-setting theory conceptualized the framework for the study. Data were drawn from a review of policy statements on appraisal and semistructured interviews with 15 junior employees and analyzed using the thematic analysis framework. Several themes emerged that alluded to employees’ experiences with performance appraisal, the meanings ascribed to the appraisal system, and contributions performance appraisal made to their development. Analysis of the themes resulted in 9 research findings, 3 of which concurred with policy and interview themes and literature review while the remaining 6 illustrated nonconcurrence. The findings revealed that junior employees negatively perceived the performance appraisal system. The findings may contribute to positive social change by conveying awareness of the employees’ experiences with the appraisal system to management. The inclusion of this critical information in the administration of the appraisal could give voice to the appraisal system from the employees’ perspectives and bring about a positive change