Performance Review Takes a Page from Facebook - Research Paper Example

Running Heading: Performance Review Takes a Page from Facebook Performance Review Takes a Page from Facebook Introduction Social media has become greatly popular in the younger generation. It has played a pivotal role in shaping today’s society and has influenced many important areas of life. Companies are now using social media for making performance feedback. Evaluation of performance through social media websites and software is a new trend in the corporate world. This new trend will be discussed in detail in this paper. Does regular conversation make performance evaluation unnecessary? Formal performance evaluation is necessary even after regular conversations with people because informal communication might not be as effective as formal communication. It is true that social media has found massive inroads in the lives of many but delegating such an important task to informal social media conversation is not only time consuming but might also be ineffective. Formal performance evaluation not only tells people where they stand but also provides guidance as to how to increase performance in future. There are other important elements of performance feedback and evaluation as well like anonymity which might not be fulfilled through regular conversation. It is therefore safe to disagree with the statement that regular conversation eliminates the need for formal performance evaluations. Regular conversation is important in today’s society and people should have a forum where they can voice their concerns and can get help. There is no doubt in the efficacy of making regular conversations with employees but the purpose of formalized performance evaluation is to informs employees about their performance for a time period. Regular conversations might not fulfill this purpose because performance evaluation should be spaced accurately so that employees have a chance to show improvements. Performance evaluations cannot be taken every month and week, and this is why formal performance evaluation and feedback is important. Effectiveness of Social Network Performance Review in different age Groups In different age groups performance feedback effectiveness through social networks will be very different from each other. For example for veterans such a method might not work at all because they are not very technology friendly (Jeffries, 2007). They might be more comfortable with face to face performance evaluation or paper based evaluations. Baby boomers might also not as comfortable with technology as other younger age groups (Perez, 2009), and therefore they might also not prefer such system of performance evaluations. Other age groups like Generation X and generation Y might be more comfortable with performance evaluations done through social media. This is because of their technology friendly nature as they already spend a lot of time on internet and therefore they would prefer everything to be done online. Among these groups Generation Y is more technology friendly than Generation X (Krigman, 2010). Effectiveness of social network performance review for these age groups will be better as compared to veterans. One good thing about performance evaluation through social media for all age groups is the ease with which the process is completed. Even veterans will be benefit from this as performance evaluation will be relatively easier and quicker. A negative point of performance evaluation through social media will be the loss of anonymity. Also people getting regular performance update might not be effective because people might not get enough time to work and improve upon their performance. These negatives of making performance evolutions through social media are applicable to all age groups. Better Performance of Boss and Social Network Performance Feedback Social media performance evaluations will have a positive impact on the performance of company and department heads because they will be in communication with their employees at all times. Constant communication is important in today’s fast moving business world and systems that aid communication will definitely prove helpful. But it is important to understand that relying on performance feedback through the new system is not correct because it does not meet the essence of performance evaluation. Also many people might not be happy to discuss things online. Face to face conversation is something that many people feel comfortable with and therefore relying entirely on such systems is not right. They should be treated as an important part of performance feedback but they should not replace formal performance evaluation entirely. The time and cost that will go into designing and implementing social network style tools will be significant but it will definitely pay off as it will increase the flow of communication. It will allow managers to interact with their employees and to listen to their problems. This is why it is true that the social network style tools might enhance the performance of top management. Overworked Americans and Social Network Evaluations The new social network based evaluation will increase the work load of employees because it would require them to participate in discussions and pose and answer questions. Such a system will be demanding for employees but at the same time it will also be beneficial as it will save management sometime and will also increase the flow of communication within the organization. Performance evaluation and feedback through social media will without a doubt increase the workload of employees. Evaluations are usually done every 4 to 6 months but with social media evaluations will be done more often. This will increase the work load of already stressed out employees. It would require a constant devotion which will not be easy for all age groups. Young people are used to spending time on social media networks but same cannot be said for other age groups. These types of evaluations will be beneficial in some ways but they will increase the work load of older employees which might affect their job satisfaction and performance because of the added work they will have to do as a result of the new system. Conclusion Performance evaluation through social media networks is a new approach taken by many organizations of today. Such systems although are helpful in increasing the flow of communication within the organizations but do not fulfill the purpose of performance evaluation. Such systems will kill face to face communication which is a basic element of performance evaluation. Also performance evaluation works best when sufficient time is given to people to reflect back and improve their performance. Constant performance evaluation might not therefore be fruitful. Also such systems will increase the work load of already overworked employees. References Jeffries, S. (2007). Do older people really struggle with technology? The Guardian UK. Retrieved on August 14 2012 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/aug/21/technology.news Krigman, E. (2010). Millennials Defined By Technology Use. National Journal. Retrieved on August 14 2012 from http://www.nationaljournal.com/njonline/no_20100225_3691.php Perez, S. (2009). The Technology Generation Gap at Work is Oh So Wide. Read Write Web. Retrieved on August 14 2012 from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_technology_generation_gap_at_work_is_oh_so_wide.php Read More