Behavioral observation measures employee behavior and worth when productivity alone cannot be evaluated. A scale rates behavior and actions, and can be used for comparison and disciplinary action. Clerical workers often need to be ranked on this scale. A questionnaire is used to gather data, and employers may use it to evaluate new employees in training. Lack of improvement may result in termination.
Behavioral observation is a method used to measure the behavior and worth of employees whose job performance cannot be evaluated on the basis of productivity alone. Such measurements are usually made based on a behavioral observation scale that is used to rate everyone comparably. Such scales are typically used to record whether or not an employee engages in a certain type of behavior or action, and if so, how often. Each employee’s achievement can be compared to the achievements of other employees or to an objective baseline basis for expected behavior. An evaluation of this type can be used to ensure that an employee is meeting expectations or to determine whether disciplinary action is needed.
Workers who can be rated on productivity are rarely judged on a behavioral observation scale. This is because it is usually possible to quantify, or at least have a general idea of how much the worker produces compared to his collaborators and the expected standards. Many workers, especially those with clerical jobs who may not necessarily produce something tangible, need to be ranked on this scale because there is generally no best way to evaluate their performance.
A behavioral observation scale is typically presented as a questionnaire to be completed by either the employee or their manager, or both. A variety of different questions may be included in such a questionnaire and the answers are usually given in the form of numbers on a scale. The questionnaire may include questions about how often an employee loses his job, whether or not he takes too long breaks, how often errors appear in his work, and whether or not his work needs to be checked regularly. The numbers assigned to each of these and other questions can be scored individually or can be added together into a total score that can be compared with other workers’ scores.
Many employers use a scale to evaluate the performance of new employees in training. The poor performance of such appraisals is unlikely to generate reproaches, as such appraisals are primarily intended to make the new employee aware of his employer’s expectations. However, failure to demonstrate improvement during a series of assessments may result in a reprimand or termination of employment. This lack of improvement may represent an inherent incompatibility between the company and the new employee.
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