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Unit 7: Training and Development Motivation

7.2.5 Exit Interviews Notes

During the tenure of the employee, a record of their performance and behavior is maintained.
This record, under most circumstances, is also kept with the firm. During the end of tenure
for any reason, like retirement, resignation or termination, these details are referred to. The
firm conducts the exit interview, which, is mandatory for any corporate. This is the last phase
in the cycle of the association between the firm and the organization regarding that employee.

7.3 Appraisal of Library Staff

In the digital world nowadays when information is readily available on the Internet, it is the
people who make a library different from the search engines. Libraries need staff that can cope
with the changing learning needs of users. Quality staff performance appraisals, if they are
used in a developmental sense, can be powerful tools to this end. That is, if they are used as
an assessment for learning, not an assessment of learning. This paper attempts to first define
staff performance appraisals, then to discuss their purposes and values. Some common problems
of appraisal, such as rating errors, will be presented.

Notes Examples of how some academic libraries address the quality issue of staff appraisals
will also be illustrated. Finally, recommendations will be provided on how these
current practices can be improved.

7.3.1 What is Staff Appraisal?
In the Dictionary of Human Resource Management (2001), appraisal is defined as “the process
of evaluating the performance and assessing the development/training needs of an employee.”
This definition entails two aspects. The first is judgmental; that is, the staff’s performance is
measured against certain standards. The second is developmental; that is, no positive or negative
judgment will be involved, but to identify the training needs of the staff and to find out what
can be done to improve related skills and knowledge.

Partington and Stainton (2003) present three important purposes of performance appraisal.
First, it furnishes recognition for the meritorious aspects of the staff member’s performance.
Second, it alerts the staff member to the degrees of improvement needed in any weaker aspect
of his/her performance. And third, it prioritizes the aspects of performance in which improvement
is needed.

Did u know? Many benefits can be derived from development-oriented staff appraisal.
Partington and Stainton (2003) suggest that, “Staff appraisal provides the
means by which enhanced communication between staff and senior colleagues
can determine systematic identification of roles, tasks, targets and training
plans for individuals, which support departmental and institutional goals.”

Staff appraisal reports can be used as reinforcement for staff learning and development. An
effective appraisal encourages two-way communication and improves mutual understanding.
Seeing from the organizational point of view, since goal setting and future plans are involved,
appraisal can be a tool to identify individual staff needs and how they can be linked to the
organizational management and future planning for training and development. Specific actions

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