Performance evaluation documents or worksheets frequently use a scale to rate overall job performance or specific tasks. Frequently, people giving the appraisal can choose from several options regarding job expectations and objectives, including whether an employee "meets" or "exceeds" expectations.
According to the official performance appraisal of the Oregon University System, an employee who meets standards consistently fulfills all job expectations and may occasionally exceed expectations. An "exceeds" rating indicates that the employee consistently exceeds job standards and objectives.
The evaluation worksheet may explicitly ask whether the employee "meets" or "exceeds" the expectations or standards for his position. These options may correspond with ratings of "3" and "4" on a five-point scale, respectively. A rating of "5" would indicate an exceptional performance from the employee.
Frequently, the rating that an employee receives from his supervisor or co-workers indicates whether or not he will receive an increase in pay and, sometimes, how large the increase will be.
A uniform scale provides those performing evaluations with a standard with which to measure the performance of associates. It also helps to streamline the process of which employees will receive a pay raise.
While an appraisal scale that uses the standard options of "meets" and "exceeds" allows supervisors to compare employees against the same scale, it does not completely eliminate subjectivity. The person performing the evaluation still makes the ultimate decision regarding performance.
