Being Accountable for Accountability . . . Continued

Source: Public Practice

In his previous column, Bill Reeb used a case study to delve deeper into the goal-setting process. In his final column in this series, Reeb discusses the evaluation process. Here are some of the highlights:

• Partners should provide employees with “thoughtful and constructive feedback” routinely throughout the year, as well as monitor their own progress.
• Partners shouldn't view evaluation as strictly a human resources requirement. If they do, the result is often that they give only one formal appraisal each year. One formal review isn't enough, unless there are several informal feedback sessions during the year.
• Too many firms provide more frequent feedback to lower-level employees, but they feel that higher-level people don't need it because they have proven themselves. But feedback to higher-level people is more critical to ensuring accountability at all levels of a firm.
• Managing partners should hold frequent informal feedback sessions with partners – for example, monthly or five or six times a year, but no less than quarterly.

Reeb offers several tips for conducting evaluation sessions efficiently and effectively, and for sharing meaningful feedback. It's not enough to tell people what is expected. Firms also need to tell them how they're doing.

For the complete article, read “Accountability for Performance Management (Last Column – 6).”

From Public Practice, Texas Society of CPAs, October 2012, www.tscpa.org.