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County department heads debate self-evaluations and anonymous supervisor feedback
Summary
Department heads and staff discussed pros and cons of employee self-assessments, anonymous supervisor feedback, and a separate supervisor-feedback form; concerns included small departments making anonymity difficult and potential demotivation from surprises in evaluations.
Department heads at the Park County meeting weighed whether employees should complete self-evaluations and whether supervisor feedback should be anonymous.
A meeting participant who had piloted self-evaluations said giving employees the form first led many to rate themselves highly, and later one-on-one reviews were "really interesting" because employees were surprised. The presenter noted pros (reflection, engagement) and cons (bias, extra time) and warned that surprises during formal evaluations point to gaps in ongoing communication.
Participants also discussed supervisor evaluations and anonymity. Presenter cautioned that anonymous supervisor feedback can be impractical in very small departments because responses may be identifiable; another participant suggested a separate sheet for staff to comment on their managers to create a paired record.
Why it matters: the group emphasized designing processes that encourage constructive dialogue, avoid demotivating surprises, and provide employees opportunities to respond. The presenter recommended keeping supervisor feedback separate from the personnel-file evaluation and asked departments to share ideas on integrating supervisor insights.
