One unique and valuable way to assess competencies is using a matrix format or layout. This method allows you to assess and capture a variety of data, including things like: rating, date observed, method of verification, evaluator or preceptor’s initials, etc.
While many organizations use the matrix format for assessing some competencies on their annual employee performance review forms, there are other great uses for competency checklists, outside of your annual appraisal process.
Competency checklists are helpful when verifying skill proficiency, or the ability to use equipment or perform specific tasks. They are particularly helpful when an organization needs to provide data for regulatory compliance
Some Common Applications for Competency Checklists
There are numerous applications where a competency checklist form is highly useful:
- Documenting staff clinical competencies for regulatory compliance in healthcare settings
- Validating safety procedures on a manufacturing floor
- Tracking completion of onboarding or orientation activities for new hires
- Verifying the acquisition of competencies or skills after training
- General competency evaluation
- Tracking completion of required training, such as WHMIS, HIPPA, ethics, sensitivity, sexual harassment, etc.
Creating the Process - A Few Simple Steps
Your organization can easily make use of this functionality by setting up a separate competency evaluation process that runs in parallel with your annual performance appraisal process. All it takes is a few simple steps. In this scenario, the employee is the “owner? of the process; they take responsibility for sending the competency checklist to the appropriate evaluators/preceptors and making sure the completed forms are returned to them. This is different from a regular appraisal process, where the application automatically sends the form to the evaluator.
Employees can view their completed checklists in the past appraisal column of their My Performance section. Managers can view their employees' completed checklists in the past appraisal column of their My Direct Reports section.
Some Things to Consider
If you require documented competency verification as part of your annual performance appraisal process, you may want to ensure the competency evaluation process has been completed before you start your annual performance appraisal process. You can also include a question in your annual performance appraisal process for managers to verify that the checklist is complete.
Key Benefits
Halogen eAppraisal's competency checklists let you eliminate more paper from your processes, centralize employee performance data and more proactively manage your employees’ performance.
When completed using eAppraisal, HR, managers and executives can review the results for an employee, a group of employees or the organization overall, using eAppraisal's real-time reports. This makes it easier to manage trends and address any issues. They can use the status report to monitor compliance and completion rates. The competency rating report will show them the percentage of checklists completed on time, as well as the score distribution. Finally, the development plan report shows any and all development activities linked to a specific competency. These reports give HR, managers and executives real insight into organizational competency strengths and weaknesses, the actions being taken to address deficiencies, and the progress on these actions.
If you'd like more details, or want to discuss how you can use eAppraisal's competency checklists in your organization, just contact us. We'd be happy to answer all your questions.
