It seems foolish for an organization to neglect the recording of this accomplishment in some type of Human Resource Bank. In an appreciative organization that makes use of an HR Bank, an employee is asked to submit a copy of the certificate or degree that was awarded for completion of a specific education or training program. In addition, an employee may be asked to submit course descriptions, lists of competencies that are being acquired and assessed in the program, and any evaluations that have been submitted by course instructors. Given that the Human Resource Bank is appreciative in nature, it is not necessary, nor even desirable, for an employee to submit course descriptions or evaluations for those skill, knowledge or aptitude areas in which they have been only marginally successful.
Performance Records
Most organizations require some sort of periodic evaluation of each employee’s performance. These performance appraisals are done in large part to ensure high quality work and to determine appropriate compensation for an employee. They can also serve as valuable sources of information for a Human Resource Bank. At the end of each performance appraisal, the reviewer and employee might be asked to complete a brief section of the performance review document that is to be used exclusively for the Human Resource Bank. Information that is gathered for the performance appraisal should be separated from that collected for the HR Bank. In this brief, and usually concluding, section of the performance appraisal document, the reviewer and person being reviewed are to identify specific skills, aptitudes or domains of knowledge that are noteworthy regarding the person being reviewed. What are his most notable and distinctive competencies? What SKAs does he manifest that would not usually be expected of someone in this job? Where has he been particularly successful both in his formal job and in special assignments he has undertaken?
In many instances, this HR Bank section of the performance appraisal document includes a checklist of SKAs or a listing of competencies that are directly and specifically aligned with the core intentions of this employee’s department or the intentions of the overall organization. In other cases, this section of the performance appraisal form is open-ended; the reviewer and person being reviewed are asked several questions that provoke reflection regarding distinctive strengths and competencies (for example, “What does this person offer that is clearly needed in this organization?” “What does this person do or know that might be of great value to other members of this organization?” “What has this person done or what does this person know that is surprising given his/her current job responsibilities?”).
