单选题

The Importance of Appraising Employee Performance in Downsized Organisation

The experts call it"ghost work"：it's what's left for the survivors to do when layoffs have cut an organisation's staff to a bare-bones minimum．Work that still has to get done is reassigned to people who may not have the skills-and certainly don't have the time- to do it．The strain of"ghost work，"the specter of more downsizing and restructuring， the disappointing news that raises and bonuses have been reduced or eliminated this year- they all can combine to make performance-appraisal season particularly stressful for employees and managers alike．
But even though managers may be tempted to avoid performance appraisals，it's no time to back away．Done right，performance appraisals can give employees a better understanding of the new and different demands of their jobs in the context of the company's changing needs．Don't duck the tough issues，say the experts，but don't overlook the opportunity to emphasise the future，either．The performance appraisal is a great opportunity to emphasise that employees have a stake in reengineering work processes and helping the company stay competitive in tough times．
"It's important in the appraisal process that we let employees know that our dreams for them and for the company aren't being abandoned；rather，they are being postponed until the company finds a way to adapt to the new circumstances it faces，" says Dale Furtwengler，author of The 10-Minure Guide to Performance Appraisals (Macmillan，2000)and president of the St．Louis-based consulting firm Furtwengler & Associates． "That way"，he says，"we can refocus their talents and energy toward finding solutions．"
No matter what challenges confront the company or the business unit，a manager must avoid the temptation to give all her reports a good review．Malachi O'Connor， vice president of the Centre for Applied Research(CFAR)，a management consulting firm with offices in Philadelphia and Boston， believes that managers who give all their reports positive reviews just to avoid trouble are in fact creating it for themselves．Especially if the unit's results are average or worse， others in the company will know not to trust the consistently good assessments that manager gives． "We know many cases where the evaluations in a person's file are filled with‘exceeds expectations，’but they're not being promoted． It's because of the more realistic conversation about that person that takes place outside of the evaluations，"0'Connor says．"That does a disservice to everyone，especially the people not getting the feedback they deserve．"
Performance appraisals can strengthen the organisation．In a downturn，employees'concern about their own performance is greater than ever，even among the star performers，says Lila Booth，a Philadelphia-area management consultant．In the face of silence about performance，she warns，people are apt to think，"I'm next in line for the ax．"Employees need ongoing feedback on performance and on the financial state of the company，she says，to avoid"the fear and fury"such anxiety can cause．
Patty Hargrave，a human resources specialist at Administaff，in Kennesaw，Georgia， agrees．"Especially now during this economic crisis，businesses are scrutinizing what is important and what is not，"she writes in a recent blog post．And， while companies may want to weigh the costs versus the benefits of employee performance appraisals，"when appraisals are done correctly-meaning fairly and consistently and for the right reasons the benefits can be well worth the efforts．"Hargrave stresses the importance of keeping the appraisal a two-way conversation．"Employees need to be considered as equal participants in the process，and managers need to place an emphasis on coaching or counseling in order to inspire improvements．/

单选题 What does the first paragraph suggest about"ghost work"?
A. The managers left have to deal with nettlesome staff．
B. All of the staff left have to deal with unfamiliar work．
C. The staff left have to get the work done in limited time．
D. Performance-appraisal give presure to both the managers and the staff left．

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 该段讲述了公司在进行大裁员之后要做的遗留工作(ghost work)。需要做的工作不得不分配给其他员工来做，这些员工可能对这些工作没有技术经验，而且一定没有时间来做。遗留工作的压力，可能的继续裁员和重组，今年的加薪和奖金减少或者取消，这些都使经理和员工对绩效评估倍感压力。由此可知，A项经理需要对付令人烦恼的员工，文中没有此种表述，故错误；B项剩下的所有员工需要做不熟悉的工作，过于肯定，与原文“可能没有经验”不符；C项剩下的员工需要在有限的时间工作，与文中表达内容certainly don't have the time to do it相符，故正确；D项绩效评估对员工和经理都有压力，虽然表述正确，但与题干中限定的遗留工作无关，故不选。

单选题 Managers should face performance-appraisals not because
A. it enables the employees to know better of their jobs．
B. it enables the employees to understand the new demands of their jobs．
C. it helps the employees know pay raises in the future work．
D. it helps the employees stay competitive in tough times．

单选题 What's Dale Furtwengler's suggestion during the process of performance appraisal?
A. Managers should continue their dreams for the employees.
B. Managers should continue their dreams for the company.
C. Managers should let the employees know their dream.
D. Managers should postpone their own dreams to a latter time.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 第三段讲述了《绩效评估十分钟入门》的作者Dale Furtwengler对绩效评估重要性的阐述。他说，让员工知道我们(经理们)并没有放弃对员工和公司的梦想，只是推后到等公司找到适应新环境的方法和出路之后再实现。这样，我们就能集中员工的才能和力量去寻找这些方法和出路。由此可知，A项经理们应当继续他们对员工的梦想和B项经理们需要继续他们对公司的梦想，与原文表达相悖，Dale强调的是让员工知道经理们没有放弃对他们和公司的梦想，但是要等到公司找到方法适应环境之后才能继续；C项经理应该让员工知道他们的梦想，正确；D项经理们需要将他们自己的梦想推后，与原文dreams for the employees对员工的梦想和for the company对公司的梦想不符，错误。故应选C项。

单选题 When giving one's assessment, managers
A. can get oneself into trouble when facing challenges.
B. should give average review when facing challenges.
C. should give a positive review when facing challenges.
D. may tend to give positive reviews when facing challenges.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 第四段讲述了管理咨询公司—应用研究中心的副总裁Malactli O'Connor给管理者的建议：无论公司面临何种挑战，经理在做员工绩效评估的时候，应避免给所有员工都打好评。给员工都打好评是在给自己制造麻烦，而不是避免麻烦，而且还会使员工不相信经理做的这些好评。这对每一个人无益，尤其是希望得到真正反馈的员工。由此可知，A项当面临挑战的时候会让自己陷入麻烦，原文说只有在给所有员工好评的时候才是在给自己制造麻烦，因此A项夸大事实，错误；B项面临挑战时应该给一般的评价，原文并没有提及，故不选；C项面临挑战时应该给积极的评价，与原文表述不符，错误；D项面临挑战时可能倾向于给积极的评价，由a manager must avoid the temptation to give all her reports a good review．可知，经理在面临挑战的时候倾向于做好的评价，故正确。故应选D项。

单选题 Which statement is right according to Lila Booth?
A. Employees want to know other's review on their performance.
B. Employees want to participate in the management of finance.
C. Employees usually thinks little of their performance.
D. Employees keep silence on the performance.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 第五段讲述了费城大区管理咨询师Lila Booth对绩效评估的看法。她说，绩效评估可以强化组织，在公司滑坡时，员工更注重自己的表现，就连明星员工也是如此。当对他们的表现保持沉默时，他们会想“我是不是下一个被裁的”，他们需要知道对自己表现的评价和公司的财务状况，这样才能不焦虑，进而导致“恐惧与愤怒”。由此可知，A项员工想知道别人对自己的评价，与文意相符，正确；B项员工想参与财务的管理，与员工想知道财务状况有出入，错误；C项员工很少思考自己的表现，与文意不符；D项对表现保持沉默，原文并没有提及，注意文中In the face of silence about performance中说保持沉默的是经理而非员工。故应选A项。

单选题 Which of the following does Patty Hargrave stress?
A. Appraisals are done fairly and consistently and for the right reasons.
B. Appraisals should involve the participation of both employees and managers.
C. Managers need to place an emphasis on coaching or counseling.
D. Employees are equal to the managers.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 第六段讲述了佐治亚州的人力资源专家Patty Hargrave对绩效评估过程中参与者的看法。她强调评估是经理与员工双向的对话。由此可知，A项评估是公平、持续、有合理的理由的，文中虽有这样的叙述，也是Hargrave的观点，但是Patty Hargrave认为这样的绩效评估才是正确的。另外这不是其重点强调的，本题题干问Patty Hargrave重点强调的是哪一个，不符合题干要求故不选。B项评估应该有员工和经理双方的参与，由the appraisal a two-way conversation可知叙述正确。C项经理需要将重点放在指导和咨询上，片面的诊断，故不选。D项员工和经理是平等的，断章取义，与文章要表达的Employees need to be considered as equal participants in the process需要将员工当做评估中的平等参与者不符，错误。故应选B。