Staff performance appraisal practices in Winneba and Twifo-Praso Colleges of Community Health Nursing in the Central Region of Ghana

Abstract

Performance appraisal has been described as a management tool designed to encourage communications in an institution, improve the quality of work produced, and promote individual accountability. Managing employee performance is therefore an integral part of the work that all managers perform in any institution. This study explored staff performance appraisal practices at the Colleges of Community Health Nursing in Winneba and Twifo Praso, as well as, the support systems put in place. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, a sequential explanatory mixed method design was employed. The whole population of 40 tutors was used for the study through census technique for the quantitative phase. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics involving frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation. A sample size of six tutors was selected from the tutors who had responded to the questionnaire, using the maximum variation technique. The qualitative data was used to support the discussion when the study revealed that, performance appraisal at the colleges consumes too much time and effort. It was also revealed that, supervisors hold discussion meeting with tutors after assessment to review their performance and they discussed ways of overcoming challenges identified during performance appraisal sessions. Among others, the study concluded that, staff performance appraisal should be a contineous process and not as an event, in order to help tutors improve their teaching to achieve their objectives. The study recommends that the Community Health Nurses Training Colleges should follow the policy of the Ministry of Health on the conduct of performance appraisal, which would be in harmony with the strategic objectives of the institution on regular basis. It is suggested that further research be done in other institutions, as well as, in private institutions on the conduct of performance appraisals in order to do comparative analysis on the system prevailing in those sectors.