Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I am not ‘supposed’ to write about work. But ya’ll know how I feel about ‘rules.’
As the office annual reviews are rapidly approaching, raises are taken into consideration and goals are set for the upcoming year, for the first time in my employment history, I have been asked to complete my own employee evaluation.
While I think instituting standard ‘Employee Self Evaluations’ are sometimes necessary, and could even be useful if implicated properly, I am afraid the amount of time and effort I placed in answering these questions, will merely fall to the wayside.
I am not even sure why I worked so hard on my responses. It’s not as if ‘The Powers That Be’ will suddenly appreciate what I do. Nor will they recognize my absolute greatness and reward me with cash. Shit. I doubt they will even take my answers seriously, or give me the well deserved R-A-I-S-E I am more than entitled to.
Anyway. That’s not the point. Since I worked so hard on filling out my ‘Employee Self Evaluation’ I wanted to share it with you.
(I have deleted any words, phrases or things that would specifically identify my office, or any of the insurance carriers I work with. As per the meeting / conversation that took place behind closed doors about two years ago).
And now, here is : My Personal ‘Employee Self Evaluation’.
Employee Self-Evaluation of Performance:
Name of Employee: Meleah Rebeccah Hawthorne
Job Title: Marketing Department
Date: November 28, 2007
1. Please give a summary of job your responsibilities.
My job responsibilities include:
1. Extensive knowledge of company appetites and online rating systems.
2. The ability to properly assess risks when marketing new business or remarketing accounts.
3. Quoting, pricing, binding, and issuing multiple line accounts.
4. Setting up the accounts in our Agency Management System for various lines of business as needed for insurance coverage then issuing the binders, certificates, and Auto ID cards for the insured’s.
5. Developing and maintaining successful relationships with our insurance carriers.
6. I am responsible for scheduling (and attending) insurance company office visits to discuss future business opportunities and to stay abreast of any changes in carrier guidelines.
*I personally handle 6-8 out of the 12-14 producers.
*I am also frequently called upon to bind & issue new business accounts & remarket accounts for the CSR’s.
*On several occasions, over this past year, I have been asked to lend my expertise to XXXX as well.
My duties also include following-up and obtaining the necessary information from the producers and / or CSR’s as needed by the insurance carriers. Additional duties include renegotiating premiums, if necessary, in order to achieve account retention.
2. How do you feel about your performance as an employee over the last year? (For example: attitude, motivation, initiative, quality of work, timelessness, productivity, supervisory requirements.)
I would rate my current job performance as superior relative to the current soft market conditions. The number of producers for which I am responsible is indicative of the Agency’s principals’ satisfaction with my job performance.
3. What kinds of skills have you needed to fulfill your responsibilities over this past year? (For example: organizational, interpersonal, written & verbal communications, problem-solving skills.)
I have demonstrated superior abilities relative to the following competencies:
1. Organizational:
I execute strong multi-tasking skills. I have quoted and marketed, on the average, approximately 60 risks per month, including multi line accounts, though hands on, self imputing, of the risk information into the online company rating systems, scanning and emailing larger submissions, as well as following up with the producers and the underwriters for all 17 of our insurance carriers.
2. Communications:
I am extremely proficient in communications both written and verbal. My position requires me to be in constant contact with carriers, underwriters, and producers for quotes and follow up information. I use both the phone and email systems to my full capacity as a liaison.
3. Interpersonal, and problem-solving skills:
My job in the Marketing Dept requires me to interact with all types of company and agency personnel. I have demonstrated an overall high rating in these skills as evidenced by my good relations.
Indeed, because of my good relations with the carriers, I have been asked on a few occasions by the Agency principal to make contacts with the underwriters, with various companies, to obtain account information. I have been able to get carriers to quote risks with little to no information, as well as acquiring the appropriate pricing.
4. What have you accomplished over the last year? (For example: personal or corporate goals met, tasks accomplished, or anything you feel most proud of.)
1. I have completed the CEU courses necessary to remained licensed.
2. I have personally placed / written 163 new business accounts, for a total of 1.2 mm in premium. I have individually worked on over 350+ submissions from January 07 to Present date. (That number does not reflect the re-marketing / retaining of accounts which is where my attention was heavily required this year.)
3. I have assisted in educating the rest of the Marketing Department with respects to computer skills, IE: some of the insurance carrier rating systems.
4. I have been an Agency representative for several company functions.
5. My dedication, hard work, and devotion to writing new business and retaining accounts.
6. I think outside of the box when it is necessary to be creative in placing particular risks.
7. My willingness to assist co-workers in any way possible.
5. What would you like to accomplish over the next year? (For example: performance improvements, tasks, goals, new skills.)
If the Agency had a tuition reimbursement program, I would like to go back to go back to college to take additional courses to further improve my education.
6. What other skills or experience do you have that you would like to be using in this job?
My competencies include a solid working knowledge for both MACOSX and Microsoft operating systems such as: Adobe Reader, Outlook, Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
7. What would help you better carry out your work responsibilities? (For example: relationship skills, continuing education, particular tools.)
I would recommend a training program be instituted for the producers to educate them on how to use our agency management system, and the need to develop upfront, comprehensive account information which would eliminate the need for the Marketing Dept to constantly follow-up on inquiries. Complete submissions, including loss runs, would result in quicker turn-a-round quotes.
8. How would you evaluate your overall performance over the last year? (For example: unsatisfactory, constantly superior, or, perfectly adequate with room for improvement.)
While there is always room for improvement, and faced with circumstances far beyond my control, my overall performance this last year has been high quality.
9. Any additional comments.
While I strongly support the use of evaluations, goal setting; measurement of competencies; etc., as a way of measuring job performance, our Agency needs to set written, specific, and measurable goals which are realistic and achievable, and applicable to EVERYONE.
Every employee’s work performance should then be gauged against the success or failure of meeting these goals.
Finally, successful attainment of the goals would be translated in the form of rewards: raises. (As I’m sure you will agree, why try to exceed standards if everyone is rewarded the same, or worse, not rewarded at all).
In closing I have learned a lot over the last year and it has been a pleasure to be a part of such a winning team.
The End.
Yep. That’s what I handed in.
Ya think it was good? Bad? Yes? No?
I have no absolutely NO idea how my bosses and managers will react to this, if they react at all.
I also have NO IDEA why I am nervous. (Well I do, but that is another post for another day).
Before I come round to read your blogs, my mother sent me an EMAIL (I don’t know who wrote this) but it’s the PREFECT ending to this post (especially #4 & #13)
BOSSES RULES:
1. Never give me work in the morning. Always wait until 4:00 and then bring it to me. The challenge of a deadline is refreshing.
2. If it’s really a rush job, run in and interrupt me every 10 minutes to inquire how it’s going. That helps. Or even better, hover behind me, advising me at every keystroke.
3. Always leave without telling anyone where you’re going. It gives me a chance to be creative when someone asks where you are.
4. If my arms are full of papers, boxes, books, or supplies, don’t open the door for me. I need to learn how to function as a paraplegic and opening doors with no arms is good training in case I should ever be injured and lose all use of my limbs.
5. If you give me more than one job to do, don’t tell me which is priority. I am psychic.
6. Do your best to keep me late. I adore this office and really have nowhere to go or anything to do. I have no life beyond work.
7. If a job I do pleases you, keep it a secret. If that gets out, it could mean a promotion.
8. If you don’t like my work, tell everyone. I like my name to be popular in conversations. I was born to be whipped.
9. If you have special instructions for a job, don’t write them down. In fact, save them until the job is almost done. No use confusing me with useful information.
10. Never introduce me to the people you’re with. I have no right to know anything. In the corporate food chain, I am plankton. When you refer to them later, my shrewd deductions will identify them.
11. Be nice to me only when the job I’m doing for you could really change your life and send you straight to managers’ hell.
12. Tell me all your little problems. No one else has any and it’s nice to know someone is less fortunate. I especially like the story about having to pay so much taxes on the bonus check you received for being such a good manager.
13. Wait until my yearly review and THEN tell me what my goals SHOULD have been. Give me a mediocre performance rating with a cost of living increase. I’m not here for the money anyway.
