MLS Jan 2018 Local Attachment MLS local report final | Page 19

Staff Appraisal
In terms of staff appraisal, KidZania and schools have quite similar systems.
In KidZania, the General Manager is on the ground most of the time to
conduct observations on his staff. The district leaders will assess the
Zupervisors (staff in charge of the establishments) during walkabouts.
Formal assessment on the Zupervisors are conducted twice a year and for
those who do not perform well or do not meet the expectations, there will be
counselling for them. Peer evaluation are done through full-time or existing
staff where they are to assess the trainees on the job after the official training
before confirmation of their employment.
In schools, the principal, the vice-principals and Heads of Departments also
conduct their walkabouts, however, the frequency of walkabouts differ from
school to school. In terms of formal assessment, there is usually one to two
lesson observations and three to four appraisal sessions with the individual
teacher. In terms of peer evaluation, before a trainee is officially appointed
as a teacher, they will have coordinating mentors who are existing teachers
in schools to guide them through the teaching attachment.
The one distinct difference between the two organisations in terms of staff
appraisal is the use of open appraisal. In KidZania, the staff will appraise
themselves based on the Key Performance Indicators set at the beginning of
the year to create self-realisation of their own performance. In schools, this
appraisal system is still not widely practised.
Another difference that we observed is the rigour of the appraisal systems.
While in KidZania, everyone is ranked across irrespective of their job title
and the appraisal done is much simpler process than ranking in schools
where it is more rigorous and intensive.
Staff Development
In KidZania, an address will be done by the General Manager or leader to all
the trainees during the first training session so as to set expectations right
from the start. During the session, they will appeal to the heart of the
Zupervisors in terms of their role in moulding the future and the importance
of their roles as they are the first contact with the children. The trainees will
then take a tour around the city to familiarise themselves with the place as
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