The long term success of an organization depends significantly on its ability to
properly evaluate the performance of its employees. The purpose of this study was to
apply the method of self-evaluation to private and public Greek hospital employees,
compare results, and assess the value of the methodology. A self-administered
questionnaire was developed, administered, and completed by 21 employees of a
private hospital and 25 employees of a public hospital. Data were recorded and
analyzed in EXCEL 2008. Results showed that private hospital personnel gave higher
ratings in all categories suggesting a leniency in their evaluation process and differing
significantly from the evaluation of their managers. Public hospital personnel gave
more realistic ratings of their performance and work environment but lower than what
is reported in state official reviews of the performance of public health sector
employees. Self-assessment is a useful tool because it provides insight into the
employee’s perspective and understanding of the work environment. However, it is
insufficient on its own because employees are not likely to exercise objective selfcriticism
while their perceptions are often different from that of management. Hence,
it is recommended that self-assessment is used in combination with a manager’s or a
third-party evaluation for optimum results.