Purposes of Performance Appraisal System: A Perceptual Study of Civil Servants in District Dera Ismail Khan Pakistan

Performance Appraisal System (PAS) in the civil service of Pakistan has been established to fulfill variouspurposes. Previously, this aspect of PAS in the civil service has not been investigated. In this study we examineperceptions of the civil servants regarding various purposes of the PAS. Data was collected from the civilservants working in the two departments of far flung district Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Theresults show that appraisees have mixed responses regarding purposes of PAS. It implies that appraisees are notfully aware to all the purposes of PAS, with exception of a sole purpose i.e. support to promotion decisions. Inthe article we discuss the factors affecting appraisees’ perceptions about purposes of the appraisal system.Subsequently, we proffer few recommendations for making the appraisal system purposeful in minds ofappraisees. Finally, we give directions for future research in the PAS of civil service.