Which error occurs when a supervisor places excessive weight on recent behavior of an employee?

• A. Contrast error
• B. Recency error
• C. Error of bias
• D. Halo effect

Answer: (B)

The recency error occurs when a supervisor disproportionately emphasizes the most recent behavior of an employee rather than considering their overall performance over a longer period. This type of error can lead to an inaccurate assessment because it does not take into account past behaviors and achievements. For example, if an employee has typically performed well but has had a few recent issues, a supervisor may overlook the consistently good performance in favor of these recent shortcomings. This can skew evaluations, resulting in unfairly low ratings based solely on the latest observations. Recognizing recency error is crucial for fair and balanced evaluations in supervision, ensuring that all relevant performance is considered rather than being influenced by the most recent data alone.