What is the key reason for ensuring that performance appraisal tools are valid?

HRPA standards stress that all employment practices—especially performance assessment—must be job-related, reliable, and valid to meet professional and legal requirements. Valid tools evaluate bona fide performance criteria linked to the role, which is critical for legal defensibility under employment and human rights legislation. While employee or manager acceptance (A/D) and compensation linkages (B) are important, they are secondary to ensuring that tools can withstand scrutiny for bias, fairness, and relevance—the central rationale for insisting on validity in appraisal instruments.

Relevant HRPA references: Professional Practice and Organizational Effectiveness—defensible HR processes; use of validated, job-related criteria in performance management.