Monica Roddy

HR is Key to Culture

The ABCs of Setting Employee-Performance Expectations

Have you ever heard someone say about their job, “How could I know what they wanted me to do? They never told me.” 

Employees—the new and the experienced—need to know what is expected of them to get the job done. If you are having performance issues with your employees, chances are they don’t know or understand what you’re expecting from them. How can you truly expect employees to perform if you haven’t conveyed any clear expectations?  When you set expectations and communicate to your employees, you most likely will see them perform at higher levels. And higher-performing employees will help you achieve greater successes.

Your time is limited, and you might be thinking, “I don’t have time to constantly tell my employees what to do.” Here are a few basic techniques that will help you more efficiently and consistently set and communicate employee expectations: 

1. From the start, establish your expectations in writing. One way to do that is with a job description. You also want to initially create and establish performance standards. That way, if performance issues come up later, you can always fall back on this document. Remember job descriptions should be regularly audited and updated. As a job evolves, the job description needs to evolve with it. Another added feature: When it’s time for employee evaluations, a job description can serve as a reference point.
2. Document expectations that are verbally communicated. For example, you may have an employee who is responsible for answering and responding to customer-service calls. Your expectation is that all customer calls are responded to and handled within two hours. If that is a standard practice, you need to communicate and document that expectation. You will want to inform the employee both verbally and in writing; otherwise, how can you hold them accountable?  It all comes back to setting expectations and holding your employees accountable.
3. Engage the employee in training programs that reinforce your expectations.  If you expect your employees to perform at a certain level that requires specific skills or knowledge, then training plans should be based on that. This approach applies to new and seasoned employees. Even if you’ve just hired an experienced individual, he or she may still need training if your culture has certain ways of doing things. Every organizational culture has their own nuances or ways of handling roles and responsibilities. Training will help clear up vagueness, especially in a new hire’s mind. When you properly inform and train employees, you can then reasonably expect to hold them accountable for their performances.

Finally, make sure you ask employees to sign performance-related documents. This document should include an acknowledgement statement and a place for the employee to sign. After it is signed, give the employee a copy for their records. An acknowledgement stands to reinforce employee performance expectations. While employers want to do all they can to help employees succeed, if all else fails and performance issues result in disciplinary actions, employers can then refer to the signed document.

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