Change is inevitable. It is important to consistently meet with employees to keep goals up-to-date. Follow these steps to make sure your performance expectations change with the times.
It's likely that with the start of a new year, you and your employees have established new performance goals and/or expectations. Last month I wrote on the need to be clear about your expectations. This month let's address the inevitable: your expectations will change.
We know that a clear performance plan helps employees have direction and purpose in their work. When they know what they are expected to produce, they can be independent and successful. However, the reality is that our organizations are changing constantly. New priorities, new information, new leaders, new economic conditions, new competitive influences. . . These and many more factors may render the employee's initial goals irrelevant by the time you sit down to evaluate the employee's progress.
All of this change leads us to the obvious conclusion: the employee's goals must change throughout the rating period. If you and the employee are not revisiting their performance plan on a regular basis, the employee will certainly lose focus and be left wondering, "What am I supposed to do now?" Follow these steps to make sure your performance expectations change with the times:
· Meet with each employee individually on a monthly basis (more frequently if your environment requires it). The purpose of this meeting is to revisit the employee's goals and to make necessary revisions, based on changes in your environment.
· Document the changes you and the employee agree upon. If you agree to change a deadline or delete a goal, make a note of it either in a performance log or in an email to the employee that confirms your agreement. However you choose to document the employee's performance, do it.
· Share new expectations as they arise. You may have new outcomes or results you would like to add to the employee's plan. The organization may decide to change directions. As soon as you are aware of the change, have an impromptu discussion to share new information with the employee.
Sharing clear expectations with employees is the foundation of effective performance management. Maintaining a dialogue about those expectations is unavoidable in today's rapidly changing work environment.
Getting Rid of Performance Evaluations is a BAD Idea
A buzz continues around the idea that performance evaluations are an evil endeavor. Books have been written touting the notion that organizations shou...
What Does It Take to Get a
If you are responsible for completing performance evaluations for employees, be prepared to answer the age-old question: "What does it take to get a _...
Be Goals, Do Goals
Goals should be developed with employee input and focus on what matters most. This article provides some tips to develop specific, measurable, and time-focused goals that will challenge the employee.
