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Greetings!
Good performance management means "no
surprises." That means diligence on your part to
make sure that as the work environment changes,
employees understand that your expectations may
shift too. Last month we focused on setting
clear expectations with employees. This month
we explore the inevitable: how to communicate
changing expectations.
As usual, I welcome your feedback. Drop me a note
and let me know what you think.
| Expectations Change |
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Click here to share these
important
ideas with the managers
and supervisors in your
organization.
Expectations Change
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.
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| See Marnie Speak on March 8th |
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See Marnie speak on the topic of Painless
Performance Evaluations at the Arizona Human
Resource Call Center Association on March 8, 2007.
Conference information can be found at www.azhrcca.org. For more information, contact us at
480-705-9394.
Don't forget: if you are
thinking about implementing an online performance
management system, our list has over 25
vendors that might give you a head start on your
research. We don?t endorse any particular software
or vendor. However, we are happy to share with you
what we are learning about implementing and using
these cutting-edge systems.
If you would like a copy of our vendor list, please email us.
Have a good month!
Sincerely,
Marnie Green
Management Education Group
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