PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT:
Is It Really Necessary?
Are your employees performing to your expectations? If not, do you know why? Better yet, do they know why? How clearly defined are your expectations, and what tools do you provide employees to be able to meet your expectations?
Often, employers hire a new employee who interviews well, has a great attitude, and comes across as a team player. However, after a couple of weeks or months of observation, the employer is disappointed in the choice he or she made in hiring this new team member. The individual may have interviewed well, and answered detailed questions about past job responsibilities in a manner that indicated he or she was the best choice for the organization, but later fails to meet the employer’s expectations.
Shared Responsibility for Success
We may be quick to think that employees must have embellished their past job experience in an effort to “land” a job when in fact, we should look first at the tools we provided them to succeed in their new roles. Did you provide a job description detailing their duties and responsibilities and performance expectations?
When you identified that they were not performing to your expectations, did you ask if there was anything they needed to help them better perform their jobs? Did you do a 30-day performance review and identify the areas that you felt needed improvement and provide guidance on those expectations, along with a timeline?
Performance Reviews, Job Descriptions Set Expectations
You want your employees to be invested in their jobs and the company’s success, so you must also be sure to invest in your employees by communicating clearly, setting expectations, and providing feedback in the form of regular performance evaluations. A little time invested initially may save you a lot of money down the line.
Working with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) or HR Outsourcing firm gives you access to a wealth of HR expertise that can help with performance management, job descriptions, employee handbooks, discipline, documentation and more.