Communicating Performance Expectations

Monday, March 13, 2006

Anne Caldwell, Outsourcing Solutions, http://www.azoutsource.com

Superior human resources management policies and preocedures

Having a successful business means having employees who succeed at their jobs. How does this happen? Most companies who achieve what they envision have formulated a plan from the onset and clearly communicated this to their employees. Many employers feel that if they hire talented people and pay them well, those employees should automatically know what is wanted and needed in their position. This could not be farther from the truth. Even in the case of highly motivated self-starters, employees can be working hard and moving along in a completely different direction than that of the executives of the company.

How do you avoid this?
First of all, be as clear as you can about what you expect from an employee. Communicate to them what is needed and wanted, and be open to input, especially as they become more involved in their work, because they will most likely have ideas that will enhance the position even more. Be flexible; show a willingness to try different approaches and give new ideas a chance to work out. Most importantly, accept circumstances that demonstrate that your idea or an employee's didn't work. Maybe it needed some more details; maybe it would work under other circumstances. But employees who are not chastised for "failures" are more likely to continue to try new and better ways to succeed.

Setting goals together is another powerful way not only to increase the possibility of success, but also gives the employee more pride in what they are doing. Reviewing these goals periodically helps keep both of you clear where you are going. The best part of this is that if you continually touch bases about the status of the objectives, you are more likely to nip problems in the bud early on.

Additionally, many companies are confused about the meaning of "at-will" employment and think that means they can fire anyone for any reason, or they are worried about "covering their butts" in the case of a wrongful termination. At-will employment, which is the case in Arizona, means that either the employee or the employer is free to end the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without cause and with or without notice. This does not mean that you can terminate employees for unlawful reasons. The aspect of unemployment compensation must also be considered, because it can be affected based on the reasons for termination. As a result, many employers attempt to document performance issues in order to have some proof if they should ever end up in court. The problem with this is that if this documentation is not done consistently, it can just as easily work against the employer, and it sets a tone of doom with the employee. By approaching performance coaching by goal setting and periodic discussions and documenting the meetings where you are empowering your staff to success provides the proof should that employment situation ever end up in a termination. It also creates a relationship whereby the employer supports the employee in a positive way that enhances the entire process.

About the author:
Anne Caldwell, President, founded Outsourcing Solutions in 1993 in order to implement her vision of ethical and effective human resource management. Outsourcing Solutions specializes in small businesses, especially those that do not require their own human resource department, but have leaders who recognize the need for the expertise. See how Anne can help you business: www.azoutsource.com

Return to Library of Business Information