Employee Performance: Communicating Expectations Yields Results

In setting the stage for productive employees, there a number of proactive steps that managers should take to help ensure that the employee can be successful in his/her job and in the event there are performance issues, that they can be resolved as quickly as possible in an objective and nonconfrontational manner.
The first thing to think about with any employee is setting performance standards at the outset of the relationship. Once these standards are established, a manager should make sure they are communicated to the employee in a way he/she can understand. These expectations will serve as the foundation for the employee’s productivity and provide the criteria against which the employee will be measured. They should be reaffirmed with the employee periodically.
When employee productivity is not up to par, the first thing to do is to reaffirm that the employee understand what is required of him/her. Often a manager will begin to have concerns about an employee’s poor performance when what is truly the problem is one of style. For example, does the employee wait until the last minute to complete assignments, making the manager anxious? If this work style is effective for the employee and the employee still produces the desired results, it is likely not a performance issue. If the problem is truly poor performance, the manager should again reaffirm that the employee is clear regarding the job expectations. Once that has been confirmed, the employee should understand how his performance is measured. What basis is the manager using to determine that the employee is not up to snuff? Does the employee understand this? What tools or resources does the employee need to do his/her job effectively? Are there problems with obtaining these resources which cold be affecting performance.
Many problems or concerns with employee performance can be alleviated much earlier by utilizing effective communications and reaffirming performance expectations.