Employee Performance

You hire employees to perform the functions necessary of the position. It takes both the employee and the employer to put together the program that will allow that employee to succeed.

When you first hire an employee you should have a basic job description for that person and the expectations of the position. You also should have a basic training program set up to get the employee up and running.

For example with a new employee you give them a period to learn the position. At this point it is your responsibility to give them the training they need to perform in the duties assigned. One of the best ways to ensure that employee is learning what they need what they need to know is to have a check off list of training needed for the position. Also remember that most people learn best by actually doing what is being trained so make sure the employee is getting the hands on experience they will need.

As the employee becomes more experienced, the expectations of that employee should grow as their experience and talents in the position grows. Remember in the previous post I talked about finding out what motivates the person, this is where this becomes important. You must find out what will motivate the employee to increase their performance and give them new challenges.

Once the employee has learned the basic skills necessary to handle the position, is to gradually increase the expectations and performance requirements.

One of the things that you have to watch out for is giving the person so many performance requirements that they decide the job is not worth it anymore.

However there are some employees who just will not meet the performance standards set up. At this point you need to evaluate whether the employee has received all the necessary training for the position. Then you will need to talk to the employee and see what can be done in order to increase performance. However, there are just some employees who are just meant to be someplace else. If you have done everything possible to give the employee tools to succeed and they will not it is time for them to find another job.

While no one likes to be fired there are also few managers who like to fire someone. However, there are times when being fired is the best thing for the person. The position they are in may not be the right one for them and letting them go will give an opportunity for the person to find their passion. Your ultimate responsibility is to the business, you cannot have someone who will bring the company and their fellow workers down. While it is the action of last resort, when the time comes it must be done.

Remember the most important aspects of putting together performance requirements:
1. Make sure the employees are properly trained.
2. The performance requirements are reasonable and achievable.
3. You have adequate one on ones with employees to ensure the employee can get a feel for how they are performing and look at areas of improvement.

While the thought of having performance requirements may make some people uncomfortable, they are designed to help your business and insure that your employees are giving the best possible service to your customers.

The more successful you help your employee to be, the more successful you business will be.