Feel once a year is adequate for performance discussions? More frequent employee performance conversations help develop strong employees on an ongoing basis.
What if you could cultivate an environment where your employees feel safe notifying you when things go wrong? Where employees feel comfortable enough to approach you for help with getting things fixed? You can. Try investing time in conversations with your employees outside of their annual performance evaluation.
Most employees appreciate having time with you once a year to discuss their performance and development. But, imagine how much more engaged you could be in their everyday performance if you set aside time on a routine basis to discuss performance and development. Once you've decided to meet more frequently with employees about performance, what should you discuss?
Discuss Current Projects
Start by asking each employee for a list of current projects. Have the employee bring you up to speed on each project or task. Prompt the employee to initiate further discussion by using some of the following:
- How are you working with other staff to accomplish this task?
- Tell me more about what work is still left to be done.
- Are there additional resources or tools you need to be successful?
- What barriers do you need to overcome to meet your goal?
- How can I be of help to you?
Review Accountability Measures
Ask the employee to bring copies of performance or accountability measures that may be in place (i.e., tracking reports, productivity levels, percentage of files worked daily). Review these with the employee and ask pointed questions, such as, "Where do you feel your production is the strongest?" or "Where would you like to make improvements over the next quarter?"
Set Goals for Development
You may also want to discuss personal development goals. Give the employee some time to think about the ways in which they have had performance success as well as areas where problems cropped up and they may need to make performance adjustments. Questions like the following could be completed before the meeting:
- Describe a project where you were one player in a team that completed the project. Discuss three ways you performed well and three ways you could have completed your role differently to ensure greater success.
- Describe a project where you assumed major responsibility for the success of the project. Discuss three ways you performed well and three ways you could have completed your role differently to ensure greater success.
- Based on your work over the last few months, list skills you feel you have developed.
- List three areas in which you would like to focus your development in order to perform more successfully in your position.
- List ways that I can encourage or assist in developing you in your position.
- Describe how you best receive assignments in order to understand the expectations placed on you for successful performance. How can I improve communication regarding assignments?
Consider ending a performance development meeting by asking the employee what else he or she might like to discuss. If you have agreed on actions you or the employee will take to support the employee's development, review those verbally and consider sending them in writing to the employee later. Then, make sure you uphold any commitments you make or explain why you cannot do so.
The investment of time will pay off in your increased awareness of employee performance issues and struggles. Not only will this increased knowledge help when tough performance conversations need to take place, but your actions will go a long way in encouraging an environment where employees feel free to make mistakes and learn from them to be successful in their positions.
