Creating a Performance Program
By Paul Reed, Director,
Performance Improvement Systems, HG WORLDWIDE
There are five (5) critical elements when trying to create a performance program.
It begins with the answer to a basic question often considered by employees but not so easily asked. What do you expect of me? There aren’t many employees who would be willing to admit they lacked a basic understanding of employer expectations. There are acres of ambiguity in this area because supervisors and employees alike assume everyone is supposed to know the rules of engagement. A clear articulation of the key result areas in which we expect employees to be proficient should never be assumed.
Achieving the results you expect begins with a list of the specific procedures and processes you want the employee to understand and use in each of the key results areas. This should include on-the-job behavioral guidelines and a matrix of the steps to be used in reaching the goals articulated in your expectations.
Finding the tools necessary to do the job should be a syllabus of directional learning modules and resources that contain specificity on achieving proficiency in each key result area. It is important to provide all the necessary forms with a handbook defining the procedures necessary for success. Employers can facilitate the process by helping employees understand their natural inclination in the way they tend to do the job. That should be the starting point for any collaboration.
The process for evaluating an employee’s work performance should contain a copy of the key result areas and include a listing of the steps necessary to achieve desired results in those areas. Any evaluation format ought to contain those items. The frequency of evaluations should be fully understood and completed on time.
How you intend to reward effort is the final piece of the performance puzzle. Certainly employees should be rewarded with compensation appropriate to their contribution to the organizational objectives of the employer. But serious consideration should also be given for achievement and performance rewards & recognition as employees demonstrate progress and growth in the key result areas. Should a weakness in specific key result areas be found, a remediation program to address those issues and a reshaping of performance behavior can be initiated.
