Productive employees are the lifeblood of every business, but how do you assess their performance levels? Do they understand your goals and expectations? Are they meeting their personal objectives?
Every company should continually monitor and evaluate their employees; here are seven easy ways to quickly gauge performance and ensure your organization is on the right track:
Punctuality: Employees who regularly arrive late for work or are frequently absent from the office are unlikely to be meeting their performance objectives. The underlying issue needs to be addressed here – have they received adequate training? Do they get along with their co-workers and manager? Issues with punctuality mean an employee is not doing their job to their full potential and a negative attitude may also be affecting their colleagues.
Quality of work: The timely completion of projects to the desired standard is a key indicator in measuring employee performance. Is the work being carried out average or outstanding? Are they committing maximum effort to projects? Is their attitude affecting their ability to meet your expectations? Do they understand their personal performance objectives? The answers to those questions will help you to understand the root causes of any problems.
Observe personal habits: Perpetual bad habits can detract from employee performance. This may include indulging in office gossip, taking unauthorized breaks, disruptive behavior and the use of computers for personal reasons (such as social media, online shopping). In order to prevent these habits from being adopted by their co-workers, you must be clear on what is acceptable in your business and issue an appropriate behavioral code.
Check their attitude: A bad attitude will often manifest itself in insubordinate behavior. Again, this is indicative of an individual who is unlikely to be meeting their performance objectives. Typically, these employees will not comply with company policies and are likely to display disrespect for your company and co-workers.
Review personal presentation: Most companies operate a professional dress code appropriate to their industry sector and company culture. Employees who disregard your expectations and present a disheveled or careless appearance reflect badly on your brand image. It’s likely that their performance will be failing to meet your expectations too.
Carry out a client survey: The consequences of poor employee performance will ultimately manifest themselves in customer service. A client survey can quickly identify issues with individuals and enable you to get your business goals back on track. A positive response means that your employee performance is meeting or exceeding your expectations. What is the overall customer service experience of your company?
Carry out random checks: Depending on the nature of your business consider implementing random checks against quality standards. This may include reviewing telephone calls and project meetings and inspecting records. While your employees may be aware of this policy, the random nature of the checks can motivate staff to put in a consistent performance.
Evaluating employee performance should be carried out on an on-going basis and encompass all areas of their work ethic and individual achievements. Remember too that poor performance or negative behaviors can also be symptomatic of an underlying problem with your organization’s culture, so have a plan in place to address any issues arising.
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