Evaluating Employees

Ongoing Communication

Regular reviews are a good way to let employees know how well they are performing and give them benchmarks for improvement. In between formal evaluations, open communication will do wonders for morale. Don’t wait for a review to praise a job well done. A compliment here and there doesn’t cost a dime and goes a long way to increase staff’s job satisfaction and motivation.

If you’re unhappy with performance in any area, let staff know immediately. It’s customary to “write up” an employee for a violation of company policy or substandard work; however, most companies will issue a set number of warnings before putting a write-up in an employee’s file. It’s important to follow a strict policy, so personnel know what to expect. Furthermore, it would be highly irresponsible to deny an employee a promotion or raise—or worse yet, terminate an employee because of an issue that was never even addressed.

Regular reviews are a good way to let team members know where they stand and keep the company on track. The process can be challenging. Some supervisors are uncomfortable with the task of critiquing performance. Regardless, see it through. If you evaluate employees fairly and maintain open communication, you and your staff will enjoy greater job satisfaction, and the facility will reap the rewards of greater productivity.

Authors: Pamela Alton-Truitt, Mini-Management and Dan Titus, Deerland Enzymes.

Sidebar:
Performance Criteria

Availability – The degree to which an employee follows rules concerning breaks, meal periods and attendance.
Adherence to policy – The degree to which the employee follows company rules and regulations.
Creativity – The degree to which an employee suggests ideas and discovers new and better ways of accomplishing the facility’s goals.
Dependability – The degree to which an employee can be relied upon to complete a job and work with little or no supervision.
Initiative – The degree to which an employee seeks out new tasks and expands his professional abilities.
Interpersonal relationships – The employee’s willingness and ability to communicate, cooperate and work with peers, supervisors and customers.
Job knowledge – The employee’s level of technical skill and education.
Productivity – The timeliness of the employee’s work.
Quality – The accuracy, detail and acceptability of the employee’s work.

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