Setting Expectations |
Setting performance expectations is the foundation and first step in performance management. By setting performance expectations early, the employee knows what is expected and the supervisor has specific performance criteria to measure quality and productivity.
Remember: Communication is the key!
Defining the Job Purpose |
As a supervisor, defining an overall job purpose is the first step in setting performance expectations. The job purpose reflects the essential function of the job. On the Employee Appraisal form, this is the first item underKey Responsibilities. The job purpose is mutually agreed upon and understood by the supervisor and employee ensuring that both are clear on the overall job expectation. It also provides a fair basis for appraising performance.
To write a clear and meaningful job purpose, use the following formula:
"Job title" is the title of the job. This may be the classification job title or the agency-specific working job title.
"What" describes the main function of the job. It is not the place to list all job tasks.
"Why" explains why the job is done. This should be written very clearly to avoid confusion. When an employee understands the why of their job, they are more likely to be motivated and to understand their role in the organization.
Some examples of clearly written job purposes:
Defining the Job Purpose
Determining Key Responsibilities |
The next step is to identify the key responsibilities that make up the job. Key responsibilities are the main components or key results of the job. Three to seven key responsibilities will ensure a list that represents a good overview of the job. These are listed under Key Responsibilities along with the job purpose on the Employee Appraisal form. These are used for developing standards in the section Additional Employee Performance Standards on the Employee Appraisal form. Note that these key responsibilities represent resultsfrom doing a job, not a listing of tasks that one performs.
Determining key responsibilities:
Defines for the employee what they are expected to achieve;
Provides an objective basis for the appraisal; and
Provides a framework for the job.
The formula for identifying key responsibilities looks like this:
"Job title" is the title of the job.
"Verb" describes the action the employee will take.
"What" describes the end product.
"How" describes how the work will be done. It provides techniques that measure quality, quantity, and time factors.
Examples of a clearly written key responsibility for each of the following positions are:
Remember: Most positions have three to seven key responsibilities!
Determining Key Responsibilities
Performance Standards |
The Job Purpose Statement and Key Responsibilities deal with "the what" of an individual's performance. In this section, we look at performance standards which tell "how" or "how well" a job is done. "How" deals with quality. Idaho's Performance Management system has established qualitative core performance 'standards' that are consistent across all agencies. These standards are applied to each individual's performance and appear in the performance appraisal document. Additional standards may be developed by agencies and are applied to the entire agency or to all employees in a specific classification. Standards should align with the agency's values, mission, and goals.
State of Idaho Performance Standards
Following are the core performance standards for which all State of Idaho employees are evaluated. These standards represent critical work behaviors necessary for job success. There are two lists of standards, one for employees and one for supervisors and managers.
Employee Performance Standards | |
Standards | Definitions |
Customer Service | Describes how well the employee works with internal and external customers to achieve desired results and maintain positive relationships |
Interpersonal Skills | Describes how well the employee establishes and maintains effective work relationships. Demonstrates good communication and listening skills. |
Dependability | Describes how well the employee completes assigned work in a timely manner. The employee meets attendance requirements. |
Quality | Describes the employee's work in terms of consistency, thoroughness, and accuracy. |
Productivity | Describes how the employee manages and completes workload expectations and demonstrates the knowledge and skills needed to do the job. |
Adaptability/Flexibility | Describes how well the employee adapts to change and is open to different new ways of doing things. |
Work Environment/Safety | Describes how well the employee promotes a respectful workplace and complies with general conditions of employment, EEO, security, and workplace safety policies. |
Supervisor/Manager Performance Standards | |
Standards | Definitions |
Managing Performance | Describes how well the manager provides employees with clear job expectations and feedback/coaching about performance. Deals firmly and appropriately with performance problems. Maintains timely employee performance evaluations. |
Communication | Describes how effectively the manager shares information, builds relationships, and influences positive outcomes. |
Decision Making/Problem Solving | Describes how well the manager makes timely and rational decisions based on analysis of relevant information/data. Accepts responsibility for decisions and takes proper action when necessary. |
Results Focus | Describes how well the manager achieves expected outcomes that support organizational mission and goals. |
Customer Focus | Describes how well the manager fosters and models a commitment to customer service. |
Work Environment/Safety | Describes how well the manager promotes a respectful workplace and complies with general conditions of employment, EEO, security, and workplace safety policies. |
Setting Job Objectives |
Performance objectives are written to describe the measurable results an employee needs to achieve within each key responsibility area. Performance objectives should be tied to the strategic mission and goals of the agency. Goals and objectives are nearly synonymous and are often used interchangeably. To differentiate between the two remember this:
“The goal is where we want to be. The objectives are the steps needed to get there.”
Setting objectives creates employee motivation and should help the employee connect the job to the mission of the agency.
Objectives clarify the performance expectations within each key responsibility area and describe how they will be met and measured. Objectives provide guidance for the employee and help keep performance focused throughout the evaluation period. When objectives are discussed and written, the supervisor and the employee have a thorough understanding of what performance is expected.
Three components create a clear objective:
Performance – what the individual is to be able to do.
Criteria – the quality or level of performance that will be considered acceptable, often described in terms of speed, accuracy and/or quality.
Conditions – conditions under which the performance is expected to occur.
An example of a clearly written job objective incorporating these components could be written as follows:
The employee will write reports for the department at the end of each week |
The first component, performance, helps in communicating what the employee is expected to perform. The performance is usually written using a verb that describes the action of the performance. Using the example from above, the performance of this objective is highlighted below.
The employee will write reports for the department at the end of each week |
The second component, criteria, describes the standard by which the performance should be accomplished. The criteria of the example job objective is highlighted below.
The employee will write reports for the department at the end of each week |
The preceding example described criteria in terms of timeliness. Another way to describe the criteria for a performance objective is to use accuracy measures. This can be expressed using a percentage. For example:
The employee will write reports for the department with zero grammatical errors |
Quality of performance is another critical criterion. Sometimes quality, timeliness, and accuracy are important. All characteristics may be addressed in the objective.
The third component, condition, describes the situation and the environment in which the performance is to occur. The conditions of the example job objective is highlighted below.
TThe employee will write reports for the department at the end of each |
Objectives may be one or several sentences in length. Several sentences may be required to communicate the intent clearly.
To ensure success make the performance evaluation a living document. Take it out at least quarterly and review the job goals and objectives with the employee.
- Prioritize goals and objectives.
- Build flexibility into goals and objectives to ensure adaptability as changes occur in the job or agency.
- Ask about obstacles and take action to eliminate them.
Reduce the average time for resolving customer service issues from (xx) minutes to (xx) minutes by the end of the calendar year.
Improve customer service satisfaction ratings by (xx)% by the end of the calendar year, as determined by customer satisfaction surveys.
Increase the number of people who visit our customer service web site to (xx) by the end of June.
Decrease employee turnover to (xx)% before the end of the calendar year by ensuring adequate breaks, flexible scheduling, and opportunities for growth and development.
*Bibliography*
"Setting Expectations." PTE.IDAHO.GOV. Professional-Technical Education. Web. 15 Mar. 2010.
Helpful Tip: When writing goals and objectives, use action verbs; they are much easier to measure!
Action Verbs | Passive Verbs |
To write | To know |
Sample objectives for Customer Service:
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