Step 1: Set expectations : Meet with each employee to discuss which results and behaviours are

expected of them. Don’t list off what you want and expect your team members to quietly obey.
Instead, ask your employee to participate in deciding what is realistic for them to achieve. Be as
specific as possible to ensure everyone is on the same page. This avoids an “I didn’t know I was
supposed to do that” situation a few months down the line.

Results:

Specify what you expect the employee to deliver. Be sure to clarify:

Accountabilities: What are their responsibilities?

Objectives: What should they aim for? Objectives should be challenging but achievable. Let the
employee participate in setting them. After all, they’re the one doing the job and could know better
than you what is feasible and what is unrealistic. Set some deadlines and milestones, and decide
together which ones are priorities. Side note: don’t overwhelm them with too many objectives that
they may have trouble managing. Five to 10 per review period is best.

Performance standards: What is the minimum quantity and quality of work you expect? Are there
financial benchmarks they need to hit? How much time do you expect them to take to accomplish
these things? Performance standards should be observable, measurable, and relevant to the
purpose of the job. They should also be achievable.

Behaviors: Results are important, but focusing only on results may give you an incomplete picture.
For some jobs, it can be hard to establish objectives. With other jobs, employees may have control
over what they do, but not the results. For example, a sales specialist’s figures may be influenced as
much by their assigned sales territory as by their level of effort. In such cases, specify what actions
are expected of them, not just the outcomes.

Development plan: You’ve both agreed on results and behaviours. Now what? Take some time to
chat about areas that need improvement and set a few developmental goals for the term. Ask the
employee how they think they can do better, and provide them with an opportunity to discuss
growth. Most people don’t want to work for a pay check alone, so take this opportunity to discuss
how the job could be a more enriching and motivating experience. Be sure to specify a few resources
or strategies they’ll be given to help them achieve their goals, such as training or useful articles.

Step 2: Observe and help them perform

You’ve laid out your expectations, and your team participated in setting their objectives. Now take a
step back and observe how the plan takes shape, helping out as necessary and maintaining regular
communication.

Give ongoing feedback: Rather than waiting until the review period is over, be sure to give feedback
and coaching on a regular basis. This ensures the employee develops and helps them reach their
objectives. Give advice or constructive criticism as needed.

Reinforce: Likewise, make sure he maintains good performance by making it clear it is being noticed.
If good performance is not praised, employees will lose motivation. This is especially crucial when an
employee exceeds their performance standards or expectations. If you don’t acknowledge it, they
will surely think: why bother…
Give updates and resources: As your project goals change, so might the employee’s objectives. Be
sure to update them on any such changes immediately. Provide them with all they resources they
need to facilitate goal-setting or to maintain their performance during the shift. Whether it’s
training, tools, or readings, make sure they have what they need to do the job.

Observe and collect performance info: Keep track of examples of good and bad performance on a
daily basis. These examples will be used during the performance review process to highlight what
improvements are needed, and what they’re already knocking out of the park.

Step 3: Assess their performance

Now that you’ve observed how the employee did throughout the review period, it’s time to assess
their results and behaviors.

Should you assess results or behaviors?

As we explained earlier, for some positions it may be appropriate to evaluate results, for others
behaviors, and for some, both. To help you figure out what to assess for what employee, consider
this:

Assess results if: Effort will always lead to results; results show consistent improvement over time; or
if there are several different ways to do the job right and get good results.

Assess behaviors if: Effort and results aren’t connected in an obvious, very direct way; results take
months to develop; or if bad results can come from factors outside of the employee’s control.

How to assess behaviors: While assessing results is pretty straightforward, you may be wondering
how on earth to assess behaviors? One option is to simply write an evaluation, describing the
employee’s strengths and weaknesses and where they need to improve. Another option is to do a
behavior checklist. Here you will be able to check off whether the employee showed each behavior
never, sometimes, often, or always. There are many great options your team can choose to evaluate
behaviors. It doesn’t matter which one you pick — as long as your team is part of the selection
process and have agreed to the metrics.

Appraisal forms: A valuable way to assess performance is to fill out a template or complete an
appraisal form. You can also invite an employee’s peers to complete one, as this can be a great way
to assess teamwork or how the person acts when you aren’t around. However peer evaluations can
be subject to bias and context, so don’t rely on them as your sole source of information.

Self-appraisals: Let the employee do a self-appraisal as well, or give them a chance to explain how
they think they did. Self-ratings pinpoint discrepancies between how a team member views
themselves, versus how others view them. These discrepancies provide teaching moments, and
highlight areas needing development. Self-evaluations also minimize defensiveness, help team
members learn, and ensure they feel the performance management process is fair.

Step 4: Review results with them

The final step is to sit down with the employee and discuss how they performed during the review
period. Share your observations, assessments, and feedback, and ask the employee for their opinion
on what they did well and what they need to improve on. Then brainstorm ways to improve
performance during the next term. You should also discuss their development and plans for the
future.

Clarify which goals you expect them to achieve in the next term. A big part of this step is to adjust
future goals based on their experiences this term. Perhaps you’ll realize that some of their objectives
were unrealistic. You’ll need to make sure the next ones are achievable. Maybe the goals were all
too easy, and you need to level up the challenge for the next term.

Here are steps you can take for an effective review.

Explain what the employee did well or poorly, and give specific examples of wanted/unwanted
behaviours.

Ask the employee for feedback about these behaviours and listen to their explanations.

Explain the implications of changing or not changing those behaviours. If the employee did
something well, give praise and explain how that benefited the team. If they did something poorly,
make sure they’re aware of what will happen if it continues.

Give advice on how they can perform better.

Agree on an action plan.

Set a meeting to follow up and agree on measured behaviors and results.

Adjust goals and objectives for the next term as needed.

How often should the performance management process be done? A review period can occur
monthly or quarterly; the choice is ultimately up to you and your team. It’s worth noting that the
shorter your feedback loop is, the faster you’ll be able to improve your team members’
performance.

Performance management can help you empower your team, and so can Unito. Increase
collaboration and help them achieve their goals!