Written Employee Expectations Offer Clear Performance Checklist

Consider drafting a one-page job description for each team member that outlines specific responsibilities and expectations. This furnishes you with a definitive checklist to reference when it comes time to evaluate performance.

This list should be as comprehensive as possible. Every everyday activity should be included — even if the expectation is as small as starting the coffee pot in the morning. Placing times and dates may be necessary for jobs that carry deadlines. When conducting annual reviews, use this sheet as a benchmarking tool. Using these parameters, It will be absolutely obvious to an employee whether he or she is doing an adequate job. If a worker is failing to meet expectations, you can quickly and easily point out the areas in which he or she is striking out. If an employee is constantly hampering management for a raise, this sheet allows you to suggest areas of improvement, or justify the employee's exemplary achievements.

As requirements and roles change, so should this list of written expectations. Make sure you're adding and subtracting responsibilities accordingly, and, when changes occur, bring the list to the employee and clearly explain what duties have changed, and why they've changed.

Every employee should receive a fresh document annually. I’d recommend you require employees sign off on these responsibilities as well, forming a makeshift binding contract that he or she recognizes exactly what is expected of him or her on the job.

It’s as easy as that. One brief page could make all the difference in employee performance. If a person is exceeding expectations on a regular basis, perhaps it’s time to promote the employee to a larger role within the organization. If the worker is constantly failing to accomplish his or her tasks, it may be time to cut the cord.