Keeping Poor Performers In Line
Have you fired anyone lately? Those are tough words. But, let me ask, are you hanging onto any poor performers? I bet you are – because it seems as if most business owners do. Unfortunately, unlike a fine wine, employee performance issues don’t usually improve with age.
What’s the root of most performance issues? There are many potential causes but performance issues frequently stem from a lack of understanding of expectations. In other words, the boss has one thing in mind and the employee has another. Often, new hires receive little documentation about the job and cursory training at best, especially in a smaller business environment. This serves nobody well.
So what is a job anyway? A job is a responsibility to produce results.
Every job is defined by specific tasks that are expected to be performed. (Ideally, those tasks are defined in Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs, but we’ll get into that some other time.) The outcomes of these tasks are the results. Results can take on many forms as defined by quality and quantity measurements. Sometimes, those measurements are quantitative, sometimes they’re qualitative, but they can always be defined – albeit creatively – in some way.
One of the most powerful tools used to avoid expectation gaps is the job agreement. A job agreement, not unlike a job description, outlines the key tasks to be performed by the job holder. But the job agreement goes much further. The job agreement, when implemented correctly, establishes a productive relationship between the business and the employee. How can it do that? Simply, the job agreement is focused on the job results. Only after a prospective employee fully understands that they are accountable for specific results can they make a well informed decision on whether the job is right for them. And, in the process of talking through the job agreement, the hiring manager can get a much stronger sense about whether the applicant truly displays a mindset of personal obligation and determination.
So, what’s in a job agreement?
A well-crafted job agreement includes the following: expected results, work scope, reporting relationships, authority, and agreement. These five elements are absolutely critical to gain the full impact of the job agreement. The last element, agreement, seals the deal – we ask all employees to sign the agreement, stating that they completely understand all elements of the job agreement and will strive to meet all of the expectations.
One of the side benefits of the job agreement is that it establishes a relationship between the business and the employee, not just between the manager and employee. As you know, it is the business that is paying the employee. And that payment is a direct reflection of the business results. And the business results are a direct reflection of each employee’s results. There’s value in communicating that message.
David T. Long is a business coach and co-founder of Strategic Vision Business Development Corp. based in Worcester. He can be reached at dlong@stratviz.com or 774-232-6382.
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