The cost of labor in any type of business is an enormous expense and therefore, we must insure they are performing at their very best at all times. Anytime an employee or group of employees, are not producing up to an established standard it is very important to develop a performance improvement plan to reverse that trend immediately. Every day that we delay any action we are losing money which will be making it even harder to meet our budgeted financial goals.
In order to know if a staff member is performing to a desired standard we must first establish those standards. Secondly, it is equally important that any standard we establish must be a standard that is measurable, or it will be impossible for us to take action. Therefore, if your business produces a widget it is very important that you understand how much labor it takes to produce it.
What will determine if we can measure a standard or not? When establishing any performance standard it is best to break down the entire task into a number of smaller individual ones that can be measured. If we are able to accomplish this it will make it much easier to identify what help the employee may need. Using an example such as sports we could compare the process to the movements a basketball player makes during a layup, i.e., ball handling, angle of the approach, speed of the approach, timing of the actual shot, etc.
So if we use the example of producing a widget that we spoke of earlier it is important that we separate out each individual step that must be performed to produce a widget. In order to do this right you must track and time each movement that is required in order to produce a widget that meets the standard. As your doing this record every necessary action that must be accomplished so that you can then ask the employee to perform them for you.
Once you have determined what the employee needs to correct in order to meet the standard you can then establish your performance improvement plan so that you can hold them accountable. A well developed performance plan will include every necessary action, perhaps training, that you will require the employee to complete. This list of action steps that are required of the employee must have agreed upon completion dates that are reasonable. To insure progress is being made those actions steps should include dates that you follow up with the employee.
Make sure that you document every step of the improvement process, and the employee's progress as you work through that plan with them. In the event the employee is unable to meet the standard after you have made a reasonable attempt to help them, you may have to let them go. Having sufficient documentation within your performance improvement plan, showing you gave the employee an opportunity to improve their performance will be a tremendous advantage in the unlikely event the employee should take legal action against you.
In order to know if a staff member is performing to a desired standard we must first establish those standards. Secondly, it is equally important that any standard we establish must be a standard that is measurable, or it will be impossible for us to take action. Therefore, if your business produces a widget it is very important that you understand how much labor it takes to produce it.
What will determine if we can measure a standard or not? When establishing any performance standard it is best to break down the entire task into a number of smaller individual ones that can be measured. If we are able to accomplish this it will make it much easier to identify what help the employee may need. Using an example such as sports we could compare the process to the movements a basketball player makes during a layup, i.e., ball handling, angle of the approach, speed of the approach, timing of the actual shot, etc.
So if we use the example of producing a widget that we spoke of earlier it is important that we separate out each individual step that must be performed to produce a widget. In order to do this right you must track and time each movement that is required in order to produce a widget that meets the standard. As your doing this record every necessary action that must be accomplished so that you can then ask the employee to perform them for you.
Once you have determined what the employee needs to correct in order to meet the standard you can then establish your performance improvement plan so that you can hold them accountable. A well developed performance plan will include every necessary action, perhaps training, that you will require the employee to complete. This list of action steps that are required of the employee must have agreed upon completion dates that are reasonable. To insure progress is being made those actions steps should include dates that you follow up with the employee.
Make sure that you document every step of the improvement process, and the employee's progress as you work through that plan with them. In the event the employee is unable to meet the standard after you have made a reasonable attempt to help them, you may have to let them go. Having sufficient documentation within your performance improvement plan, showing you gave the employee an opportunity to improve their performance will be a tremendous advantage in the unlikely event the employee should take legal action against you.
About the Author:
For more information on how to develop an performance plan visit Greg's website, Good Leadership Skills for Life. In addition, as a special bonus Greg has also provided many free performance improvement plan examples.
No comments:
Post a Comment