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.
Understanding that in order for us to know whether our employee or employees are performing to a set standard we must first develop and establish those standards. As we do develop those standards they must be measurable, or they will mean nothing. So if your company makes widgets then we must know how much labor it will take to produce those widgets.
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 using the example we mentioned earlier with making a widget we would break every step down into several individual ones that make up the entire process to make that widget. When doing this count and time each step that is necessary and what is required in each one of those steps to perform it correctly. Then write down each one of the necessary movements that must be performed so that you will be able to watch the employee perform each movement individually while you evaluate them.
Now that you are able to determine what the problem is it is the time to formally produce an employee performance improvement plan so that you can hold the employee accountable. The performance plan should list the necessary steps, such as training, that you have determined will bring the employee up to standard. The plan should also have agreed upon time tables, provided they are reasonable, that the employee will have to meet. Those time tables should include several check points along the way to insure progress is being made.
Documentation of the progress an employee is making may be the most important piece of your performance improvement plan. Unfortunately there will be those staff members that no matter how much effort you put into improving their performance they will not be able to meet the standard and you will have to terminate their employment. There are also those employees that no matter how much you have tried to help them they will sue you; therefore, having every aspect of your improvement plan documented will be important.
Understanding that in order for us to know whether our employee or employees are performing to a set standard we must first develop and establish those standards. As we do develop those standards they must be measurable, or they will mean nothing. So if your company makes widgets then we must know how much labor it will take to produce those widgets.
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 using the example we mentioned earlier with making a widget we would break every step down into several individual ones that make up the entire process to make that widget. When doing this count and time each step that is necessary and what is required in each one of those steps to perform it correctly. Then write down each one of the necessary movements that must be performed so that you will be able to watch the employee perform each movement individually while you evaluate them.
Now that you are able to determine what the problem is it is the time to formally produce an employee performance improvement plan so that you can hold the employee accountable. The performance plan should list the necessary steps, such as training, that you have determined will bring the employee up to standard. The plan should also have agreed upon time tables, provided they are reasonable, that the employee will have to meet. Those time tables should include several check points along the way to insure progress is being made.
Documentation of the progress an employee is making may be the most important piece of your performance improvement plan. Unfortunately there will be those staff members that no matter how much effort you put into improving their performance they will not be able to meet the standard and you will have to terminate their employment. There are also those employees that no matter how much you have tried to help them they will sue you; therefore, having every aspect of your improvement plan documented will be important.
About the Author:
Gregory Covey has provided a lot of information on a performance improvement plan on his website, Good Leadership Skills for Life. He has also provided several free performance plan examples.