Part of a successful management plan is effecting employee performance. This involves setting clear goals and providing positive reinforcement. The competent, well trained employees under your management may, at times, procrastinate, miss deadlines, and blame others for their mistakes. Often when you try to get to the bottom of what is causing these behaviors, the employee get defensive.
The first step in performance improvement is to discover the reasons behind the behavior. The employee may just be unsure of what your expectations are. He may be confused or waiting for further explanation. There may not be enough time allotted to complete a task. The tools may not be available, or the training insufficient. It is up to the manager to research these things before assuming the employee is simply lazy or unmotivated. It is best to first assume the system has failed the employee instead of the other way around. Providing the proper tools, training, and time, to do a job well, will prevent many employee performance problems from happening in the first place.
In order to figure out if certain inefficiencies exist, you must ask yourself some questions to better assess the situation. First off determine if work system and not the employee that is causing the problem. Is the employee fully informed of the goals and expectations involved in getting the job done? Is procrastination and issue? Perhaps the employee feels he lacks the skill or training to complete the job and the lack of confidence is effecting his ability to perform the required task. A large task may make the employee feel overwhelmed. Have you taught effective time management and the practice of breaking down large tasks into more manageable actions? Some large tasks require more than one person for efficient and successful completion. Make sure you have delegated the appropriate number of employees in relation to the size of the job.
Employee performance can be directly related to the quality of management. Employees who feel valued, and are fully aware of what is expected of them, will perform better and more efficiently.
