Communicating Employee Performance Expectations : A Competency-Based Approach to Defining Jobs and Training Needs, Setting Performance Goals, and Providing Feedback

Winner - 2022 Global Book Awards: SILVER MEDAL / Business Communications

Do your employees know what you want them to do? Are you sure?

Supervisors spend time and effort telling employees what to do, both formally via things like job descriptions, work assignments, emails, and meetings, and informally through everyday conversations. All these efforts cause supervisors to believe employees grasp what is expected of them. Sadly, this is often not the case.
Do you wonder if that’s true? Check out Officevibe’s 2014 survey results:

• 58 percent of executives believe their current performance process does not drive employee engagement.
• Only 8 percent of companies report that their performance management process drives high levels of value.

So yes, it’s worth your time to consider how clearly understood expectations can improve your group’s productivity and thus boost your success as a supervisor.

To see results, you need a multi-pronged strategy. You need to:

• Call attention to performance expectations
• Convey job and task specifics, and ensure employees have the necessary skills
• Provide employees with actionable feedback

This workbook also provides exercises that guide you in applying what you learn to your work situation. With the knowledge and tools provided, you can make a difference in your team, and thus in your organization and career.

After completing the workbook, you’ll know how to:

• Use position descriptions as the basis for setting performance expectations and guiding employee development.
• Describe the characteristics of effective performance goals and develop such goals.
• Identify different types of performance standards and performance measurement methods.
• Communicate performance expectations.
• Conduct performance observations, collect data, and solicit feedback.

10 Key Concepts to Master

1. Value Position Descriptions and Onboarding
2. Identify Job Related Knowledge, Skills, and Tasks
3. Establish Employee Training and Development Plans
4. Conduct On-the-Job Training
5. Use Performance Standards and Measures
6. Develop SMART Performance Goals
7. Communicate Performance Expectations and Critical Information
8. Observe and Document Performance
9. Provide Performance Feedback
10. Manage Performance Challenges

Structured Learning
All our workbooks align with our research-based Competency Model. The model, which is rooted in work by the U.S. Department of Labor and others, gives you a framework for structured learning by helping you identify and develop specific competencies.

Competencies are sets of skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that are observable and measurable. Our model has 35 competency dimensions associated with successful performance in leadership and professional roles. Competencies are clustered into five domains that may overlap.

This Communicating Employee Performance Expectations workbook focuses on the competency areas of Human Performance Management, Leadership and Coaching, and Oral Communication. The workbook content is primarily associated with the Supervisory/Management competency cluster or domain. For more information or visit: www.centrestar.com

Best of all? You can take any course:

• Online at your own pace through Centrestar and earn CEUs or PDHs: www.centrestar.com
• Select workbook materials through Amazon and conduct your own customized inhouse training
• Arrange to have any or all sessions instructor led via remote platform for your organization by the Pennsylvania College of Technology: call: 570.327.4775 or email: workforce@pct.edu