Employee Performance Discussions – 4 Ways to Keep Focused on Work
Sometimes you have to talk to employees about what they say as well as what they do or don't do. When that happens, you want to keep the focus on "work" and not be sidetracked by value judgments or personal perspectives. You can do that by talking about the negative or positive impact on work. Consider these four examples:
1. Communicating: Sometimes you have to talk to employees about how they talk. This might include using profanity, talking loudly, or discussing off-limit topics (e.g. politics). Inappropriate communication can cause disruptions in workflow, productivity, and quality. During your discussion, emphasize "how" the communication negatively impact workloads.
2. Not Doing Work: Employees sometimes don't do what they are supposed to do. Such behaviors can have a chain reaction. For example, if your employees do not do their job, you cannot do your job and other employees cannot do their job. When encountering this type of performance problem, discuss the impact (large and small) on the work of others within the organization.
3. Doing Work Incorrectly: Employee mistakes can have a broad impact. Think about internal and external customers. How does an error affect the delivery of a product or service? How does an error affect the goals you are trying to achieve? Use these and other questions to emphasize the value of positive performance.
4. Not Following Directions: Do you have employees who always want to do things "their way" even though their way is not efficient or effective? If so, you already know how such behavior negatively impacts productivity and quality. So when talking to these employees, you have two choices. You can describe how following the rules leads to more positive results. Or you can explain how not following the rules leads to less positive results.
Work Is A Common Denominator
There are many ways to describe the negative or positive impact of what employees say or do. But regardless of the approach you use, the common denominator is "work." Your employees come to work to do work, and that's what your organization needs and expects. So whether the topic involves communication or cooperation, if you keep the focus on "work" you increase the chance of getting better performance.
1. Communicating: Sometimes you have to talk to employees about how they talk. This might include using profanity, talking loudly, or discussing off-limit topics (e.g. politics). Inappropriate communication can cause disruptions in workflow, productivity, and quality. During your discussion, emphasize "how" the communication negatively impact workloads.
2. Not Doing Work: Employees sometimes don't do what they are supposed to do. Such behaviors can have a chain reaction. For example, if your employees do not do their job, you cannot do your job and other employees cannot do their job. When encountering this type of performance problem, discuss the impact (large and small) on the work of others within the organization.
3. Doing Work Incorrectly: Employee mistakes can have a broad impact. Think about internal and external customers. How does an error affect the delivery of a product or service? How does an error affect the goals you are trying to achieve? Use these and other questions to emphasize the value of positive performance.
4. Not Following Directions: Do you have employees who always want to do things "their way" even though their way is not efficient or effective? If so, you already know how such behavior negatively impacts productivity and quality. So when talking to these employees, you have two choices. You can describe how following the rules leads to more positive results. Or you can explain how not following the rules leads to less positive results.
Work Is A Common Denominator
There are many ways to describe the negative or positive impact of what employees say or do. But regardless of the approach you use, the common denominator is "work." Your employees come to work to do work, and that's what your organization needs and expects. So whether the topic involves communication or cooperation, if you keep the focus on "work" you increase the chance of getting better performance.
