This Month's Article of Interest: PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS 101 If you have employees, you need to have a system to evaluate performance •     To identify and correct problems before they hurt your business •     To improve productivity •     To retain good employees by recognizing when they are ready for growth challenges and promotions •     To protect your business from discrimination claims in the event that disciplining or terminating an employee is necessary.   Set clear goals based on an employee’s written job description as well as their longer term aspirations.  (Review and modify that job description regularly to make sure that it still reflects the employee’s current responsibilities.)  Ideally, goals should be set and agreed upon jointly by both the supervisor and employee.  The goals should be as specific as possible, quantifiable, and time-limited. For example, a designated task should be successfully completed by a specific date.    Give informal feedback to employees on a regular basis.  With a new employee, or with one who is struggling, this may require a supervisor to monitor day-to-day performance and to offer additional training or support.   Ongoing issues should be documented in writing, at least on a weekly basis, and include what criticism and help is being given to the employee.  At the same time, a supervisor would also be well served to weekly document the positive contributions and accomplishments of employees…to make sure that those are acknowledged as well as to track their consistency…instead of trying to do such an evaluation only once a year, based on memory alone.   Have a consistent procedure for dealing with performance or behavioral issues as soon as possible when or after they occur.  The supervisor should identify and discuss the issue with the employee  and suggest an action plan for improvement. This should describe the problem, the steps that both the employee and the supervisor will take to help solve it, as well as the time period within which the plan will be implemented and the problem will be resolved.  When employers can demonstrate they worked with employees on performance-related problems and documented the reasons for any disciplinary action, the courts have historically dismissed discrimination claims.   Use formal reviews, semi-annually or annually. (Some businesses also have formal reviews after the first 3 months of employment.) Assuming that your company is using the informal review process throughout the year, these reviews will not deal with day-to-day issues.  They are to assess whether overall goals have been met and to determine the employee’s continued role and growth direction in the company.  This is an ideal time to review and modify the employee’s written job description.