All organizations are eventually businesses, and it goes without saying that all organizations have performance expectations from its employees. It is based on these expectations that people are selected for their positions. When these expectations go awry, there is a chance that both the employee and the organization should feel embittered with each other. So, setting the right performance expectations is important.

Assess according to ability and importance of the employee

At the time of appointing people, HR and management have to make a very realistic assessment of what it can expect from the employee. There are expectations from every employee, right from the smallest to the most important position. So, it is important to know how much and what to expect from the employees.

All grades of employees have their task cut out; the organization needs work from all of them in varying degrees. If only the most senior positions were important; the lower grades would not have been required! Also, once HR and management decide to promote an employee, it has to see how much it should expect from the newly promoted employee and how much support it needs to offer them. Performance expectations thus have to be set in relation to the level and importance of the employee.

Parameters to which importance is given

Management and HR have to also decide on what parameters it is going to set performance expectations. Some organizations give importance to the employee’s ability to deliver under pressure. Some other organizations feel it is more important for the employee to be sincere and honest. This of course, depends on some positions like say, those relating to finance. Yet other organizations could rely on the employee’s ability to come up with out-of-the-box ideas.

This way, the organization has to define the parameters by which it is going to set performance expectations. Once these are put in place, the organization’s HR and management have to start assessing its candidates in relation to these.

Reference:

http://www.osp.state.nc.us/InternalSite/PerfMngt/How%20to%20Set%20Performance%20Expectations.pdf