A probationary period allows you to ensure that the candidate you chose for your position was the best fit for the job.
It’s a chance to assess the new employee’s performance, commitment, and general fit for the job and take appropriate action if they don’t fulfil the requirements.
It usually last between one and six months, and either you or the employee can terminate the agreement at any time during that period.
Whether you want to successfully evaluate your employees’ performance without being too severe and crushing office morale or too easy-going to their flaws and places for improvement, here are seven suggestions for doing so effectively.
Set objectives with your team
Meetings to evaluate employee performance should be utilized to create new objectives. Have an open conversation with employees about their performance, including both the positive and negative elements, before deciding how to proceed. The discussion will only be beneficial if something useful emerges from it.
Employees should leave the meeting with a set of personal goals that they wish to achieve for the company’s benefit. Instead of making employees feel bad about their poor performance, setting goals can motivate them to do better.
Be open and honest about your performance goals and evaluation criteria
Ensure that you are clear about what you anticipate from your staff throughout the year and before the performance evaluation. They should constantly know to what degree they are expected to perform, but the evaluation guidelines should also be clear.
Before you meet with your employees, they should know how they are doing, and the meeting should act as a safe environment for an open discussion about what they are doing well and what they need to work on. You are not only hurting your staff, but you are also hurting your organization if you keep these expectations and rules to yourself.
Provide assistance and solutions
If you observe that employees are struggling with their performance assessments, give your help or ideas, if you have any. Keep in mind that you’re not simply an evaluator; you’re also a leader. Employees will feel lost and confused if you want them to improve but do not assist them.
Throughout the year, provide constructive criticism
Much of the planning for conducting employee performance reviews are done throughout the year, believe it or not. Suppose the only time you provide feedback to your employees is during an annual or semi-annual performance evaluation; in that case, you may be losing valuable time that might be spent helping them develop.
You can ensure that your employee is doing well, that your company is doing well, and that office morale is doing well by delivering positive feedback throughout the year.
Address poor performance as soon as possible and in a courteous manner
If an employee consistently performs poorly throughout the year, don’t wait until the end of the year to inform them they need to improve. Instead, take them aside during the year and talk to them about their problems; this will help you build a healthy connection to feel comfortable talking to you about their performance.
Keep in mind that you’re not simply an evaluator; you’re also a leader. Employees will feel lost and confused if you want them to improve but do not assist them in doing so. Remember, you want to help your staff grow, not criticize them, so confront poor performance with respect.
Don’t only provide lousy feedback
While we all have employees that need to improve their performance, focusing solely on the negative parts of their performance can make them feel unloved, resulting in low morale, which will negatively impact the rest of the firm. Make sure you explain what the employee does well when responding to unfavourable criticism.
Concentrate entirely on results
Ascertain that the evaluation is solely focused on their performance. We all have people in our lives who we dislike. Make performance evaluations objective rather than subjective. Keep in mind that you’re evaluating their work performance, not their personality or attitude. Maintain a professional tone.
Conclusion
Hopefully, these seven pointers would have given you more confidence in the job performance evaluation process. Evaluations will be a breeze if you follow these guidelines.