“Evaluations help us see where we were, and plan where to go.”

Throughout the weeks, we’ve learned how to communicate our expectations with employees more clearly. But how can an employer track the progress and improvement of their workers?

Answer: employee evaluations. While at first the phrase has an air of doom around it, evaluations are beneficial for both the company and the employee.

Employee evaluations help us:
–examine the quality of our work (strengths)
–identify trouble areas (room for improvement)
–set goals for future performance and growth opportunities (goals)

5 keys to conducting efficient employee evaluations:

1. Praise strengths first. A person may not hear or value input from an employer who starts the meeting with attacks or negativity.
2. Be honest about areas of weakness. If one task is consistently difficult for an employee, consider investing in training opportunities and/or reassigning the responsibility.
3. Have evaluations at least once a year. In order to track improvement, keep all evaluations in the employee’s file and make it a priority to meet at least once a year. Meeting annually also helps remind employees of their duties and goals.
4. Conduct evaluations in a relaxed and private setting.
5. Use a consistent evaluation form, and always give the staff member a copy of the completed form when the meeting is finished.

If you’re wondering how to begin an employee evaluation, or if you’d like to see an example, click to view a current evaluation form.

We hope these resources will allow you to conduct better evaluations, and help your employees reach their goals.