Performance Goals

Performance GoalsHow Goals Help Supervisors

Manage Employees More Effectively

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Session ObjectivesYou will be able to:• Understand the benefits of setting

performance goals• Tailor goals to the needs of each employee• Set goals to motivate superior performance• Incorporate goals successfully in the

appraisal process

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What You Need to Know• Purpose of performance goals• Criteria for setting effective goals• Steps in the goal-setting process• How to individualize performance goals

and develop action plans• Goal-setting review and evaluation• Setting new goals

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Purpose of Performance GoalsPerformance goals:• Communicate

expectations• Set measurable

standards• Provide a pathway to

improvement, growth, and opportunity• Motivate employees to

perform at their best

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Purpose of Performance Goals (cont.)

Performance goals:• Provide a fair and objective basis for

compensation and other rewards• Target training and coaching needs• Create a focus for performance appraisals

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Performance Goals And the Law• Equal opportunity laws• Labor laws

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Criteria for Effective Performance Goals• Job related• Relevant• Measurable• Observable

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Criteria for Effective Performance Goals (cont.)

• Attainable• Reasonable• Specific• Challenging• Prioritized

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Criteria for Effective Performance Goals (cont.)

• Individualized• Flexible•Written

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Performance Goals and Employee Success• Do you understand the

information presented in the previous slides?

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The Goal-Setting Process• Set performance goals with employees•Monitor performance• Document observations

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The Goal-Setting Process (cont.)

• Evaluate performance• Discuss performance

with the employee• Set new performance

goals together

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Individualizing Performance Goals• Review job

descriptions and hiring specifications• Review past

performance• Compare performance

with organizational and department goals

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IndividualizingPerformance Goals (cont.)

• Consider physical or environmental limitations• Take team goals into

account• Think about the

employee’s career growth• Consider your

manager’s goals and your own performance goals

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Developing an Action Plan For Each Performance Goal• Set one goal for each

major job responsibility• Provide guidelines for

achievement• State a time frame• Include a

measurement standard

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Reviewing and Evaluating Achievement•Were all the goals achieved?• If not, why not?•What problems did the employee

encounter?•What new skills, experience, knowledge

were gained?•What’s the logical next step?

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Setting New Goals• Goals not achieved

during the previous period• Career development

goals• Changing company or

department needs • Additional training or

coaching needs• Next level of

achievement

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Setting Effective Performance Goals• Do you understand the

information presented in the previous slides?

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The Employee’s Role in Goal-Setting• Encourage active participation• Listen to employees’ concerns and

aspirations • Seek mutual agreement• Seek a good fit between the employee’s

career goals, your objectives, and the company’s needs

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Key Points to Remember• Performance goals motivate and direct

employee achievement • They are essential to the success of

employees, your department, and the organization •Work together with employees to develop

meaningful and useful goals• Link each goal to an action plan