Six Tips on Setting Expectations for Employees

Experts in SHRM offer six tips for managers to set clearly defined expectations for employees. Betterworks' Luane Tierney says there needs to be emphasis on objectives every quarter, along with "actionable key results that will allow the employee to achieve those objectives." 15Five's Jeff Smith recommends setting expectations with employees from their first day at work, adding that "employees have a clear understanding of what they should be focusing on and how it contributes to the company's overall strategy." Tammy Perkins with PMI Worldwide stresses that team leaders must ensure that staffers understand their accountability for reaching goals, "by following up, establishing shared goals, and setting milestones to allow the team to gauge progress." She also says giving workers meaningful feedback is essential, with storytelling a recommended method. Surehand CEO Chris Brenchley offers leveraging employee motivation as a fifth tip, which "will give you clear insight about what they're planning and how the goals you set will be able to take them where they want to go." The sixth and last suggestion, also from Brenchley, is to provide measurable goals.