Writing performance objectives for your employees needn’t be exceptionally difficult. Take your time, really think about the nature of the job and be, well, objective as you craft performance standards for your workers.

Here are some tips to help you write good performance objectives:

Be specific. for example, stating that data entry specialist should be able to input data “as quickly as possible” helps no one. Your specialist may very well be going as fast as he can, but you needed those figures yesterday.  Instead, the objective should be more along the lines of “typing and data entry speed of at least 45 wpm with an error rate of less than 10 percent.”

Speaking of specifics, make sure the objective is measurable. No gut feelings here and requiring that a worker provide “excellent customer service,” is to ephemeral. Again, your definition of excellence could vary greatly from your workers’ — and even from your customers! Instead, a measurable standard would have a CSR returning to a customer placed on hold in three minutes or less, for example.

Make sure your objectives are actually achievable. Data entry at 90 words per minute with zero errors probably is asking too much of even the best workers. Don’t set your employees up to fail.

Set deadlines. Give workers a realistic time frame in which to meet their objectives, of course, but deadlines really help everyone focus. Don’t set the deadline too far into the future but, if you must, set smaller deadlines within that “ultimate” deadline so that your staff members can see progress being made as they work toward the end deadline.

Don’t be afraid to revamp your performance objectives as time and business concerns dictate. In fact, you should look at the performance objectives for each position at least every two or three years to make sure the stated goals and objectives for the assignments keep up with the times.

Tampa Bay-area companies have been looking to the combined 50 years’ of experience of StaffEx’s recruiters to find them excellent temporary administrative, production, IT, engineering, finance, accounting, warehouse and skilled trades workers. We can do the same for you. Contact us today.