by John Stevens
March 24, 2011 11:58 AM
Employees need to be encouraged to achieve success and evaluation of their performance by managers is crucial. It is important to remember that staff plays a big role in the success of your business and can mean the difference between a mediocre and stellar operation. How to handle employees and evaluate their work is a skill every manager needs to master.
An annual review of each employee is necessary and deserved by the self storage manager and his employees. Evaluations help praise past work history and prepares staff for future goals. It is important to communicate your business objectives to employees during an evaluation. Following are ten steps to take for effectively evaluating employees.
1. Have a standard evaluation form to use with every employee. A typical form uses one-to-five scales with areas for comments.
2. Be consistent in when you administer the evaluation.
3. Schedule a time to meet with each employee.
4. Acquire thorough resources that provide evaluation examples, formats and guides. Take part in a program to learn how to evaluate people, such as Toastmasters International.
5. Stay focused and relay specific aims for each employee.
6. Both employer and employee should be close in assessment of performance.
7. Take advantage of the opportunity to align the employee with company’s business goals.
8. Schedule times to meet with employee in future to work on certain items such as improving closing skills.
9. Celebrate milestones in employment with an achievement certificate, pin or celebratory lunch.
10. Schedule a follow-up a week or so later to resolve any lingering issues or questions.
Success in any endeavor takes time. When managing employees, it’s important to focus on progress they’ve made towards a goal rather than perfection, which can be an obstacle to innovation, creativity and satisfaction. By focusing on progress, a manager highlights how it takes small steps to achieve the highest standards and accomplishments. Following are five progress-oriented strategies:
1. Remember there’s no such thing as perfection. It is better to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
2. Practice intelligent goal-setting with measurable goals at definite intervals.
3. Celebrate accomplishments.
4. Don’t be scared of making mistakes. It is part of progressing and learning.
5. Never underplay small accomplishments. It is important to remain enthusiastic and visualize the final result.
Sources Used:
“Managing Self-Storage Employees: Focus on Progress, Not Perfection.” Inside Self-Storage. March 17, 2011.
“Evaluating Self-Storage Employees: 10 Guidelines for Facility Owners to Effectively Assess Staff.” Inside Self-Storage. Sept. 26, 2010.