Setting Clear Expectations For Your Employees

A 2015 survey by international pollsters Gallup shows that 50% of the total workforce did not know what was expected of them in the workplace. Employees are less engaged and struggle to meet company leadership and managers’ expectations when they don’t have a clear understanding of their objectives. A lack of clear expectations can lead to a state of confusion and decreased motivation and productivity.

This is why setting clear expectations within a business organisation is important for the business’s growth and progress and for promoting a healthy workplace culture.

What Are Employee Expectations?

These are generally behaviours and work standards an employer requires an employee to demonstrate rather than performance targets and key performance indicators. Employee expectations may vary in accordance with different organisations and their goals. Employee expectations also refer to requirements that an employee may have of their managers and leaders.

Examples of expectations that the leadership team may have of their employees include:

• Following set policies and procedures when dealing with problems and issues
• To perform their role to a reasonable standard in accordance with their job description
• To be reliable and responsible
• To maintain a good attendance record
• To conduct themselves professionally
• To display a positive and respectful attitude

Expectations Employees may have of their managers and leaders include:

• To provide effective training, support and leadership
• Timely and accurate payment of wages
• A safe and healthy workplace
• Clear communication of tasks and duties (generally contained in their job description)
• An induction into company policies and procedures
• Regular feedback on performance from supervisors or managers
• Clarification of company goals and how individual employee goals fit into the bigger picture

Team expectations are similar to individual employee expectations, but the main goal is to encourage cooperation within the team and improve the team culture. Managers generally hold the team as a whole accountable for demonstrating certain behaviours, as well individual members of the team.

What Are Performance Expectations?

Performance expectations are more concerned with the output of the employee rather than desired behaviours.

Managers require their employees to achieve individual goals that form part of the overall company goals as part of their performance expectations. Managers need to explain from the outset how employee performance contributes to the bigger picture, and that the employee’s role goes beyond their job description. The leadership team should provide a framework for managers to set realistic and clear expectations with employees that are measurable and timebound. Employees are held accountable for meeting goals, and managers should track their progress and keep the lines of communication open in order to provide immediate support where necessary.

Practical Steps in Setting Up Employee For Setting Clear Expectations For Employees

1. Determine Expectations

Before you can ask your employees to fulfil any of your expectations, you must first ensure that you have a clear vision of what it is that you want. It is important to understand why. This is because it is much easier to get support and foster a clear understanding when you have provided employees with context and justification. This increases employee engagement and makes them more inclined to meet goals and get positive results.

Once they have determined their goals, leaders should set realistic and clear expectations for their employees which include steps for the employees to take to achieve those goals. Decide what specific results you are seeking, and how you will determine whether expectations have been met.

2. Set Clear Expectations

Clear expectations are more likely to produce better results than the popular belief that undefined expectations grant autonomy to employees, as in fact, they lead to confusion and disorder. It is better to set clear expectations and goals and then grant some leeway in how to achieve them.

Some advantages of setting clear expectations include:

• Employees remain focused and are not easily side-tracked
• It reduces the chances of being employees either stagnating or being frantically productive
• There is no work redundancy or overlap as everyone knows what they are doing
• Employees are not frustrated and confused because they don’t know what to do
• Clear expectations lead to increased productivity and a positive workplace culture

3. Communication And Management Of Expectations

After setting clear expectations you should take steps to provide clear communication to your employees on how to meet the expectations. The only way your employees will know what you expect of them is if you communicate it clearly and objectively. Unspoken expectations are unmet expectations. Avoid being abstract or vague. Manage the employee expectations by answering questions, addressing any concerns, providing any required training and resources, and offering practical tools and guidance.

When your expectation is in writing, it does not leave any room for confusion. Set clear deadlines and targets and discuss the written document extensively with your employees. Go over each sentence carefully and ask if they need clarity on any point.

The goals that have been set should be realistic and attainable. Remember to communicate with each employee in a way they can best understand. Let the staff know why the expectations are important to you and how they promote the business’ wellbeing, and they will be more enthusiastic about pursuing them.

4. Measure Success

The leadership team should take steps to constantly review the expectations set for employees in line with company objectives and goals.

Hold your employees accountable through a system that rewards results. Keep communication open and check in with employees regularly to help them keep moving forward. Formalise expectations by getting employee agreement and commitment, perhaps having employees sign a document that they have a clear understanding of the steps they need to take to meet goals and achieve results.

Determining whether set expectations have been successfully met can include:

• Measuring the impact of work on the organisation
• Assessing the expectations on the level of service rendered to clients and co-workers
• Looking into how the employee has demonstrated organisational values.

The Upshot

Setting clear and realistic expectations, and revisiting them regularly with the employees, is a good way to keep the lines of communication open and achieve results and company goals. Employsure can help you set clear and realistic expectations with your employees. Contact us on 1300 207 182 for free initial advice.

This article has been compiled on the basis of general information current at the time of publication. Changes in circumstances after publication may affect the completeness or accuracy of this information. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all liability for any errors or omissions contained in this information or any failure to update or correct this information. It is your responsibility to assess and verify the accuracy, completeness, currency and reliability of the information on this website, and to seek professional advice where necessary. Nothing contained on this website is to be interpreted as a recommendation to use any product, process or formulation or any information on this website. For clarity, Employsure does not recommend any material, products or services of any third parties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Are Expectations Important in the Workplace?

Setting expectations is important in the workplace as employees can’t meet goals and achieve results if they don’t have the knowledge and the tools to do so. By setting clear expectations and communicating your business requirements to your staff, you are reducing the chances of any communication breakdown, helping employees achieve goals and results, and creating a more positive working experience for your staff.

What Expectations Should You Set for Your Employees?

Realistic and clear expectations regarding behaviours and performance goals that are achievable, reasonable, measurable and timebound, concerning the following for example:

• Dress code
• Displaying a positive and respectful attitude
• Meeting KPIs and other targets
• Start and finishing times
• Adherence to workplace policies and procedures

What Does It Mean to Set Clear Expectations?

Setting clear expectations means that you communicate with your employee in a manner that provides them with a clear understanding of what to do and what not to do, what steps they need to take to achieve the desired results and when, and how those results will be measured.

What Are Team Expectations?

Team expectations are desirable behaviours attributed to a certain group of employees or a department, e.g. the sales team, concerning team interactions, for which the team as a whole as well as individual members are held accountable. Examples are demonstrating friendly and collaborative behaviour and working safely together.

How Do You Set Expectations for Your Team?

1. Make sure what is expected is clear to you;

2. Make sure expectations are reasonable, realistic and attainable;

3. Make sure you have a clear reason for the expectations;

4. Expectations must be measurable and timebound;

5. Determine how best to communicate expectations clearly to individual employees;

6. Meet with employees to announce and discuss your expectations;

7. Request employee feedback, and if possible, amend the expectations to incorporate the feedback;

8. Put expectations in writing;

9. Make sure employees have the requisite resources, tools, knowledge and training to enable them to meet the expectations;

10. Monitor employee progress, encourage regular communication and tweak expectations where necessary to meet changing leadership goals.

How Do You Set Expectations for New Employees?

It is easy to set expectations for employees at the outset as part of the recruitment and induction process. The employee’s role and responsibilities should be set out in their job description and the employee contract, and company expectations, policies and procedures should be discussed during the initial interview process as well as forming part of the company induction.

What are Examples of Expectations?

Some examples of expectations include:

• KPIs or performance targets
• Adherence to a Dress code
• Displaying a positive and respectful attitude
• Following set policies and procedures when dealing with problems and issues
• Being reliable
• Attending work on time
• Professional conduct