3 Keys to Evaluating Employees

#1.  Attitude

Attitude is the most important factor to consider with employees.  A great attitude can overcome many other problems.  A poor attitude wipes away most other attributes.

The reason is that attitude is infectious.  Each employee’s attitude impacts your company culture.  Letting a negative attitude spread is not an option.

Confront employees with attitude issues, let them know your concerns, and set the expectation that they’ll make immediate changes.

Be short suffering when it comes to attitude.  Employees with chronic attitude problems are not worth the detrimental impact they’ll have on your team.

#2.  Effort

Woody Allen famously said:

“80% of success is showing up.”

Effort is mandatory in any job.  Employees need to show up, focus on their tasks, and strive to overcome challenges.

Lethargic employees that tend to shirk responsibilities or veer off-task get noticed.  If you don’t correct this behavior, soon others will begin to wonder why they should always put in 100% when it doesn’t appear to be a company expectation.

If you have someone who’s just plain lazy, you may have to dismiss them.  If there is a specific problem such as excessive socializing or watching YouTube on the clock, confront the employee and give them a chance to correct the problem.

Also be aware if someone’s effort is waning because of disinterest or boredom.  If they have the right skill sets and a positive attitude, the move may be to challenge them to a new role.

#3.  Performance

Performance is an obvious way to evaluate employees, but it can also be tricky.

Clearly, you need employees that drive results.  If they can’t get the job done – even if you’ve given them every opportunity – they’re not a fit.

As we said, if the employee has an excellent attitude and makes a great effort but their performance isn’t there, you probably have a diamond in the rough.  Work with them to bring their performance up to the required level.

The toughest employee to evaluate is the one who performs at a high level but has a poor attitude or effort level.  This is the “natural” who shows up late, seems to goof-off all the time, but at the end of the month their numbers are the best on the team.

The net impact of this type of employee is often negative, particularly if they have a poor attitude.  They may be arrogant and condescending to others.  Their apparent lack of work ethic may influence other employees.  And unless they truly are a natural, it’s likely their results won’t be consistent.

Evaluate these situations on an individual basis.  Determine if the output is worth the cost to your culture.

Discover and Develop Professionals

Be on the look out for diamonds in the rough, as well as diamonds that are actually coal.

People with a positive attitude and strong work ethic are worth investing in.  With the proper training and the right role, they’ll be a long-term asset for your business.

Bottom-line performance is only worth so much if the person is otherwise bringing your culture down.  Attitude and effort are part of performance – make sure all employees understand that.  If you have someone who gets the job done but makes everyone else not want to come to work, the output probably isn’t worth it.

Professionals bring their A-game everyday.  It’s in their attitude, they don’t just perform when they feel “on”.  They develop their passion through hard work, they don’t only put effort into things they’re passionate about.  Professionals know the way get respect is to give it.

Discover and develop professionalism in your company.  It’s the gem of company culture.