Involve employees in setting goals. Initially, we have employees write up on last year. There were training goals and work performance goals. They write out how they did against those goals prior to the review. [After] the review, they write up what they think this year’s goals should be and how they can improve themselves and improve efficiency for the company.
Once those are submitted, then they sit down with their manager and review them. The manager usually tweaks them, and then those goals are turned in to me. I briefly meet with the manager and approve them.
I read every salary review. I know the goals that are set. I’m very aware and involved in setting goals. And that’s not just an annual process. Those things are reviewed and tweaked, and they obviously can change.
We have a follow-up process six months into the year. It’s a sit-down with your manager. You review all the goals that were established; it gives you an indication of where you’re at. And then at the end of the year, they have the full review.
Follow up on employees’ progress. If they’re far behind, it’s a regular meeting, weekly or monthly, with their manager. Most of the time, it’s lining up what the employee needs to do and giving them the opportunity to do it. If there are flags raised in that six-month area, there’s a regular meeting set up.
People are generally given two to three opportunities where things are laid out very clearly. If for some reason they can’t do it, then eventually a change has to be made. If they don’t perform, (the meeting) is done discreetly. That’s not a public thing, although there are questions asked [publicly] on programs.
If things aren’t in line, that’s a little bit of pressure on them. The intent on those would not be to embarrass somebody; it’s more to know where we’re at. Every once in awhile, people feel the pressure, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Establish open communication. If I know something’s falling off target, I’ll go to them. It can be hallway discussion, it can be formal discussion, it can be in departmental meetings. In our culture, we want issues brought to the surface very quickly. You build it with communication.
In larger companies, I saw CEOs that were out of touch with the production floor. I don’t go in for just a brief visit. I go in and talk and try to build trust with our employees. I schedule, as much as I can, visitations to plants and one-on-one conversations.
It takes time to build the trust. As you walk the floor, if people raise issues to you and you do nothing about it, you lose all credibility very quickly. If there’s an issue that warrants being addressed, get it addressed immediately.
There is follow-up in writing on closure of some issues. A lot of things have become e-mail and texts. We rely on that to some point, but our most successful stuff is done with direct communication, face to face. We try to drive the majority of our things through that, on issue resolution in particular.
HOW TO REACH: US Farathane Corp., (586) 978-2800 or www.usfarathane.com
