330 likes | 346 Views
This article explores the importance of setting expectations for employees at the University of Detroit Mercy. It provides guidance on creating work plans, discussing goals and strategic plans, and addressing employee needs. By implementing these tools, supervisors can build a pathway of success and develop future leaders within the organization.
E N D
Creating an Environment of Expectations Navigating the pathway of success through work plans, conversations and evaluations April M. Lynch | Associate Vice President for Human Resources| lynchap@udmercy.edu| | 313.993.1524
“Let us all be the leaders we wish we had.”Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last “Let us all be the leaders we wish we had.”Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last
Detroit Mercy Mission and Vision Detroit Mercy Mission Statement University of Detroit Mercy, a Catholic university in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, exists to provide excellent student-centered undergraduate and graduate education in an urban context. A Detroit Mercy education seeks to integrate the intellectual, spiritual, ethical and social development of our students. Detroit Mercy Vision Statement University of Detroit Mercy will be recognized as a premier private university in the Great Lakes region, distinguished by graduates who lead and serve in their communities.
What If We Changed the Words….. Detroit Mercy Mission Statement University of Detroit Mercy, a Catholic university in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, exists to provide an excellent employeecentered organizationin an urban context. As a Detroit Mercy employerweseek to integrate the intellectual, spiritual, ethical and social development of our employees. Detroit Mercy Vision Statement University of Detroit Mercy will be recognized as a premier private university in the Great Lakes region, distinguished by employeeswho lead and serve their university and each other.
Our goal is to provide tools for you as supervisors to: Ensure that employees feel valued and have learning opportunities so they can contribute to the mission and vision of the organization Prepare a pathway of success for our employees Build leaders within the organization University of Detroit Mercy Success Starts WithU
Building a Pyramid of Success Evaluations
TRUE OR FALSE? Setting expectations at the beginning of each year is the foundation for success? Evaluations TRUE
Setting Expectations: Baseline Job Description It’s important to know and discuss expectations for a strong foundation of success: • Reviewing job descriptions not only provides clarity, but can help determine missing pieces in your team. • Do your team members have the right training, do they need more? • Sets the tone of meeting your employees where they are and building from there. • Is this the right fit? • Is the job description even relevant anymore? • HR has job descriptions that haven’t been touched in over 10 years; some positions don’t even have one on file!
Setting Expectations: Goals and Strategic Plans It is important to step out of your department and know and discuss the bigger picture: • Do your employees know the goals of your department? • Do your employees know the goals of the University? • Where do they fit in these goals, what do you expect them to do? What role do they play? • What plans are in place for success? • Do your employees have the right tools?
Setting Expectations: Your Employee Needs It’s important to take into consideration your employee needs: • Do you know what your employee desires as it relates to growth and development? • Where does your employee feel they fit in the organization? • In what ways does your employee want to grow? • What does your employee need from you? • Does your employee know what success looks like?
Tools: Work Plans • Creating a work plan for your employees is one tool to ensure success • Set expectations each year • Identify their mentor/training buddy • Identify timelines and expectations • Identify training necessary to complete tasks • Identify success factor (Key Performance Indicators) • Sets responsibility of expectations • Supervisor responsibilities • Employee responsibilities
Why Create Work Plans? • Work Plans are a tool to prepare the employee to succeed, grow and prioritize workflow • Work Plans are a way to begin measuring success and achieve goals for the organization • Work plans are meant to set expectations on work flow throughout the year • Work plans set the strong foundation to move goals forward and create wins
How to Use a Work Plan • Work Plans are an opportunity to focus your teams on the strategic vision for the University • Work Plans should be well thought out to ensure success • Work Plans should be worked on in tandem with the employee to ensure goals of the organization, department and individual are brought forward • Work plans should be reviewed at least quarterly (or more as needed) to ensure proper prioritization • Work plans are not meant to be a punishment on your time, but to ensure that your team is working toward common goals
How NOT to Use a Work Plan • Work Plans are NOT meant to be done in five minutes because it’s another assignment to cross off your list • Work plans should NOT be done in a silo, they need to have a commitment by both employee and manager • NOT looking at the work plan until two weeks before the end of the documented year is a recipe for disaster • NOT setting reasonable expectations may cause an overworked employee and poor performance
Work Plan Tool Discussion
TRUE OR FALSE? Once you set expectations at the beginning of the year, you can set it and forget it. FALSE
Continued Conversations (CC) • Once the foundation of expectations have been laid; focus on continued conversations • On-going coaching and mentoring will need to take place as needed • Rally around accomplishments, note them, let your team know they were caught doing great • Support failures; talk about what happened, help recovery • Address and talk about concerns and expectations regularly • Document and move forward behaviors or issues that rise to discipline where necessary
Documenting Continued Conversations • CC should be done on a regular basis • CC can be used as a behavior modification tool, when giving both praise and counseling to an employee on a regular basis it should help their growth and development • CC also serves as mechanism for documentation, this is particularly helpful in situations where you are seeking improvement and need to meet on a regular basis • Don’t have CC only during times of failure; this causes CC to be awkward and uncomfortable
CC to Discipline • CC can often be the precursor to documented discipline • July 2019, HR will be presenting Navigating Troubled Waters: • Discussion around documentation and write up • Performance improvement plans • Terminations • Other tools as needed • HR Improvements • Updates to our website with the some tools • Guidance Statement for CC • How to get Job Descriptions • HR is currently reviewing HR modules that will support on line documentation for performance management
TRUE OR FALSE Evaluations are the most important tool you can use to grow and/or discipline your employees? FALSE
How Should Evaluations Be Used Evaluations are typically used once a year, except for new employees; those should be done two to three times the first year. Extra evaluations can also be used on employees who need a performance improvement plan Evaluations are an assessment tool to provide coaching opportunities for your staff that take in account the entire year It provides a look back period at their growth throughout the year and focus on areas that have the most potential for growth moving forward Crucial conversations and work plans are essential data points to focus on when completing an evaluation
How Should Evaluations NOT Be Used If you haven’t set expectations or are uncomfortable having a CC, evaluations will not be helpful Evaluations should not be used to “pile on”; waiting for an evaluation to deliver discipline Managers should not wait until evaluations to provide feedback for growth There should be few surprises in an evaluation No one is perfect, therefore there is ALWAYS room for growth opportunities (no one can be exceptional in all areas) No one is a 100% awful employee therefore ALWAYS have some strengths (no one can be failing in all areas)
Temporary Lynch Evaluation Rules Stop, do not proceed: • If your employees have no idea what their expectations are for an evaluation • If you aren’t sure of the priorities of your employees • If you haven’t had one conversation good or bad throughout the year with an employee • If you aren’t evaluating everyone Drop and proceed with caution: • If you have a list of things they are doing wrong but haven’t addressed them yet • You are putting them on notice they are underperforming and putting them on a performance improvement plan
Temporary Lynch Evaluation Rules Roll on: • You have been keeping up on evaluations • You feel both you and your team know and understand the goals for the year • This has been, and is a part of, the overall development of all your employees • If this is the culture of your department • Remember the do’s and do not’s of evaluations
Current Climate of Evaluations • Detroit Mercy currently has multiple evaluation tools, that are dependent on the union/non-union • There is a general frustration with the current non-union evaluation model and process • Managers and employees don’t understand the role of the evaluation since it “doesn’t mean anything”…meaning it’s not tied to pay increases • When evaluations are completed, they are not always forwarded to HR to be filed • We are not consistent when doing evaluations
Current Evaluation Standards • Non-Union Performance Communications System • UDMPSSA Evaluation Process as determined by their current Collective Bargaining Agreement • Faculty through Colleges and Academic Affairs • Deans through Academic Affairs • Maintenance and Power House: None at this time • Public Safety: None at this time
Future of Detroit Mercy Evaluation Systems • Continue to follow Stop, Drop and Roll • Create a task force to address the non-union (potentially other unions) evaluation and methods • Start looking at potential for merit based increases • HR is currently researching on line modules to address performance management
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.”– Max DePree
Steps to Action • Step 1: Start with a Job Description Overview • Have employees review their current job description and receive their feedback • Review their information; process the information and provide feedback as well • Discuss greater goals of your department with your employees and where they fit • Step 2: Create a work plan for your employees • Have employees review and fill out the Work Plan Tool • Review their information; process the information and provide feedback as well • Set the tone for the year of expectations
Steps to Action • Step 3: Plan CC moments • Set regular meetings; could be quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily as needed • Acknowledge small things through email or passing by the water fountain • Stay engaged on what’s going on; address concerns timely (which may include documentation that moves toward termination) • Step 4: Address the Evaluation Process • Look at the year in review and do an evaluation if that has been your practice • Acknowledge strengths and areas of growth • Don’t worry about evaluations if you are still learning expectations and CC
You can be busy creating expectations, or busy fixing the broken pieces of expectations. It’s a choice.
Navigating Troubled Waters July 18, 2019 College of Engineering & Science, Room 131 McNicholsCampus July 25, 2019 School of Dentistry, Special Functions Room July 30, 2019 School of Law, Room 252