If your businesses or organisations has decided to set job expectations for employees, your next step is to think about how you will apply those expectations in practice.
You might decide on a structured, documented process for applying job expectations and reviewing how employees are going.
Or you may decide that a less formal approach would be more effective for the type of working arrangement you have in place.
Either way, it’s important that you apply job expectations fairly and equitably.
- Being fair — If you have employees are performing the same or similar work, make sure you apply job expectations consistently for everyone. Decisions based on preferred personal relationships, nepotism, or other factors unrelated to the job are unlikely to be in the best decisions to support the business.
- Being equitable — If you have any employees who have special circumstances or diverse needs, make sure you consider these when applying job expectations. For example, you may be required to consider reasonable adjustments for an employee with a disability. Learn more about reasonable adjustments.
Some different approaches to applying work standards include:
- Giving feedback to your employee
- Developing employee performance improvement plans for underperforming employees
- Proactively support your employee’s learning and development.
Done well, establishing and applying work standards can support good working relationships with your employees.
Giving feedback
Assessing how an employee is going, and the quality of their work, doesn’t need to be a formalised process.
In fact, some of the most effective ways to foster positive contributions are based on frequent and effective conversations.
As soon as — or even before — a problem arises, giving an employee feedback can help get an employee on track to achieve and develop.
Don’t forget about positive feedback
Feedback isn’t just for problems. Giving positive feedback can help to reinforce for employees that what they are doing is meeting or exceeding expectations.
Positive feedback can also build employee motivation. Your employees are more likely to apply themselves well in their job if they know that their efforts are being recognised and commended.
How to give feedback
Giving feedback is an important skill in managing people at work.
Feedback allows people to reflect on their behaviours and performance at work that isn’t meeting expectations before it becomes a bigger issue. In this way, feedback supports people develop and learn.
Giving feedback is a learned skill. And it takes practice.
Dos and Don’ts for giving feedback
| What to do | What NOT to do |
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Tailoring your feedback for the type of role your employee is in
How you give feedback can also be influenced by the type of role an employee is in.
For example:
- An employee who has had limited work experience and requires supervision may need more regular feedback and guidance about what the role requires of them, and how they should be performing their work.
- An employee in a senior role with high levels of independent decision-making, judgement, or who is required to exercise a specialised creative skill may only require periodic check-ins with their manager about their work. It is reasonable for you to expect that they understand and apply the skills needed for the role and based on their work history and expertise.
In practice:
Feedback to help an employee learn and develop
Macy is a new art teacher at a community arts college who teaches painting with oils. The college director sometimes sits in on Macy’s lessons to observe. She regularly gives feedback to help Macy improve and become more comfortable in her role.
During one lesson, the director observes Macy give clear instruction to her students about brush work technique.
However, the director also notices that when individual students don’t follow her instruction, Macy gets frustrated and speaks to them abruptly and loudly – allowing the rest of the class to hear.
The art college director arranges to speak with Macy after class after her students have left.
She says, 'Macy, I like the way you give clear brush work instruction to the students. But I noticed that one of the students looked upset when you spoke to them about correcting their technique. While I know it can be frustrating, what I find works is an approach of speaking quietly to the student and showing them the correct technique on a small demonstration canvas that I take around with me. That might make things more comfortable for you and the student, and also allow the student to learn from your skill.'
Feedback about a work issue with an experienced employee
Pierre has started a new role as a senior public relations manager for a creative organisation. They have worked in the arts industry for over 20 years, including in similar roles.
A few weeks into their new job, assuming that the organisation’s approach to dealing with media outlets is the same as in their previous organisations, Pierre handles media inquiries directly – even the difficult ones. Their executive manager, Anna, however likes to be kept informed about the media inquiries, because this relates to her job responsibilities.
Because of Pierre’s experience and demonstrated capability in the job, Anna does not think she needs to have a formal meeting to discuss the issue. Instead, Anna sends Pierre an email.
She writes, 'Hi Pierre, thank you for your efforts in dealing with that difficult inquiry last week. For next time, would you please let me know if you get an inquiry relating to this issue again before you send a response? That way I can update our leadership team so they are aware of our response beforehand and are prepared to handle questions that may come their way.'
Pierre responds by saying that they were trying to sort out the issue so that Anna and the leadership didn’t have to.
Anna replies by acknowledging Pierre’s intentions but reinforces the expectation that media inquiries dealing with these issues need to be shared with her so that she can brief the leadership team.
Pierre reassures Anna that they will share any similar inquiries with her in the future.
Feedback about job expectations with additional support provided
Caleb is a receptionist at an artist management agency. His job includes receiving visitors and answering the phone.
Caleb’s colleagues start noticing that he has been failing to greet people when they enter the reception and letting the phone ring out. He often looks distracted and has been forgetting to do certain end-of-day tasks.
One quiet afternoon, the office manager, Judy, asks Caleb if she can have quick word. They find a location away from the reception area and other staff members. She asks Caleb, 'Is everything ok? I ask because I’ve seen you look distracted. You haven’t been greeting visitors and seem to be missing calls and forgetting to some of your regular tasks.'
Caleb responds by saying he didn’t realise he was missing and forgetting things, but admits that he has been distracted. He explains that he has had a lot on his mind because of a difficult family situation with an unwell family member.
Judy replies sympathetically and tells him she’s sorry to hear about his family situation. She reminds Caleb that the agency has special leave arrangements which he would be able to access. She also gives Caleb the details of the organisation’s External Assistance Program (EAP) in case he’d like to reach out to them for support.
Caleb thanks Judy and asks to take a short period of leave, which Judy approves. A week later, Caleb returns to work and Judy sees that he is again performing to expectation. She checks in to make sure he’s doing ok, and to positively recognise the improvement in his work.
Positive feedback to reinforce job expectations
Radha is a visitor services officer at a large art gallery. It’s her first week in the job, which is to provide information to art gallery visitors at the information desk and also sometimes help the ticket sales team at the ticket desk next to the information desk.
Radha isn’t exactly sure when she should be helping the ticket sales team. On one particularly busy day, with lots of gallery visitors asking her for directions to the amenities and exhibition spaces, Radha notices that the ticket queue is growing. She makes the decision to stay in her usual location and continues to greet gallery visitors and answer their questions.
After her shift, Radha’s supervisor, Pina, approaches her to say that she was pleased that she decided to stay at the information desk greeting visitors, and that this was the right decision in the circumstances given the number of visitors and the need to respond to questions.
Pina tells Radha to continue her good work, and that she will tell her if she is ever needed to support the ticket sales team.
Improving employee performance
If, after assessing your employee’s performance, you find that their work is not meeting expectations, an option is to create a performance improvement plan.
A performance improvement plan is a document that sets out what the employee needs to do to improve their performance.[LP8.1] They can help support employees to build the skills and competence they need for their current role when you have identified an area that needs improvement.
Performance improvement plans should be designed to give employees the opportunity to improve their work.
In cases where an employee is keen to do a good job, or needs to refine certain skills for a particular task, this might mean that you offer them extra support.
If your employee has any special circumstances or diverse needs, make sure you consider these too. For example, you may be required to consider reasonable adjustments for an employee with a disability. Learn more about reasonable adjustments.
Things to include in a performance improvement plan
- The specific problem that requires improvement. For example, not responding to patron requests for information within the required timeframe.
- The job expectations that apply to the issue in question
- The specific actions the employee needs to take to rectify the issue or to demonstrate how they will meet the expected standard
- What additional resources or support will you make available for the improvement action to occur. For example, additional training, more coaching support from a supervisor, examples of work that meet your expectations, or any supports or adjustments for employees with diverse or cultural needs.
- The timeframe for improvement.
- Scheduled times for regular check-ins and feedback.
It's a good idea to keep a written record of any performance improvement plans and to give your employee a copy. If their work continues to fall short of expectations, a written plan will be an important way for you to show that you have provided your employee with support and an opportunity to improve.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has some helpful templates and checklists to help you manage performance, including:
- Checklists for managing underperformance: an initial steps checklist and a formal steps checklist
- A performance improvement plan template.
They also have a free online course for managers and employers on managing performance. It sets out how to take initial steps and then more formal steps to address underperformance.
If an employee’s performance doesn’t improve
If your employee’s performance does not improve despite the performance improvement plan, you can consider:
- extending the performance improvement plan to allow more time for the employee to improve (this may be useful if an employee has made progress in improving)
- whether additional resources are required
- whether further action is required:
- under your organisation’s policies, if you have them
- including decisions about the employee’s ongoing suitability for the position.
If you are considering disciplinary action or considering ending an employment relationship, it is important that your process is fair.
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s website has a warning letter template. It can help you prepare a record of any formal performance meeting. Keep a copy for your own records, and give a copy to the employee who is having the ongoing performance problems.
In practice:
Developing a performance management plan
Koko owns a creative organisation that has received a multi-year grant from a funding body.
Koko has employed Jed to help her prepare reports the organisation is required to provide to their funding body as a condition of their grant.
Koko is spending a lot of time fixing Jed’s reports — there is incomplete information on exhibition dates, locations and exhibiting artists. The reports must have this information or the organisation may be in breach of their funding agreement, and risks termination of their agreement. While Jed is meeting expectation in other parts of his work, reporting is an important responsibility for his position.
Koko has given Jed verbal feedback but his performance has not improved. Koko has decided to place Jed on a documented performance improvement plan to help him improve the content and accuracy of his reports.
Jed’s performance improvement plan identifies that the reporting currently has incomplete information about exhibition dates and locations and exhibiting artists.
The plan sets out that Jed is to ensure that:
- reporting includes the details for all exhibitions, including:
- statistical data relating to the exhibitions
- information about the artist
- information about the theme of exhibition.
- the reports are to be double-checked against the organisation’s records showing the date and location of the exhibitions
- the report is to be amended if there are errors before a final draft is sent to Koko for sign off.
Jed’s performance improvement plan also states that:
- Jed is to demonstrate these things within 6 weeks
- Jed and Koko will meet then and review his work.
To support Jed to improve, Koko provides Jed with refresher training on how to access particular sections of their database that records the information for each exhibition.
Koko meets with Jed after 6 weeks and they discuss his improved performance. They are both pleased that his reports have significantly improved, that they include the required content and are significantly more accurate.
Keep learning:
Difficult conversations in the workplace — free online course for employers and managers
Fair work Ombudsman
Learn moreEmployee learning and development
Proactively developing an employee’s skill and competence is a positive management approach to support high quality work and good working relationships. You can use them to help employees thrive in their work.
A learning and development plan is a thought-out and structured approach to build an employee’s skill, competence and performance while they are working for your business or organisation.
A learning and development plan usually has a connection to the objectives or purpose of the business so that an employee’s career development can be meaningfully supported.
Supporting an employee’s skill and learning doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive.
Benefits of using a learning and development plan
A learning and development plan can:
- keep the employee and employer focused on the employee’s ongoing skill development and new learning opportunities
- support how an employer grows its business by building the right skills amongst its employees
- identify professional development goals for an employee as part of their career development
- develop the skill of a competent employee seeking more challenging work or opportunity
- strengthen the relationship between employee and employer.
A learning and development plan can be a written document that you and the employee can refer to when you meet to discuss learning and development.
A learning and development plan could include:
- An assessment of the employee’s current level of skill and experience, including their strengths as well as areas for further development.
- The employee’s professional goals and their alignment with the goals of your organisation.
- The actions needed to achieve the goals, such as additional training, or trialling new work responsibilities.
- Timeframes to assess.
- What outcomes are expected or desired.
- When the performance development plan should be next reviewed.
How employees track against learning and development plans can sometimes be used to inform decisions about reward and recognition, such as pay increases or promotions.
Informal processes can work too
You can also adopt a more informal approach by taking into account the employee’s skills and goals as you are managing work in your business.
It is a good idea to regularly check-in with your employees about what they enjoy about their work and their areas of interest.
You don't have to use learning and development plans, but they can be a worthwhile approach to building ongoing skills and expertise and strengthening your business.
Explore related:
Supporting good working relationships with employees
There are things your creative business or organisation can do to make it easier for employees to do their job well. Good planning and clear communication can help set your employees up for success and support a relationship that works for everyone.
How to: Set and share job expectations with employees
Knowing what a ‘good job’ looks like can help your business or organisations talk to employees about their work performance and support good working relationships.
How to: Have difficult conversations at work
Difficult conversations are rarely comfortable — but if you manage people, knowing how to have them is an important part of maintaining healthy and productive working relationships.
