Effective Strategies for Setting Employee Objectives in Performance Management

Dear Friends,

I am working as a Senior Executive HR in a software company. My Senior Manager has given me an assignment to set the objectives for all the employees based on the job description, job responsibilities, designation, department, and position. I need guidance on this. If somebody can provide me with a pool/source to find the objectives based on the above-mentioned criteria, it will be helpful.

Regards,
Revasuja

Dear Mr. Revasuja,

Generally, it is a common practice for goals to be set by the immediate superior to whom one reports and not by HR. This is because the boss is more familiar with the work priorities and challenges. If your boss wants you to set goals, it is best to try to convince him of the idea; otherwise, you can organize a meeting with the employee, his boss, and an HR representative to set goals through discussions.

Regards,
AL Gupta

Dear Mr. Gupta,

To cross-check the objectives set by my respective boss of the department, I want to view a pool of objectives. Is there any source or site available?

Regards,
Revasuja

Dear Suja,

In order to set the objectives, you can adopt the following procedure:

1. Meet with your respective department/functional heads and have a clear understanding of the process to begin with.
2. Understand the different functions in the department and analyze the actual roles/functionalities of the associates at various levels within the department to see if they are in line with the job description for that particular position.

As an HR person, you can only set generic objectives in line with the following:
- Work Quality
- Initiative
- Attitude
- Communication Skills
- Dependability/Commitment towards work

On the technical/functional front, the objectives have to be set by the respective managers, and you can review them based on the actual role of the associate.

Hope this is of some use to you.

Best Regards,
Aarthi

I hope the attachment will be of help to you. This is an excerpt from the material I use in Performance Management. Cheers!