As a Manager, it is essential to establish your expectations of your team or your company. However, numerous business owners gloss over this responsibility. What you need to understand is that clear employee expectations benefit not only your staff but also your business. Establishing what is expected of your team can eliminate confusion and increase the chances of them achieving their goals faster. From another angle, employees do appreciate knowing that they are on the right track, and setting expectations with a recruit can have lasting effects on the company in the long term. On hearing that you would expect everyone to know what is expected of them at their companies. This could not be farther from the truth, at least in the US. A Gallup study shows that at least half of the employees studied did not know what is expected of them at work.

The result is part of a broader study that looked into the Employee Engagement of US workers. Gallup recommends 12 elements of employee engagement based on their study and the authors of the report believed that employee expectation is the most important element.

So what exactly is Employee Expectation? Sadie Banks, a Human Resource Consultant, believes that in addition to the routine appraisals other workplace factors help set expectations too. Such as Industry expectations; internal and external company image; client, customer, and vendor relationships; employee knowledge of products or services; company policies and performance; and even social media presence. Once you have decided on what you expect of your team and your employees, it has to be communicated to them and managed effectively. Most importantly, your expectations of each individual in the team have to be communicated to him or her as clearly and specifically as possible. Each goal assigned to them must be mapped to a specific expectation you have of them, may it be personal or professional. To make it easy for you to manage expectations, you need to make sure that they are on the same page as you at your organization, in terms of expectations.

Banks further adds that it is necessary to have regular one-on-ones with your team and give them attainable objectives. You, as their leader, must be approachable and attentive. This encourages them to ask the necessary questions and empower themselves. The meetings should also aim to check in on the ongoing projects. However, each employee is different and they have varied leadership styles required. For example, some of them would appreciate the regular check-ins while the others work better with a hands-off approach. Only minimal guidance is required in such cases and just trust their skills.

Steps to Set Expectations for your Staff Members

1. Draw up your expectations

Before you recruit a new team member or an employee, ask yourself what are your expectations. Alternatively, when planning a new project and assigning it to the team, have clear expectations of what you want from the team you are assigning.

2. Minimize confusion by making expectations clear

Clear communication from the leader is essential. If you, the boss, fail to communicate your expectations to your staff, your cause will surely fail or objectives will not be fully achieved. 

3. Let your staff know why your expectations are important

Communicating why your expectations or vision are important can help your employees see the bigger picture and how their contribution matters. Offering them concrete examples to illustrate the same makes it easier for them to connect to the vision.

4. Get them to agree and commit

Hold them accountable by taking their word against their agreement to your expectations. This automatically makes them serious about it. On the off chance that they fail to meet your expectations, you will be able to case for their improvement.