CREATING A STAFF ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
Terry Ann Lawler
You cannot afford to take any employee for granted. Nor can you afford to ignore lagging performance. Good managers know that they must take the blame when things are not going well. But how do they find a way to make everything go right? Creating an accountability system that is fair and simply implemented is not difficult. You can hold staff accountable for performance. Starting a new system can be frightening to staff who are used to the status quo. You can overcome fear and achieve staff buy-in with your system by asking them for input on the process and detailing your end results (more items shelved, happier customers, etc.). Consider the plan outlined below, or create your own design based on these ideas.
First, you must identify the primary issues among your staff. Observe, observe, observe. Are they always behind schedule with regular tasks? If so, why? Is it one individual? A group problem? Once you have pinpointed a few key areas, contact your human resources department and find out what the official policies are, if any, regarding the problems you have identified. For example, your library may have strict guidelines regarding use of phones or e-mail on staff time. In this case, rules would just need enforcing, not creating. Sometimes it is easier to pinpoint exactly where team difficulties lie by interviewing coworkers and colleagues who are not on your staff but see them on a regular basis.
Next, continue with an informal but mandatory staff meeting. The sole purpose of this meeting is to set expectations. Focus on just a few key topics. During the session, ask your staff for their input regarding new ground rules. Be sure to take into consideration anything they add that may help. Give everyone a voice regarding improvement. The staff may have good ideas for consequences or self-regulation. By using their suggestions, you achieve a win-win agreement and staff buy-in. Staff are more likely to adhere to rules that they help develop.
Also during the meeting, set specific team goals. Clearly defined goals are a must. Tell your employees what you want from them. For example, you may be telling them that you will not tolerate gossip. You would explain that gossip is detrimental to staff morale, lowers productivity, hurts people, and is against the rules. Tell your staff that, if they wish to complain about another staff member, they need to do it with you, in private. Then explain the consequences of gossiping, using your library’s official discipline policy. Make sure that everyone has a clear understanding of the rules and consequences. If you do not have the time to gather all of your staff at once, do a series of mini-meetings each covering the same content. Assemble questions that are asked during each meeting and post them with answers in your staff area. Finally, document the meeting. Take notes and save them so that you can refer to them later, during individual employee discussions if the need arises.
Once you have laid out the ground rules, your staff should all be clear about what is expected from them. Implement your regulations immediately after the meeting. Remain impartial. Employees should understand that you reward compliance and enforce policies without exception. Then, give your staff a chance to succeed. Remember to reward good behavior immediately.
Use an “open door” policy to ensure that complaints go directly to you. Make it clear that your staff can approach you about issues confidentially and without repercussion. Some staff may feel more comfortable talking to you alone rather than bringing up issues in front of a group. Remain encouraging, positive, and supportive and use active listening when you do get complaints. If you do not know the answer to something, it is acceptable to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” Remember to get back to your staff as soon as possible with that answer. If you are busy, remember that it is usually reasonable to ask to meet an employee at another date when you will have more time to talk.
Distribute a questionnaire. Ask staff to describe each task they do and what is involved from preparation to completion. This information helps you to identify which tasks employees are completing and how they assign primacy. You may find that a prioritization is required and can solve many issues. Develop a list of each employee’s daily, weekly, and monthly tasks in order to gauge how evenly the work load is spread. Reassign tasks if necessary.
Next, use the task list you have assembled from the questionnaire to do a time study. Make a list of all team responsibilities. A simple Excel chart works fine. Have a column for starting and ending times, number of items handled, number of customers assisted, number of carts shelved, or whatever other measure is appropriate. Give one to each staff member. For one week staff should record starting times and ending times, how many items they handled, and any useful comments.
Using the time study, come up with average acceptable times for each assignment. Make a list of duties and the time it should take to do each. Post these times in the staff work area.
Hold a short meeting to discuss the new criteria. Ask staff for input and make applicable changes. Implement the standards with the use of a daily schedule. Hold staff accountable to their scheduled items. Speak with staff who are not following the schedule and find out why. You can assign the creation of the daily schedule to a senior staff member, but monitor it for fairness.
Yes, there will be paperwork. You will need to begin recording data and figuring statistics. Create a daily notebook for your staff, or have them turn in slips with finished tasks to you after each shift. Make it an expectation that your employees record how many carts they are shelving, reports they are running, and the like. Team members should be aware of their own performance levels and should not be surprised if you need to speak with them. You can post statistics in bar graph form in the staff work area. This makes it easy to reward your highest achievers and immediately redirect your lowest.
An important part of good management is giving credit to your employees when things go right. Rewarding regularly is an essential part of accountability. Employees work harder and better when they know they are appreciated. Be creative. You can have a grab bag of goodies, a kudos wall, or employee of the month awards. You are limited only by your own imagination.
Having accountable employees is a factor in your own achievement. Hoping your employees figure out what they need to do on their own sets them and you up for failure. You help them attain success by setting expectations, implementing your agreements, providing feedback, enforcing standards, and rewarding progress. Using a systematic and consistent method gets your employees into compliance and accomplishes accountability.