When we first were hired and throughout our employment, we are assigned tasks or have goals set for us that should give us a sense of accomplishment when completed. While it’s nice to get paid, we are being paid to complete the duties assigned to us by management.
There should be constant communication between management and employees to ensure they are meeting or exceeding expectations. Employee performance should be monitored, and management should give feedback and should hold employees accountable.
If managers are not trained properly, there can be a breakdown in communication where the “right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing”. While we are all accountable for our behavior, employees do look up to their managers for direction and for feedback on how they are performing. It is imperative that management set clear job expectations so that employees know what is expected of them.
Accountability is also the employee’s responsibility to show up for work, perform assigned duties to meet or further develop the common goals set by the company. Asking for feedback is also the responsibility of the employee. Feedback gives them a better understanding on how they can improve and help them feel more valued at work. By going over guidelines, processes, attendance and consistency, the employee will then be accountable.
If the employee is uncertain of what is expected of them, they should speak up! Ultimately, it is the employee’s responsibility to know and understand their job and that there are consequences if they don’t.
Bottom line, there is a responsibility of both management and employees to be accountable to each other. To accomplish this there must be clear communication.
Communication is key for any organization to be successful.
Barbara Flynn, MSHR, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
