I have nine full-time employees. They’re good people, and we haven’t had many HR issues with them. I think I do ok as their manager. Sometimes it’s hard for me to tell them what I expect of them. I’m thinking about doing one-on-one performance reviews with them this summer. What do I need to think about before I do this? — M.K., Nebraska

When trying any new process, like employee performance reviews, think through why you’re doing it and the results you want. What are your goals for these conversations? What outcomes do you want to see from going through this process?

When trying any new process, like employee performance reviews, think through why you’re doing it and the results you want. (Photo: Digital Vision/Thinkstock)

Like you said, these reviews could be an opportunity to give your employees more insight into your expectations. Maybe the result is higher employee performance because of that better understanding for everyone.

The key is to first get clear on the outcomes you want, and then set up a basic structure to use in these conversations. Before any reviews, you may want to have an all-employee meeting to explain the purpose of the reviews, give an idea of what they can expect and answer questions.

A few days before a review, think about that individual and his or her performance. What does the employee bring to the team that’s unique? Consider areas for praise, and areas where he or she could do even better.

If you’ll be setting goals with employees, set up a simple system for how to create measurable goals, including how employees will be evaluated on the goals. To set up your system, you may want to work with a firm that specializes in farm HR.

Check in regularly with employees in addition to these review meetings. Choose to be intentional about giving them real-time feedback on their goals and general performance. That helps all of you stay current and accountable to each other year-round.

Frye is president and CEO of Water Street Solutions. Email [email protected].