How to Write Performance Objectives for a Construction Job

Write clear performance objectives for construction workers to increase productivity and reduce accidents.

Do you know what's expected of you when you go in to work each day? If someone has set performance expectations for you, you probably do. Performance expectations let workers know what they must do to be successful at a job, and allows the company to monitor each employee's performance. Writing performance expectations is not always standard in the construction industry, but clear expectations for construction jobs can help increase worker productivity and decrease both risk and accidents.

Instructions

1. Write down the company's goals. You may want to sell more business, decrease building expenses, increase the number of on-time projects or meet certain safety benchmarks.

2. List aspects of the employee's job that help or hinder the company in meeting each of its goals. For example, many construction jobs have control over usage of materials. Using materials correctly is critical to containing expenses. Another is being present on the job site is critical to meeting project completion goals.

3. Detail the specific work habits that the employee must develop in order to meet goals. For example, a carpenter can decrease material waste and, therefore, building expenses, by measuring carefully and correctly before he cuts and by making cuts that maximize the yield of the board. Measuring correctly and maximizing material yield could be two performance objectives for a carpenter. Arriving on time each day may be another.

4. Provide quantifiable expectations when possible. Based on our example, the carpenter's performance expectations may include "to incur no more than 2 percent of material waste caused by employee error" and "to arrive late no more than one time each month."

5. Address safety. Safety is always a concern in construction, so include performance expectations that compel workers to comply with company safety regulations. For example, you may require workers to wear protective gear and refrain from operating machinery that they are not certified to operate.

6. Give copies of expectations to each employee. Allow employees to ask questions and clarify any expectation that they do not understand. Some companies also ask employees to sign a copy of the document.

Tips & Warnings

• Never ask employees to perform illegal or unsafe actions to meet a deadline or save money.

References

• George Mason University: Writing Performance Objectives
• Construction Business Owner:Improve Productivity with Performance Evaluations