What Exactly Is Expected?

By Neal Glatt, CSP, ASM

Knowing what success looks like is one of the most foundational needs we have at work. It often surprises people to learn that, on average, about half of all employees are not completely clear about what they’re supposed to be doing at work. Let’s explore why there is such a disconnect about expectations and how you can ensure your team is set up for success.

The first, and easiest, way to create clarity is around job responsibilities. Make a list of what you (or your direct reports) do on a regular basis. Start with a list of tasks and meetings, then consider areas of responsibility, and finally items that are required to be turned into other people like time sheets, financial reports, or status updates. Then compare this list to the published job description. See all the discrepancies? It’s important that these get reconciled – either by rewriting the job description to be accurate or by modifying daily work to match the existing job description – in order to help set the tone for clarity around employee job functions.

The second area where we experience confusion on the job is in the arena of relationships. Who do I report to and who reports to me? Most organizations today are actually matrixed instead of hierarchical, meaning that we often work in teams and report to multiple people over the course of a week, month, or year. This is actually an advantage because matrixed teams can achieve more and be more successful than organizations which have a simple, silo chain of command. However, it naturally opens the door to confusion. Who helps with career planning, team conflicts, pay discussions, or process questions? It could be multiple people and they may not be sure.

Third, there are many cultural expectations, or “unwritten rules” which are definitely expected and rarely articulated. For instance, when I run meetings, I have an expectation that we have an agenda and begin and end on time. I don’t tolerate people showing up even a minute late and I’ll stop discussion in the middle of a sentence if we run out of time. When I work with a group, I share these expectations and ensure there is agreement. This way, there is never confusion about expectations, or the consequences for failing to meet them. Of course, my expectations may seem harsh to you if your work group, or your preferred style, is different. And that’s the point – the emotional expectations of how a team will function must be explicitly discussed and agreed upon because we all have different ways of working.

Now that it’s clear why, and where, there can be so much confusion about expectations on the job, it’s time to start fixing the problem. No matter your position, initiate both formal and informal discussions around expectations. It takes everyone on the team to engage and adjust to changes by having regular conversations to continually clarify what is expected of each person. But the research proves that teams who clearly know what is expected of them are more productive, cost-effective, and adaptive. And there is no easier way to increase productivity than through job clarity.

Neal Glatt, CSP, ASM is a managing partner of GrowTheBench.com – a leading provider of affordable online education, professional development and peer networking for green industry professionals. Contact Neal via email at Neal@GrowTheBench.com.