• Appraisers and employees should work together to set goals that are challenging and realistic.
• Organizations should determine what is needed to help employees achieve the goals they have set.
• Like goal-setting, communicating expectations of employees is a collaborative process that benefits from both appraiser and employee input. Clearly reviewing and discussing expectations lets employees provide feedback about their work performance and lays a solid foundation for future performance appraisals.

When setting goals in a performance review situation, the appraiser should work with employees to select goals that are challenging, yet still reasonable for them to achieve. It is beneficial for both the employee and the company to discuss what is needed to achieve the goal (time frame, resources required, and conditions in which the goal can be achieved). The more specific the plan is, the less ambiguity employees will encounter when determining what they must do to achieve their goals within the organization.

Aside from setting goals, the appraiser also needs to clearly communicate what the expectations are for each employee. This process will help to make future employee performance evaluations more straightforward. Expectations, as opposed to the goals, often focus on specific behaviors relating to a range of situations and tasks, rather than the broader framework often used to achieve goals.

Some of the information regarding expectations may be found in job descriptions. However, some expectations may be more detailed or nuanced than that information provides.

Expectation-setting is an area where an employee may be able to provide some input. Instead of an appraiser or manager dictating what work should be done, they may want to allow the employee to provide their own insight into the functions of their position to better understand possible expectations. In fact, some companies allow for employee input prior to meeting with a supervisor or appraiser in order to better address their feedback.