Overview of how to implement an Employee Progress Journal program.

1. Employee Progress Journals
(EPJs)
Overview

2. Making Employee
Reviews Work - II
EMPLOYEE PROGRESS JOURNALS (EPJ)
GREGORY P COFOID CONSULTING SERVICES

3. Out With the
Old
 Employee Performance Reviews just
don’t work.
 So, it’s time for something different.

4. Consider Something Different
 People respond better to what they can change, not
what they can’t
 They can’t change the past
 They usually won’t defend past actions, fearing
retribution
 They usually hear criticisms for the first time during
their performance evaluation.

5. Consider Something Different
 So, do you ignore the past?
 No. However, you can establish a process that:
 Helps everyone learn from the past
 Uses that info to plot goals for the future
 Establishes well-defined objectives
 Helps employees track progress
 Is used to coach and mentor – not bludgeon

6. Employee Progress Journals (EPJ)
 What’s the purpose of an EPJ?
 Seeks to shift conversation from historic problems to future
action.
 Seeks to change meeting from one of negativity to one of
optimism and change.
 Seeks to expand and extend mentoring/coaching programs if in
place.
 Seeks to formalize efforts made to help employee progress in
his/ her career. Clarifies employee’s career goals.

7. Employee
Progress
Journals (EPJ)
 What is an Employee Progress Journal?
 A formatted approach meant to guide employees
along a path to success
 An on-going record prepared by the employee
 A journal prepared quarterly or, at a minimum,
semi-annually
 A record outlining a manager’s expectations for the
next quarter
 A record of progress made on:
 Projects
 Work performance
 Training needed
 Resources needed

8. Employee Progress Journals (EPJ)
 Clarify Employee’s Career Objectives
 This section is the most important.
 It should not change radically from quarter to quarter
 It should clearly and briefly identify the employee’s career
goals:
Within the next 12 months
Within the next 3-5 years
Longer timeframe as identified

9. Employee Progress Journals (EPJ)
 Clarify Employee’s Career Objectives
 Ex. 3-5 Yr Goal: “To be promoted to Assistant Controller”
 Once established, the rest of the EPJ should be crafted to help that
employee achieve that objective.

10. Employee
Progress
Journals (EPJ)
Outline of Objectives for next quarter
• This section lists major projects (if any) that are
to be completed during the coming quarter.
• If projects are expected to go beyond the
quarter, break them up into phases
• Identify which phases of the project are to be
completed
Copyright 2017: GPC Productions & Blue M Publishing

11. Employee Progress Journals (EPJ)
 Outline of Performance
Expectations
 This section lists specific areas
where changes in behavior,
attitude, or performance should
be made.
 Ex. More Attention to Detail
 This would be noted,
together with specific
activities where this has been
lacking in the past.

12. Employee Progress Journals (EPJ)
 Outline of Training Needed
 This section lists the training needs identified between the manager
and employee.
 This must be realistic and be budgeted or otherwise reasonably certain
of approval.
 Time must be carved out for this to happen.
 Specific courses or potential courses should be noted
 Explicit expectation: the employee attends and passes.

13. Employee Progress Journals (EPJ)
 Outline of Resources Needed
 This section lists any additional
resources needed by employee to
do his/her job satisfactorily.
 Ex. ADA – Americans with
Disabilities Act – provide
accommodation for such issues.
 Ex. Part-time help – Arrange for
PT help on certain days to free
employee to address more
important issues on EPJ

14. Employee Progress Journals (EPJ)
 Priority Weightings
 Although EPJ is not specifically a MBO worksheet with
objectives to be used for purposes of bonuses or
other programs. It may be used as a tool.
 Weightings may be applied to prioritize projects.
 EPJs may be used in connection with bonus
programs.

15. Employee Progress Journals (EPJ)
 Career Objective
 Remember this one? It was the most important.
 Everything you just did should be summarized
and connected back to the employee to show
how it will help him/her move toward the career
goal.
 Questions should be welcomed and addressed.
 Consult HR too. They should be able to help
with this activity.

16. During the Quarter
 What Comes Next?
 During the quarter, employee
notes progress being made on
the EPJ items. This should be
monthly, if not weekly.
 EPJ should be readily accessible
by employee to be used
interactively.
 It should not be put in a drawer
and pulled out at the end of the
quarter.

17. End of
Quarter
 What Comes Next?
 By the end of the quarter, employee’s journal should
be complete enough so he/she knows where they
stand.
 Projects:
 % Completion, quality of product, resources used, etc.
should be noted.
 Open items at quarter-end should be listed.
 Mgr approved changes to scopes/priorities during the
quarter should also be documented.
Copyright 2017: GPC Productions & Blue M Publishing

18. End of Quarter
 What Comes Next?
 Expectations:
Employee will note how he/she believes they did meeting
these expectations, giving examples if possible. Ex. Did their
attitude improve? If so, how/when?
 Training:
Training attended and passed or not attended/not passed
are noted.
Changes in circumstances leading to missed classes should
be listed.

19. End of Quarter
 What Comes Next?
 Resources:
 Note what resources planned were
actually provided.
 Note which were not and why
 Note changes to priorities or other
circumstances that resulted in more or
fewer resources being provided.

20. End of Quarter
 Meet to Discuss
 Employee will send completed EPJ to manager for his/her
review.
 Mgr will make notes and comments based on employee’s
view of how his/her performance matched what was
expected.
 Mgr and employee will meet to discuss and agree on how
things went.

21. End of Quarter
 Meet to Discuss – What if we don’t agree?
 If the Mgr and employee do not agree, both sides
should note their positions and why.
 However, this should not cloud the next step …

22. Plan for Next Quarter
 Agree on what is needed NEXT QUARTER
 Previous EPJ should be used as basis for planning for
next quarter in that …
Incomplete projects or phases are carried forward with
new timetables.
Further clarification is made regarding behaviors OR
(hopefully) encouragement is given to “keep up the
progress” on those items.

23. Plan for Next Quarter
 Agree on what is needed NEXT QUARTER
 Previous EPJ should be used as basis for planning for
next quarter in that …
Training not taken can be rescheduled if possible
Resources not provided can be revisited or restructured
to make it more likely

24. Plan for Next Quarter
 Agree on what is needed NEXT QUARTER
 Hopefully, much was accomplished in the previous
EPJ.
 If so, different things can be added.
 If not, revisit what was expected. If reasonable, career
counseling or other actions may be needed. If not
reasonable, modify them.
 Also, if a career objective has changed, that can be
revisited as well.

25. Plan for Next Quarter
 Does the employee still feel the plan is in synch with
his/her career goals?
 If so, great! You’re well on your way with this employee.
 If not,
 Employee may not tell you. You have to establish the
rapport that makes this free exchange possible.
 Employee tells you the plan isn’t in line with their views.
Now what?
 Work through it with the employee to come up with
something that works better.
 Engage HR to help with the process

26. Mismatch
 What if the employee is unable/unwilling to perform
as needed/expected?
 Managers will always run into this problem.
 They must use their judgement
Perhaps a change in responsibility is needed?
Perhaps a change in department?
Perhaps they would be a better fit in another company?

27. Mismatch
 If an employee needs outplacement counseling, then:
 Be honest
 Be there to help them. Leaders/mentors are best when they help
others who want to do better and succeed. It will return to you
many times over during your own career.
 Work with HR

28. So, it’s simple. Right?
 We all know that’s not true.
 Managing people properly, providing coaching,
training, mentoring and leadership is HARD.
 Knowing what to say and when to say it is also HARD
sometimes.
 It all comes from experience.
 If you don’t have a lot of experience – ask someone
who does.

29. EPJ –
Experimentation
 Experiment on your own. Change things to
make it work for you and your company.
 Nothing is in stone. What works for one
culture/company may not for another.
 Finally,
 Share your experiences with others. Hopefully,
what you do will help someone else.

30. - Contact me:
 Email: cofoidg@gmail.com
 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gregcofoid
 Twitter: @cofoidg
 Good Luck!
GREGORY P COFOID CONSULTING SERVICES