One of the key responsibilities of managing employees is helping them develop their careers. And one of the best ways to do that is by establishing clear, measurable objectives toward achieving their goals. This policy offers a simple outline of what qualifies as an acceptable objective and how managers and employees can work toward a plan for completing them. A basic tracking worksheet is included to help you document the objectives assigned to your staff.

From the policy:

Introduction
Defining objectives is a prime way to motivate employees, giving them tangible proof of their accomplishments, their progress, and their contributions to the business. However, it’s important to follow certain guidelines to provide an effective framework for establishing objectives, monitoring them, and helping employees complete them.

Acceptable objectives
Objectives must meet the following criteria:

• They require employees to go above and beyond their everyday job.
• They may require collaboration among teams, which can include others outside a department.
• Assistance with the objectives of others, as part of a team or simply providing help and support in general, can be considered at a lesser weight.
• Partially completed objectives will not be considered.
• Each employee should list at least three objectives, but no more than five objectives in a one-year period.
• Objectives must be reviewed with the employee’s supervisor to ensure that they meet criteria and are not overly difficult or unattainable.
• Progress toward completion will be documented by the employee or team working on the objective.