Employee evaluations are a necessity in business, but usually a dreaded task for most supervisors. One of the reasons we procrastinate and agonize over evaluations is theyre time-consuming, and sometimes they put us face to face with an issue or problem weve been avoiding. But employee assessments can also be time well spent.

Unfortunately, many of us were never taught how to effectively evaluate someone elses performance. We were just handed the evaluation form and told, Here, fill this out, meet with the employee and turn it in by Tuesday.  

The bottom line is your staff plays a big role in the success of your business. They are the difference between a mediocre and phenomenal operation. As a supervisor, learning to write and deliver an effective evaluation that clearly communicates the message you wish to get across can make a huge impact on facility success. Here are 10 guidelines for effectively evaluating employees.

1. Use an Evaluation Form

Have a standard format you can use with every employee. Get a few samples from business colleagues or online, but dont be afraid to make changes to the form to fit your needs. It should be a format that works for you. If you cant find one you like, make your own.

The usual evaluation format uses a one-to-five scale with areas for comments. Have a version for each job description, from maintenance personnel to management.

2. Be Consistent

Your employees should know when they will get their evaluation. It can be the anniversary of their hire date or a specific time of the year. It doesnt matter, as long as its completed in the time frame that has been set.

Mark you calendar for a few weeks or a month ahead so you can focus on your goals for the coming period. After all, its your objectives youre trying to communicate to your employees during an evaluation. It would be good to clarify them for yourself first.

3. Be Prompt

Schedule time to meet with each employee and stick to it! Being several months late on an evaluation sends a bad message. It can leave a good employee feeling bad, and a bad employee feeling like he dodged a bulletat least for a while. Neither is good for the long-term health of your business.

4. Get Help

There are many resources that can provide evaluation examples, formats, guides, etc. My favorite is Performance Appraisal Phrase Book by Corey Sandler and Janice Keefe. It helps you choose the right words so you can better express your thoughts.

Toastmasters International is another great resource. Its an organization that helps business people improve their communication skills. Part of the program is learning how to evaluate people. Check online or your local newspaper for a Toastmasters club in your area.

5. Stay Focused

Every person on the team deserves his own evaluation. Its your formal chance to sit down and have a heart to heart with each individual running your business. Its also a great opportunity to get to know your employees better. Good people want to know what you think of their performance and have genuine interest in the business goals. These are the easy evaluations. Be sure you have some specific aims for them.

6. Eliminate Surprises

If the employee is doing poorly, he should know it before he gets to an evaluation. Your employees should have a pretty good idea of where they stand with you. Both of you should be fairly close in assessment of performance. If you have very differing ideas, you need to talk more than once a year.

7. Be Honest

Are you avoiding the elephant in the room? Sometimes we procrastinate because we dont want to deal with a situation. Maybe you had an employee who started out great but is slipping. You dont want to rock the boat, but youd like to see some changes. An annual review is a good opportunity to get all the cards on the table.

Again, its a chance for you to align the employee with your goals for your business. Stated another way, its a chance for the employee to get realigned. For specific things you want done better, differently, with more consistency, etc., put it in writing and offer a timeline. Then everyone needs to be held accountable.  

8. Understand Your Role

As you prepare staff evaluations and assess your goals, youll find there are areas in which your employees need training. For example, teach them to read your management softwares summary report if you want them to be more focused on month-over-month sales increases. Role play a phone or sales presentation for better closing skills, or explain lien-sale procedures again. At the evaluation, tell the employee youre going to make it a point to work on these items with him. Mark your calendar for a follow-up and stick to it. Its really bad form to tell employees youre going to do something and not follow through.

9. Make It Special

If the employee has hit a milestone in his employment, such as a one- or five-year anniversary, make a point to celebrate it. An achievement certificate, pin or lunch in recognition for his service is a nice addition to an evaluation.

10. Follow Up

Schedule time a week or so later to touch base on the review and see if the employee has any lingering questions or issues. This can be a formal or informal follow-up. It will give the employee time to process the evaluation information.

An annual review of each employee is necessary and deserved by you and your employees. Reviews help appraise past work history and prepare staff for future goals. It doesnt need to be a dreaded part of the job, but can be time well spent to realign objectives, reconnect with your team, deal with lingering performance issues, and move your business forward.

Linnea Appleby is president of Sarasota, Fla.-based PDQ Management Solutions Inc., which specializes in the management of self-storage properties and offers complimentary services such as operational consulting, new-facility startup, property audits and the Income Finder Service.  Appleby is a regular contributor to industry trade publications and a frequent speaker at tradeshows and events. For more information, call 941.377.3451; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.pdqmanagementsolutions.com.

Self-storage has gained the interest of investors such as merchant banks, property trusts and property syndicates in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, according to LandMark White, an independent property valuation and consultancy firm. Lisa Murdoch, the groups director, said institutional buyers find self-storage to be a good investment because its facilities do not require a lot of staff or costly maintenance.

Murdoch said the interest was created by investment yields between 9 percent and 11 percent. The expansion of operators such as National Storage and Storage King have created a more liquid market for facility owners, but also increased buyer expectations. The market has yet to find its equilibrium, she said.

The Gold Coasts reputation as Australias fastest-growing city is also attracting investors said Tony Grbcic, director of Just Real Estate Investments. He said cashed-up buyers want to maximize returns through properties aligned to well-known brands.

Smart Storage Concepts, a provider of reservations technology for the self-storage industry, has created a vendor partnership with The Storage Group, which specializes in website design, online marketing and website-management services.

The alliance will enable the companies to work collaboratively in developing a comprehensive Internet-marketing solution for the self-storage marketplace. The offering will comprise a full suite of services including Web design and hosting, search-engine marketing, social networking services and a white-label reservations system that can be embedded in a self-storage facilitys website.

The Storage Group is a full-service Internet marketing company that provides self-storage operators with a bundled package at a monthly fee. The package includes mobile websites, website design and development, content management, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, consolidated and transparent reporting and analysis, and customized account management. The companys principals are Brian Pelski, director of operations; Larry Hanks, director of sales; and Terry Mueller, managing director.

Smart Storage Concepts is a subsidiary of Smart Marketing Concepts Inc., an Internet marketing and technology company formed in 2003 for the purpose of delivering a centralized reservations system to a wide range of industries. Smart Storage Concepts provides a real-time interface to self-storage management software programs including Store, Domico, SiteLink, Storage Commander and WinSen.

The U.S. Senate passed legislation last week that aims to increase lending to small businesses, including self-storage. The Small Business Jobs Act will provide small businesses with $12 billion in targeted tax breaks.

The bill had been previously blocked by Republican Senators who said it denied the ability to offer the amendments they wanted. They were also opposed to the $30 billion lending fund for community banks.

The House passed similar legislation last summer, but the speaker of the house said they will likely approve the Senates version so it can be ready for President Obamas approval.

The Small Business Jobs Act would provide capital to community banks for small-business lending, tax incentives for businesses to invent new equipment, and enable business owners to write off 50 percent of the costs of new equipment.

Greg Wells joined the Cushman & Wakefield Self Storage Industry Group as director of brokerage services. Wells is the companys national self-storage brokerage expert and will work from the main San Diego office, providing services to clients in all 50 states.

The group now completes its full roster of services for this asset class with the addition of Wells investment sales expertise. Hell work closely with the teams valuation and advisory groups. Wells brings 13 years of experience in the self-storage asset class to Cushman & Wakefield. During his career, he has sold more than 6 million square feet of self-storage space totaling in excess of $400 million.

The addition of Greg to the Self Storage Industry Group increases our depth of experience and range of services were able to provide to our growing international client base, said Christian Sonne, managing director of the groups valuation services. He is one of the premier self-storage brokers in the country and were excited to welcome him to Cushman & Wakefield.

Cushman & Wakefield Self Storage Industry Group provides a full range of services including investment sales, valuation, research and analysis, demand forecasting, and feasibility.

By Self Storage Data Services

Killeen was founded in 1882 by the Santa Fe Railroad to serve as a shipping station for cotton and cattle. It's in one of the fastest-growing economic corridors in the nationan hours drive from Austin, three hours from San Antonio, four hours from Houston and three from Dallas.

Killeen is the home of Fort Hood, the Armys premiere military installation. Higher education is offered locally through Central Texas College, Tarleton State University-Central Texas and University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

As a metropolitan statistical area (MSA), Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood has an economy bolstered by the dynamic and growing presence of the military base, and the region is expected to expand. As a state, Texas ranks forty-third in total tax burden as a percentage of income. Texas has no state income tax.

 

Pasadena, Calif.-based Self Storage Data Services Inc. publishes the ISS Flash Report, the Self-Storage Performance Index and other statistical data on self-storage operation. The company also reports on supply-and-demand factors affecting the industry. For more information, call 626.304.2920; visit www.ssdata.net.

Supnick Real Estate recently launched two free services for self-storage owners and operators, designed to assist owners in meeting the demands of todays challenging economic environment.

First, the company will provide a free written opinion of a facilitys value. In a second free offering, self-storage owners and operators can receive a free analysis of their property and the performance of onsite managers. The analysis is individually tailored to the specifics of a self-storage propertys operations.

Supnick also offers the Profit Optimization Platform, a short-term customized management and marketing services individually customized to the needs of each client. The Platform consists of a facility audit, market evaluation and detailed recommendations in areas such as employee selection and training, physical plant, operational efficiencies, improved marketing and strategic rental rate management. Supnicks POP is a flexible program that offers self-storage operators short-term consulting or long-term management support.

Owner Jeff Supnick is a 25-year self-storage industry veteran, and a former development and real estate officer for Public Storage and Storage USA.

The battle with neighbors may soon be over for Chester Heights Self-Storage.

The opening the storage facility in Chester Heights, Pa., was delayed by more than a year because of adverse weather conditions, construction issues and opposition from neighbors. The facility finally opened its doors in June despite an ongoing feud with homeowners who live behind the new facility.

The latest disagreement is over the location and type of trees to be planted on the homeowners property to create a visual barrier. A deep hollow lies between the homes and the rear of the facility. Homeowners wanted some kind of buffer so they wouldnt have to view the back of the facility.

Several residents recently complained to the homeowners' association about the size and location of the trees. A mutual agreement was recently met at a joint meeting with the members of the Darlington Woods Homeowners Association, the Chester Heights Borough Council, and the facility owner, Dominic Cappelli. The Chester Heights City Council unanimously approved the agreement Monday.

The developer agreed to regrade a berm on the boundary with homes rear yards. Once the new berm is established, the homeowners will mark the spots where they want eight evergreens planted on their side of the buffer zone.

Development and construction of Chester Heights Self-Storage took about three years. Two self-storage buildings have been erected on the 5-acre site, with two more planned for the future.

A-1 Self Storage, a provider of self-storage in California, is monetarily supporting the National Ataxia Foundations Fourth Annual Walk n Roll for Ataxia Sept. 25, at the Tuna Harbor Park in San Diego County.

This event helps raise awareness and funds to support ataxia research and programs. Ataxia is a brain disease that results in the lack of muscle coordination and wobbliness. Individuals afflicted with ataxia suffer such conditions as impaired speech, difficulty in swallowing and unsteadiness.

The National Ataxia Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of persons affected by Ataxia through support, education and research.

A-1 Self Storage has 17 locations in the greater San Diego area and more than 40 locations across California. A-1 Self Storage is part of the Caster Cos., a third-generation family-owned company headquartered in Southern California since 1959.