Do you really know which employees are “working hard” and which are “hardly working”? It may not be easy to tell, and even astute observers can be fooled occasionally. To help clarify matters, consider these helpful hints.

*Put it in writing. Don’t try to memorize everything employees do, whether it’s good or bad. Enter the information promptly into their personnel files.

*Don’t be wedded to your first impression. Give someone the latitude to change your mind.

*Create objective standards. Devise a substantive means for evaluating employees. Don’t let employee reviews turn into a popularity contest.

*Ask other supervisors their opinions. Similarly, if your employees deal with customers or clients, question those individuals about employee performance.

You may find the picture that emerges is different from the one that is currently in your mind.