Business efficiency is closely related to employee performance. High-level of achievement by your team will result in greater success for the business as a whole. However, to see that success, you need to train your management team to be present and available on a daily basis. People want to improve and make a difference. However, management needs to ensure their team has the support and resources necessary to do so. Read on to uncover ways to improve employee performance.
Determine Objectives
Before employees are expected to be productive, they must be given clear objectives. With defined objectives, they can focus on tasks that create the best results. They need to be confident about their goals in order to properly prioritize their workloads. An employee with unclear objectives may never understand their work and certainly not how their role fits into the company’s overarching goals.
You can utilize HR analytics to develop employee objectives that match with business goals. This enables employees to see how their work fits into the bigger picture. If objectives are not adequately defined, it will likely result in poor performance. Both management and employees must align on the priorities to reaching these goals.
Work with management to help them make priorities clear to their staff. They should be able to communicate their expectations by breaking down tasks into priorities. Create a label system that expresses the urgency of each task and the order in which it should be completed. The Eisenhower Matrix can be a great tool to leverage here. Help employees see the step-by-step process that leads to the final completion of the project. When you do, you ensure their success.
Communicate and Listen
If employees are unable to reach management with questions or concerns, misalignments and misunderstandings can occur. Managers should hold regular conversations with their staff. This not only ensures projects are finished correctly and on time, it also builds trust and rapport. Managers are also better able to discuss performance issues under these conditions.
Management should be open to listening and hearing team members’ perspectives. Employees are the ones working closely on the project, and they may spot a problem with the procedure. They should feel comfortable approaching their manager and discussing their concerns. A manager who is good at active listening will consider solutions to the situation before it grows out of hand.
Listening to employees means that managers remove their ego from the equation. A manager’s role is to help improve employee performance. Managers probably don’t know more about the work than the staff does. Listening to employees means being open to the fact that they are right — even if it means that management is wrong.
Don’t Micromanage, But Rather Train and Trust
Micromanaging does the opposite of encouraging productivity. It reduces creativity, decreases motivation, and prevents productivity. Your employees are competent, skilled adults. They are capable of doing the job they’ve been assigned. That’s why you hired them.
Teach managers to trust their team’s abilities. Train them to give feedback on outcomes, not on the process. Let employees use their own process as long as they reach the expected outcome. Don’t micromanage them every step of the way.
As long as employees are trained and receive ongoing development, managers will continue to be happy with results. Employees and managers together should work to identify skill gaps that could interfere with performance. Things change in the work environment, and regular learning helps employees keep up-to-date and turns weaknesses into strengths.
Give and Get Feedback
Feedback is necessary to improve performance, and employees should both give and get feedback. Encourage managers to offer constructive feedback to their staff. At the same time, allow employees the opportunity to provide feedback on specific facets that may be interfering with their performance. For instance, they may suggest a workflow that speeds up processes while still maintaining appropriate results. Employees are in the thick of the work and can often offer significant advice on tasks.
While many organizations allow employees to respond anonymously, the goal is to have a collaborative effort between management and staff. Managers must learn to communicate clearly and listen respectfully to empower employees to share feedback openly. This includes one-on-one check-ins.
Meaningful check-ins should occur to discuss the work at hand and any support required to complete it. This time, when done right, can ensure that a team member will develop trust with their supervisor. Eventually, one-on-one time together results in collaborative discussions to further the goals of the employee and the goals of the company.
Improve Employee Performance and Business Efficiency
To see an improvement in employee performance, a company needs to ensure that management supports and empowers its staff members. A good work-life balance encourages employees to work hard and thrive in their role. However, micromanaging or constant check-ins tend to interfere with an employee’s motivation and performance.
Instead, managers should work to develop trust with their team members, helping them to want to improve their own performance. When done right, performance improvement becomes a collaborative effort between an employee, a manager, and HR. It is HR’s responsibility to provide the expected criteria, and managers and employees must determine their progress.
When employees trust their supervisors and enjoy working with them, performance improves naturally. To achieve this, managers must be open and honest, listen well, and utilize feedback to solve problems.
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
