culled from:atmanco.com
#1 – Communication and Feedback
Every article you’ve ever read about how
to improve employee performance probably included this point. As they
should; that’s how important communication and feedback are. You can
read all about the strategies and tactics on how to improve the
performance of your employees but, as I’m sure you’ve all noticed, there
is no one key solution.
Because employee performance depends on
numerous factors, it’s critical that you communicate with your
employees, and give and receive feedback. This will allow you to stay on
top of their needs, changing attitudes and motivations.
Take the initiative and make sure you schedule regular meetings with your staff to discuss how you can help them improve their performance at work.
Not having time is not a valid excuse;
the return you will get from a 30-minute meeting over lunch is
invaluable. So come on, get on it!
#2 – Give them the right tools
You can have the most talented team
of individuals you could ever possibly dream of, but they will produce
nothing if you don’t give them the right tools. Plain and simple.
This points becomes even more important
if your industry is constantly changing and requires a great deal of
adaptability. Communication and feedback also play a role here and
ensure that you remain aware of changes in the job or industry, and that
you constantly provide your employees with the tools that make them as
performing as they can be.
#3 – Engagement
Doesn’t a motivated employee who’s
committed to achieving organizational goals sound exactly like what
you’re looking for when trying to improve employee performance? I think
so!
But I’m not going to get into this very topic when a colleague of mine has already written an awesome article on encouraging employee engagement, so be sure to check it out!
#4 – Make sure they’re the right “fit”
I’m certain that, at this point, you are
all familiar with how important “fit” is when hiring a new employee.
And if you’re an avid reader of my articles (and I hope you are!) you
also know that employee fit is also crucial for complete organizational
development.
We often try to make sure a new hire will fit well with the job description,
but the reality is that that’s just not enough. More often than not,
this new hire will go through many different “phases” throughout their
lifecycle at the organization. Some do so well that their
responsibilities and tasks increase, some take on completely different
tasks, some get different team members or managers, some change
departments, some leave…the list is endless.
So, if you’re really serious about
improving the performance of your employees, you need to make sure the
fit is right. And when I say “fit”, I mean complete fit, and here’s what that includes:
a) Improving employee performance by ensuring Job-Fit
Make sure your employee’s strengths and characteristics are consistent with those that are inherently needed to complete the job successfully.
What does that mean? If the job requires
organizational skills, then make sure the person has a natural reflex
to be organized. If the job needs someone who follows rules and
procedures to the letter, then don’t have someone who is more adaptable
in that role.
That’s not to say that an adaptable
person won’t be able to follow rules and procedures, nor is it that more
spontaneous people can’t be organized. Of course they can! After all,
we all learn to do what needs to be done to complete the task at hand.
However, it is more difficult for someone who isn’t naturally organized
to be so all the time, and the same goes for any other personality characteristic.
Not only that, but if you ensure that there is a fit between the job and person,
then you can also be sure that they won’t have to go against their
natural tendencies all the time. In fact, they will find it easier and
more enjoyable when they can apply their inherent strengths to perform
better. Trust me on that one!
b) Organizational-Fit is a large contributor to employee performance
Sure, the employee needs to “fit” with
the job, but it’s also necessary that they have organizational-fit, as
well. If you want to learn how to improve employee performance, then you
should be aware of the organizational goals, values, and core
competencies that are designed to lead your company to success. Once you
have that information, then you can be sure that organizational-fit exists and that your employees are actively working towards reaching these goals.
Many of you might not see
organizational-fit as being directly related to improving employee
performance, but before you completely make up your mind, consider this
definition: employee core competencies
are the set of knowledge, skills, and capabilities that an employee
needs in order to be successful in an organization, and it is the
cornerstone of the employee’s development, performance, and overall
success within the company.
If your company and its employees share
the same core competencies, then you have a pretty good chance
of achieving organizational fit. Now whether or not you agree, you can’t
deny that a lack of fit could very well hinder employee performance. So
why take the chance?
c) Don’t forget about Team-Fit!
Did you think that ensuring job and
organizational fit would be enough? Think again! If you want to improve
employee performance, then you need to consider all the factors, and team-fit is an important one!
When your employees work closely with
others within the organization, then you can’t just consider them as
individuals when looking to improve their performance. They may be good,
have the right tools, and have the characteristics, skills, and
competencies to fit with the job and organization, but if they can’t
work well with their team members, or be effectively motivated by the
right managerial style, then how much can you really expect them to perform?
It is essential that you ensure the level of compatibility between team members, and ensure that their manager has the right style to lead and motivate them.
If you can get all these “fit”
components together, then you will most certainly be on the right track
to improve employee performance!
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