Helix Digi Labs
Employee performance directly correlates to the success of your company. Therefore, looking into and investing in maximizing employee performance is of utmost importance. Implementing effective employee management strategies is one such way to do so, as it refers to how an organization manages its resources to achieve its objectives. This can be utilized to analyze, monitor, and evaluate human resources to ensure the organization's goals are met successfully. No matter the size of your company or how long it has been established, effective management strategies can be used to maximize employee performance. Here are our top 6 ways to improve employee performance.
Open communication is a key concept as it can significantly improve collaboration between people and thus lead to better efficiency. Making open communication a part of your company culture could be tough to build initially, but it will be a worthwhile step as every single employee will feel valued and welcome. Everything from company procedures and training documents to out-of-office plans should encourage employees to share their thoughts to build a culture of open communication. This will improve engagement and promote inclusion, strengthen team bonds, and enhance trust. This will directly impact the quality of their work and motivate employees to perform better as they are now respected and seen as having a stake in the company's procedures. Letting employees know that the company wants them to express their ideas can improve morale and confidence, each owing to better work performance.
Training and development programs not only improve the workforce's overall performance but also indicate to the employees that the company is willing to invest in them, thus motivating and incentivizing employees. Training and development could take place in various forms. You could review and measure progress, create a forum where suggestions and changes are encouraged, and equip employees with relevant short-term and long-term skills. Such topics could be covered via lectures, games, quizzes, group discussions, videos, on-the-job training, simulations, and any mode through which you could creatively discuss and present the topic. Conducting such various workshops and programs allows all your employees to upskill, learn and grow, creating a positive and favorable work environment, thus motivating employees to give their best at a place they love.
According to Gallup, although employers feel that most employees leave their companies to earn more money, most employees who leave their jobs cite a lack of employee recognition as a major concern. Recognizing and rewarding employees could be one of the biggest ways to create a culture they feel respected in and enjoy. This would positively impact each individual's effectiveness and productivity as well. This could include birthday celebrations, peer-to-peer appreciation, monthly newsletters with employee success stories, a virtual wall of fame, monetary incentives, staycation rewards, event tickets, and personalized gifts. According to a Watson Wyatt study of 3 million employees, companies with an effective recognition program enjoyed a 109% three-year median return to shareholders compared to a 52% return for companies without.
No employee enjoys their workplace if all they have to do is either work or think about work. Even after they clock out/go home, having to miss out on social events or family time because they have a meeting or strict deadlines, they cannot meet unless they work more than the required hours could lead to burnout and exhaustion fast. This would negatively impact their productivity as employees will be stretched thin and not able to give their best towards the job. Therefore, it is key for employers to understand the importance of work-life balance and discourage employees from working after hours. Employers could provide opportunities for a dinner or games night after work for those who would like to join. They could identify and recognize those feeling overwhelmed by work and release them from a few responsibilities until they have recovered.
As we live in a post-pandemic world, most people's perspective on work and jobs has changed. As working from home or a hybrid workspace has proved possible, most companies have kept that as an option. Having flexibility in terms of working hours and your workspace is a great way to appreciate the different types of personalities you have in your workforce. However, it is important that while being flexible, you keep rigid goals, make the team aware of the vision and results, have a system that connects everyone, and prioritize regular online communication. This system would prioritize the work while leaving room for people to work in different ways, improving employee performance as a whole.
The relationship with one's peers and the dynamic of the team employees work with play a huge role in how they view their work environment and work. If the team doesn't respect or trust each other, the work will not be as efficient as it could be and might not be of high quality. Therefore, investing in team building and fostering great relationships between co-workers will be worthwhile as it is one-way companies could maximize employee performance. This could be done by organizing a company retreat, creating a friendly and respectful company culture, defining clear roles, keeping everyone accountable, and allowing each team to learn, grow, and face challenges together.
