7 Ways to Improve Employee Performance

Taking into account an employee’s personal attributes, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to strategies for improvement of personal performance. A wise employer will meet the employee where they are at, and give them access to resources that are tailored to their specific areas of need. Even so, there are a few things that every company and employee can benefit from by implementing.

‌ Straight to the 7 Ways 

What Is Employee Performance in The Workplace?

Employee performance in the workplace is a set of metrics that a company uses in order to understand the output of its employees. With any occupation, an employer is paying an employee to do a certain amount of work in a set amount of time, and to a certain company standard. An employment contract says that the employee completes a, b and c in exchange for x amount of pay. However straightforward that may seem, the way employee performance in the workplace is measured can vary greatly between industries.

Depending on the occupation, metrics of employee performance can include percentages of deadlines met, number of orders processed, hours clocked, or projects completed. The particulars will change from company to company, but the key metrics tend to focus on efficiency, speed, and quality of work output.

Many are familiar with the concept of the Quality Triangle, wherein quality is at the center, and time, cost, and scope each take up one side of the triangle. It can be argued that all three sides cannot simultaneously improve if quality remains the top priority—something has to give.

However, most employers understand this and will tell their employees which metrics comprise the company’s top priorities, while also understanding that the complete picture of what an employee brings to the table is more nuanced.

1. Make information available to everyone.

Large projects can have a lot of moving parts, and it is important that the people responsible for completing the project fully understand what their part is, when it is due, and whose parts are dependent on others completing their items first. Shared calendars and task lists make the information visible to everyone so that completed items don’t float around and get lost in the shuffle.

2. Prioritize.

For prioritization to be possible, tip number one must also be in play. Make information regarding parts and deadlines available to everyone so that the bigger picture is available at a glance. Doing so will enable your employees to prioritize their time, and shift tasks to make sure that pressing items are addressed first. Likewise, project managers can quickly shift priorities in ways that keep action items visible to everyone involved.

3. Declutter.

Chaotic work spaces do not work. Encourage employees to keep clutter, personal items, and projects unrelated to the task at hand to a minimum. Likewise, digital clutter can cause just as much damage. Set protocol for how to name digital files and folders so that everyone’s folder system is the same, and time is not wasted hunting for needed information.

4. Assign ownership.

Every project needs a clear leader with the final say on important items. Projects can linger and quickly become overdue when team members are unclear on who needs to make an important decision in order for a project to advance to its next stages. Asking for volunteers to lead projects shows that you trust your employees’ sensibilities, and that you believe they will rise to the occasion.

5. Stay balanced.

Burnout is real. Make sure your employees are familiar with the signs of burnout—frequent illness, irritability, energy loss, and chronic stress—and foster a healthy workplace environment that emphasizes the importance of self-care. Employees need to know that their jobs will not be in jeopardy should they need to take a personal day to step away from workplace demands.

6. Make goals clear.

Sometimes done is better than good. Be concise when it comes to setting goals, and be generous in breaking up larger goals into many smaller ones. A large project can be daunting. Rather than overwhelming employees with a vague requirement and deadline it is better to break that goal up into many smaller pieces with specific dates.

7. Grant autonomy.

Employees who are overmanaged often underperform. You hire your employees after reviewing their resumes, interviewing them, and deciding that they are capable of doing the job. Give them the space to show you what they are capable of. Micromanaging every aspect of their work output puts unnecessary pressure on them, and can cause them to lose sight of larger goals.