With the Olympics underway, many people are talking about how well different competitors will perform. But it’s not just Olympians that need to set up for success if they are to make the most of their talents, it’s employees too. With this in mind, here are some top tips that can help your business improve employee performance.
- Eyes on the prize
- Train to ‘win’
- Dashed hopes?
Eyes on the prize
Focus and motivation are two key drivers for top performance. If employees know what is expected of them, what it looks like to ‘succeed’ in your business and understand how their performance contributes to the company, they are more likely to perform well.
Top Tips for Managers:
- Set clear performance targets and standards and make sure these are effectively communicated to employees.
- Ensure employees know what the company is trying to achieve and what its values are to give a strong sense of purpose and get employee buy-in for your overall business goals.
- Think about easy ways to motivate and reward your team – something as simple as a thank you if an employee has gone the extra mile can not only give them a little boost but make it more likely that they will be prepared to put the extra effort in again as it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
- Appropriately monitor your employees’ performance, this can help you to spot and tackle any issues early if needed.
Train to ‘win’
Athletes don’t win gold medals without training and the same may be said for employees too. Making sure your people have the training they need to help them excel in their roles can reap rewards for your business. Not only could it improve performance and efficiency but also help with employee retention and ultimately save management time by preventing avoidable issues.
Top Tips for Managers:
- Carry out a simple training audit – check what training employees have had, what it covered and when it took place. This can help you to identify any obvious training needs and formulate an appropriate plan
- Don’t overlook refresher training – if it has been a while since employees last received certain training, a brush-up on skills, practices and developments (such as the use of AI) could benefit your business and help you to remain competitive
- Remember to look at the bigger picture – it is not just role related training that is important, your business can benefit from employees being appropriately trained on your key policies and procedures too, such as equal opportunities and anti-bullying and harassment. If such issues arise, not only can they lead to liability for your business but they can impact productivity more widely – they can damage employee relations and take time and resources to deal with (which could have been better spent elsewhere).
Dashed hopes?
Sometimes, despite your coaching and support, you may still find that an employee is barely getting off the starting line. If you have concerns about an employee’s performance, don’t watch from the sidelines.
Top Tips for Managers:
- Firstly, check your employee’s length of service. Currently, employees require two years continuity of service to bring an ordinary unfair dismissal claim so if you are experiencing performance or other issues with a short serving employee it may be possible to dismiss them faster and more easily than usual. If your employee has under two years service, your next step should be to get in touch with us before taking any action – there are some claims even employees with short service can bring, such as those involving dismissal for a prohibited reason, so it is important to check a quick dismissal is safe in your situation.
- Employee has two years’ service or more? Tackling the problem will usually involve starting with an informal meeting to raise your concerns and finding out if there is any reason for the employee’s poor performance, for example they might have a disability you were unaware of and require reasonable adjustments. We can provide specific guidance on how to handle performance management meetings, so please get in touch for advice and support with the situation in your business before taking any action.
Interested in HR training for your business? Whether in person or live via Microsoft Teams, ask your Employment Law Specialist for information on our bespoke cost-effective training.