Strengthening Employee Performance: Key Strategies and Best Practices

Strengthening employee performance requires thoughtful strategies to boost engagement and understanding. Currently, just 1 in 5 employees say their company’s performance management practices inspire them to reach their potential. With the right guidance, more employees will become star performers who boost the success of their organization.

In this article, we’ll discuss ways to improve work performance, which will also increase job satisfaction. These strong performance management strategies will enhance engagement and help each person become more effective in their role.

Table of Contents

1. Setting Clear Expectations
2. Providing Regular Feedback
3. Offering Training and Development Opportunities
4. Encouraging Employee Engagement
5. Implementing Performance Management Tools
6. Promoting a Culture of Accountability
7. Providing Support and Resources
8. Fostering Open Communication

Setting Clear Expectations

Expectations relate to the quality of work, productivity level, and performance on a team. Set expectations collaboratively with employees, discussing them when you create goals together. Refer to SMART goals you’ve set with employees to define performance targets. Identifying these key performance indicators (KPIs) will show what success looks like for particular tasks and projects. Share concrete examples and talk in depth about the outcomes to strive for.

Then, check in about expectations during your weekly sessions. Discuss key priorities for the coming week and how to strengthen the quality of work, if needed. Ask employees to describe the intended outcomes of their work to ensure you’re on the same page.

Providing Regular Feedback

Continuous feedback will empower employees to keep strengthening their performance. It will also boost motivation and confidence. They’ll know when they’re on track, and they’ll receive advice on how to correct course when they’re not.

Here are a few ways to improve work performance through regular feedback:

• For newer hires, hold formal check-ins about progress at 30, 60, and 90 days. After that, we recommend holding these appraisals at least once per quarter.
• Schedule weekly one-on-one meetings to provide detailed feedback and guidance. These conversations should be informal, centering on the topics that feel most pressing. 
• Use instant feedback tools to share daily feedback and praise. Comment on emerging issues and follow up on challenges discussed during your weekly one-on-ones.
• Implement a 360 feedback initiative to gather comprehensive insights on how to strengthen teamwork and effectiveness. By asking detailed questions, you’ll gain valuable feedback on employees’ strengths and weaknesses.

Through these performance management strategies, you’ll also build strong and lasting relationships with employees. Make sure to highlight their strengths as well as areas for improvement. Frequent praise will help employees feel more capable. Plus, it will show how to draw from their strengths to overcome challenges.

Offering Training and Development Opportunities

“One of the most important factors in creating a high-performance workplace is instilling a high-development culture: one that values the growth of individuals,” says Gallup. “Organizations that have made a strategic investment in employee development … report 11% greater profitability and are twice as likely to retain their employees.”

Regular training and development opportunities will support employee performance. Ongoing professional development, both formal and informal, will keep employees enthusiastic and highly engaged. As they become more invested in their personal development, they’ll also grow more committed to their success. They’ll feel deeply valued by their organization, too, encouraging them to look for advanced opportunities within it. Now, let’s discuss two important methods of furthering employee growth.

Educational Programs

Provide access to workshops, online courses, and skill development programs. Such trainings can include both in-house and external opportunities. For example, industry associations might conduct certification programs for crucial skill sets.

You could even consider holding a learning retreat or mini-retreat. (The latter could span a full or half day instead of a weekend or several days.) This can be a great way to bring together remote teams for an intensive learning experience, and it’s possible to hold a retreat on a budget with creative strategies. You could focus on emerging skills needed in your industry, helping employees to upgrade their skill sets together, for instance. Make it fun and dynamic, choosing workshop facilitators with an engaging style. And feature interactive activities that encourage full participation!

A Coaching Mindset

Even more importantly, guide managers in shifting from a “boss” to a “coach” mindset, as Gallup urges. When managers serve as trusted coaches, performance will soar. 

Managers can act as coaches by talking through daily challenges in a supportive way. They can frequently ask employees how their work is going, making themselves available to discuss any issues. And they can draw upon their emotional intelligence in communication, too, showing empathy for employees’ feelings while promoting a proactive approach.

Encouraging Employee Engagement

Engagement plays a central role in employee effectiveness. Gallup has found that high engagement brings major benefits like these:

• Decreasing absenteeism by 81%
• Reducing safety incidents by 64%
• Boosting profitability by 23%
• Reducing turnover by 18–43%

Ultimately, engagement can increase earnings per share through these benefits, Gallup notes. 

How can you increase engagement? First and foremost, build a positive work environment, which enhances performance and achievement substantially. Make sure everyone has the opportunity to do work they find meaningful on a daily basis, too.

Also focus on nurturing creativity, boosting self-confidence, and recognizing employee achievements. Instill a sense of psychological safety to encourage people to speak their minds. Invite people to share their ideas, and praise them for voicing creative ones. Hold regular collaborative meetups (virtually or in person), like brainstorming sessions. During meetings, regularly call attention to individuals’ key strengths and contributions, thanking them for their efforts. Show that you notice the specific details of what they’ve done for your company.

Second, while the satisfaction of a job well done is a reward in itself, try adding extra perks that provide even more motivation to excel. Give enticing incentives like bonuses, a catered lunch, and gift certificates to individuals or the whole team to recognize their efforts. These extras make success just a little more exciting, while showing people how much you value them, when coupled with public recognition of their efforts.

Implementing Performance Management Tools

Utilize tools and software for tracking and managing performance. This will boost individual ownership of progress. Such tools allow people to see the percentage of individual and team goals completed. They’ll also be able to track each step toward achieving a goal, providing a clear picture of where they stand. For all of these reasons, performance management tools can boost motivation and outcomes by making goals feel more attainable.

With remote and hybrid teams, these tools are especially crucial. They can help managers observe performance even when they aren’t working in person with employees.

Performance management tools also support supervisors in holding light check-ins with employees as well as formal appraisals. They’ll highlight key points for discussion, helping busy managers to organize their thoughts. And they’ll provide clear data on employees’ challenges and strengths, supporting accuracy and fairness.

Promoting a Culture of Accountability

Foster a sense of accountability to the whole team for meeting individual performance goals. During team meetings, take turns sharing important updates about the work you’re each doing. Clarify key steps that must happen in order to move projects to the next stage, and determine who will carry them out. 

Regular performance reviews will also promote accountability. Hold them often enough that the topics you’re covering will be easy to remember and discuss. For example, hold reviews once per quarter or after completing big projects.

Emphasize how individual and team performance affects progress toward shared goals—and the broader organizational mission. Too often, individuals can lose sight of the significance of their contributions. These frequent reminders will help them feel valued and accountable.

Providing Support and Resources

Make sure each employee has the necessary resources and guidance to excel. If you’re planning to increase their responsibilities, consider what support will ensure their success. Do they need introductions to certain staff members, coupled with an explanation of their increased authority level? Do they need new equipment or authorization to use a particular company system? Set them up for success by anticipating such needs in advance.

Offer mentorship programs as well, pairing each person with a compatible mentor. This mentor should be someone other than their direct boss. That way, they’ll gain an additional perspective and source of support. If they’re tackling a new type of project, look for a mentor with relevant experience to guide them.

Fostering Open Communication

Build transparent and open communication channels to make sure employees get the support they need. Regular team meetings and one-on-one sessions serve as vital touchpoints for ensuring understanding—and key ways to improve work performance.

Invite employees to share candid feedback about team processes and projects, too. Employees often have powerful insights into how to improve efficiency. Modify work processes based on their input, when feasible.

Additionally, model and share conflict resolution skills. Guide employees on how to engage in productive conflict rather than avoiding issues due to fear of an argument.

Through these strategies for improving employee performance, you’ll adopt a proactive approach to performance enhancement. People will become clearer about their objectives and more driven to achieve them. As a result, teams will be able to tackle next-level goals more effectively, boosting outcomes for the whole organization.

Learn how performance management software can help strengthen engagement and enthusiasm. Demo our product!