Being a business leader is no easy feat. With the number of things you have to do and tasks to juggle to keep your business running smoothly, it can be common to overlook your employees. And while increasing your profits is something any business owners want, nurturing your employees by prioritizing their engagement and performance can help bring your company to a whole new level.
After all, behind every successful business are employees who work hard to perform their roles and deliver good outputs. With that, below are some helpful tips for business leaders to boost employee engagement and performance to allow them to be as productive as possible:
1. Keep Track Of Employee Work Behavior And Patterns
While often seen as micromanaging, keeping track of your employee’s work behavior and patterns can give you an insight into how they view their work and their overall contribution to the team.
For instance, using HR software can give you an overview of their work behavior, such as their tardiness, absences, and performance reviews. You can also use such a tool to identify the learning and development needs of your team members. Such insights can be valuable in helping you determine the appropriate performance review phases and next steps that can benefit both the company and your employees. Overall, this can be a great way to keep them engaged and reduce turnover rates.
2. Host Regular Catch-ups
Ideally, everyone on your team should be in the loop regarding the current updates about the company or a project. For one, this can empower your employees and make them feel they’re valuable team members. And while regular meetings might sound too draining, hosting a weekly or bi-weekly catch-up with your team can be a great idea to keep in touch and connect with them.
If you have remote employees or you’re implementing a hybrid work setup, scheduling calls can be a good approach. But if you have on-site employees, consider having face-to-face meetings or huddles. You could begin the meeting by discussing essential company matters, such as updates and status reports. From there, you can ask about their opinions and feedback regarding internal processes and their workload.
To encourage your staff to speak up and voice out the concerns they may have, it can be helpful to make them feel comfortable and at ease. For instance, instead of having your one-on-one meeting in a formal setting, such as a conference room, consider discussing their performance and business updates over coffee. This way, the discussion can be light since you’re allowing them to loosen up.
Or, perhaps you’re having a team meeting. You can end the session with a fun activity everyone can enjoy or prepare drinks and snacks. This can help create a light and engaging mood, allowing you to develop better relationships with yourself and your team while giving them a quick break and a way to destress.
3. Recognize Top Employees
Another way you can improve employee engagement and performance is by recognizing your top-performing employees. You can do this monthly or quarterly. This way, you can let them know that you see their hard work and you appreciate all of the efforts they put into the company.
To do this, you can host a simple gathering to celebrate the team’s success and award the top-performing employees by giving them a token of appreciation. It can be a gift certificate to a restaurant or spa, additional leave credits, or a personalized office supply.
Recognizing your employees can be a great way to motivate them to work harder and be more efficient, which can help you reach business goals. But aside from that, this can go a long way in boosting their satisfaction and commitment to the company and creating a good and healthy work environment.
4. Ensure Equal Treatment Of Employees
There’s nothing more frustrating and stressful than working in a place where obvious favoritism occurs. For instance, some senior managers may favor long-term employees or those who have a personal connection with the higher-ups. Having this in a work environment can demotivate your employees as they know they’ll never be recognized as all eyes and praises will be towards their favorite.
With that, as much as possible, ensure that you treat everyone equally, no matter their roles or ranks within the team. Whether they’re an associate or a senior, ensure there’s no special treatment or favors, Avoid favoriting people at work. This can help create a good and positive work environment for everyone to grow.
5. Provide Necessary Training
Lastly, one of the best approaches to improve employee performance and engagement is by providing necessary training that can boost your staff’s skills. Besides allowing them to perform better in their respective roles, this can be a great way to boost employee morale. This is especially since your team members can recognize that you value them and care for their career growth.
You can begin by identifying skills gaps in your organization. This can give you an insight into what training program to create for your employees. You can also consider various changes in your industry. You could invite reputable speakers to conduct training and seminars.
Takeaway
As a business leader, aside from overseeing your business operations, one of your responsibilities is to ensure that your employees are productive and satisfied in their roles. This will involve improving their engagement and performance, which can benefit them and the company at the same time.
With the right tips and practices in mind, you can allow them to perform their roles efficiently and grow exceptionally in their career while keeping them happy and motivated.
