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6 Schemes to Supercharge Low-Performing Employees

By iRevü Employee Engagement

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That’s right you heard it here first folks, we’ve got six, count ’em, six ways to make your low performing employees excited to work. We were going to do 10, but getting to the point and using effective means of communication via preciseness (see number 5) tops our list of six and well, you get the joke right? Anyways check the list below for six shiny nuggets of engagement gold to improve employee performance.

1. Give credit, pay attention to your employees!

Think of a time you went above and beyond to get something done for someone, and they completely ignored your efforts, taking the final fruit of your labor, ignoring the time you spent. It was terrible, right? The same feelings go for your employees, giving credit where credit is due, is an essential part of managing employees.

“Employees who are not engaged also tend to feel their contributions are being overlooked, and their potential is not being tapped. Often, they feel this way because they don’t have productive relationships with their managers or with their coworkers.”-Abigail Phillips, Contributor, Entrepreneur.

In a study conducted by Gallup Organization research, 55% of employees are not engaged in their jobs.

2. Examine all complaints your employees have, look for resolutions.

Ignoring complaints from employees can lead to a hefty downfall. Your employees are doing the main brunt of the work your company depends on. Your employee’s complaints are warranted and deserve your attention. If not for your businesses’ monetary sake, for your company brand’s sake.
“You have to soften if you want to listen, because you’re going to hear some things you don’t want to hear at first. As you warm up the culture and take down the barricades that keep people from connecting to their power sources at work, your teammates will see that movement and they’ll react to it.”-Liz Ryan, Contributor, Forbes.
Exceedingly engaged employees are 38% more likely to have above-average productivity, than those who are less engaged.

3. Brainstorm attainable goals together.

Let’s say you play the french horn, you’ve gotten pretty good at it, and your music instructor (Barry, part-time electrician/music instructor) commends you for your good work. You did so well that Barry says he’s got a new assignment for you. For next week’s practice, he would like you to play Beethoven’s 5th on string guitar for your recital in 2.5 weeks. Seems unrealistic, right? Don’t trap your employees with impractical goals. Set a meeting with your employee in which you both discuss what’s realistic in terms of deadlines/projects and goals.
“Goal-setting is usually unsuccessful when framed as a contest or competition among employees. Avoid setting different goals for employees with similar responsibilities and refrain from encouraging internal rivalries, which can lead to diminished morale and resentment for managers.”- Paychex.com

4. Checking in, follow up with your employees once you set some goals.

Once you have set some goals you and your employee can both agree on, your job isn’t done. Check in on your employee every now and then. See if the outlined goals originally set are truly attainable, adjust/offer encouragement from there!
“Successful leaders hold their employees accountable. Most people will appreciate this structure at work and respect the manager’s due diligence. Showing an interest in the work of employees can significantly boost a company’s culture and morale.”-Abigail Phillips, Contributor, Entrepreneur.
Shockingly enough, only about 25% of business leaders have an employee engagement strategy.

5. Communicate clearly and concisely.

Your employees can’t successfully do their jobs if they don’t have a clear understanding of the task at hand. Research shows that only 40% of employees truly know what the company’s goals/strategies and tactics entail. Communication and feedback is essential, without it your employees are left to wander, setting their own guidelines for a task they maybe aren’t so familiar with. Lack of communication begs room for questionable work. Research shows that 43% of highly engaged employees receive feedback from their employers at least once a week.

6. Reward! Reward! Reward!

Your employees work hard, and so do you. Why not commend your team for a job well done by grabbing lunch for the office or ordering company exercise balls. Send some personalized emails out to employees thanking them for their hard work. Your employees will certainly notice your extension of praise, and they will work in accordance.
“It’s important for managers to display devotion to their companies, and equally important for them to maintain this employer branding after employees have been hired, in order to keep employees satisfied and engaged. If managers fail to maintain employer branding efforts after employees have joined the company, the company’s employer brand and the manager’s reliability will take a hit.”- Noelle Murphy, Director of PR & Content Red Branch Media.
Now that you have a couple of tricks up your sleeves, see how you can supercharge your employees. Apply some of these tactics to your low-performing employees. In the meantime check out iRevü’s easy to use programs, such as the real-time feedback and integrated rewards systems!
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Posted By iRevü

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