Managers dream of seeing their employees produce at maximum levels during every working hour, but motivation and efficiency tend to fluctuate, destroying this fantasy. Here are five handy tips to help optimize team performance without running your employees into the ground.
– Set objectives: Individualized professional development plans are amazingly efficient. They allow managers to create detailed, documented, short, medium and long-term paths for each employee.
– Provide continuous feedback: Plan at least one monthly meeting to follow up on the individual development plan. This is the ideal setting to make adjustments or provide the positive feedback that will virtually guarantee the success of the plan.
– Offer rewards: Objectives are essential, but rewarding individual employees or teams that go above and beyond while contributing to the overall success of the business is equally important. Implementing bonus programs that recognize individual and team performance can pay big dividends.
– Socialize: The occasional Happy Hour or Bowling Night, or an annual offsite planning session in a natural setting are all very effective ways of building troop morale. Interacting with colleagues outside of the normal work setting contributes to strengthening bonds.
– Train: Every employee needs effective training adapted to their specific needs.
In summary, you need to recognize and reward your best human assets, as this approach fosters and encourages cooperation and communication, which is highly contagious.