Smart managers will want to keep a sharp eye on how their employees are performing, with an eye toward increasing morale and productivity.

Managers who do their best to show appreciation and give recognition when it is due should expect to find it easier to both recruit and retain the best employees. It’s also crucial to make sure employees work in an atmosphere of constructive criticism, not destructive criticism ,here's how.

 

Show Appreciation and Give Recognition

One of the best ways you can improve the job performance of your employees is to recognize good work. When you recognize a worker for doing a job well, you not only will boost morale, but you will also offer a greater sense of achievement.

When your employees understand how much you appreciate them and that their efforts matter above and beyond simply putting in time for a paycheck, their performance will tend to naturally increase.

Show recognition on a regular basis using small and simple methods to help your employees know that you value them.

For example, you could take an employee out to lunch, buy them a coffee or cake as a thankyou, or do something more public like initiate an “Employee of the Month” award with a plaque that you place on the wall, or hand out gift certificates at staff meetings for employees who went above and beyond to help a customer.

 

Avoid Fostering a Critical Atmosphere

The last thing you want in the workplace is an atmosphere of destructive criticism. In fact, destructive criticism is the easiest way to drain productivity. 

As a leader or manager, you are in charge of dealing with unnecessary criticism. An overly critical leader will wind up with critical subordinates, which can result in a toxic environment where employees begin to believe that they are adding zero value to their company. Instead, make a practice of only offering constructive criticism to your workers.

By showing appreciation and giving recognition you will build up social capital which will buffer the relationship when you might need to have a difficult conversation with an employee.

Kind words go a long way toward boosting employee morale and making each worker feel recognized and valued by their company.

When you do need to say something critical, use the sandwich technique of saying something positive, then dealing with the issue and finishing with a positive.  Plus make the problem you are addressing seem easy to fix, and generate some empathy by talking about mistakes you've made.

 

"The better your employees feel about the contributions they make, the better it will be for your productivity and bottom line."

So if you want to increase employee performance? Recognize and appreciate your workers. 

 

Article By Dale Carter

General Manager of GTP iCommerce Pty Ltd