In this article, we focus on 3 key areas you need to be aware of when measuring performance among your employees.
Why It's Important to Measure Performance
Measuring performance among your employees can be a frightening area. Stress, anxiety and panic are emotions that usually arise among employees when it is time to discuss their performance metrics.
However, measurement can be a positive pillar for developing your employees. Actually, one could argue that measurement is inevitable for employees to triumph within their jobs – it just has to be done in the right way.
Performance Metrics Help to Engage Your Employees
Some might say that measurement of employees’ performance can be dehumanizing. Managers measure employees’ performance with the best intentions to give feedback and motivate.
A study from Gallup reveals that only 1 out of 5 employees highly agree that their performance level is managed in a way that motivates them to perform the best that they can do.
On the contrary, employees who highly agree that their manager holds them responsible for their performance are 2,5 times more likely to be engaged in their job. This is a clear sign, that when the measurement is used in an engaging way, it is motivating.
Your employees actually want to be measured in a way that can help them rule and conquer issues, but it can be difficult for them to excel if they do not know in which area. And the only way for them to know is to enhance your internal communication between managers and employees.
Measure to Motivate – Not Shatter
The key is to measure performance in a positive, but fair way, that not only captures the output but the whole person. We provide you with 3 different areas for managers to consider when measuring to boost motivation among employees:
1. Let your employees influence the metrics you are measuring
It is vital that your employees can connect the performance metrics with concrete actions they can take. Your employees may find it hard to accept a performance metric if they do not believe that they can influence it. When employees are involved in setting the goals, they feel a sense of ownership and control of their output.
2. Set up future and growth-oriented metrics
It is essential for managers to acknowledge the fact that their employees can not change the past. Therefore, you should not be focusing on experiences that happened in the past unless it is used in a way to figure out how to move forward. As a leader, you must focus on both constructive and encouraging criticism.
3. Discuss performance metrics often
Your employees most likely feel that performance metrics are unfair or maybe even irrelevant if they are only discussed once a year. Evaluating metrics more often can reduce fearful thinking and introduce required performance corrections before problems become unmanageable.
