Employee Performance

Encourage healthy team competition

April 14, 2021
A little competition in the workplace can increase productivity and enhance employee motivation. Just make sure it doesn’t create needless divisions. Follow these guidelines to help employees and teams focus more closely on their objectives.

Criticizing? Focus on facts

April 9, 2021
When you criticize employees in formal performance evaluations, your comments should be written so they’re informative for the employee and objective enough to stand up to legal scrutiny. You can meet both standards if you base your comments on observable and measurable behavior.

Cure the workflow blues

March 26, 2021
You’re probably familiar with a frustrating problem that can occur when your employees work at several tasks simultaneously. They work a reasonable number of hours on each task, yet they have trouble making their deadlines. When times are busy, try these three tactics to improve the workflow.

Fix performance: 3 steps

February 12, 2021
How you deal with employee performance problems says a lot about your skills as a manager. Take a positive approach with these three steps.

The ABC’s of documentation

February 12, 2021
Many managers don’t enjoy documenting employee performance, but it’s crucial if you have to defend a decision to terminate an employee, or recommend him or her for promotion. Don’t take any chances with your record-keeping responsibilities. Here’s what to keep in mind.

Don’t let excuses slow you down

December 23, 2020
Excuses don’t get results. Though employees may occasionally have legitimate reasons for not successfully completing their assignments, be on the lookout for these common types of evasions.

Improve productivity in and out of the office: 5 tips

October 29, 2020
It’s more important than ever to create an environment that engenders engagement and improves productivity for all of your staff. These five tips can help you do just that.

Evaluations are vital—now more than ever

October 9, 2020
Employees’ performance reviews are important every year, but especially so in 2021. With layoffs a very real possibility, your crew will want to make sure their accomplishments are known and their shortcomings seen in perspective.

Master the principles of persuasion

October 7, 2020
You get better performance from employees with persuasion than force—more commitment, greater engagement, and a positive attitude. Effective persuasion relies on behavioral principles that may not be obvious, though. Become a master persuader by learning how these factors work.

Got a workaholic on staff? Time to intervene

September 11, 2020
In the short term, workaholics can be quite productive, but long-term they may put your organization at risk for shoddy work, unnecessary overtime, and health and disability costs.