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5 Options to Explore in Influencing Employee Performance

The traditional workplace is a physical location where an individual makes his competence available to the employer in order to provide service to others outside the organization. The modern workplace has gone beyond physical locations to include virtual presence in remote locations besides the physical infrastructure provided as a place of convergence for employee engagement. Employees can now deploy their multiple competences across the globe without a physical presence in all of the locations where they may be needed. The workplace is now more mobile than it used to be. The advent of technology has helped employers to explore other forms of investment on employee work patterns. Many organizations are now offering telecommuting options to work as part of their general flexible work arrangements.

The issue of performance in the workplace puts a lot of emphasis on the productive outcomes of individual and collective efforts of employees. These outcomes are meaningful only when they contribute to the overarching pursuit of the organization. Employee Performance are measured against the metrics set as standard outcomes against the actual performance of the individual or team. It is important to ensure that employees understand the performance expectations at all times.

Over the years, performance has been influenced using methods that serve as motivators. A number of these motivators have outlived their relevance in the context of the demands of the times in which we live in. What used to work no longer delivers. The common tool employers use to influence workplace performance is compensation. The rising demands for earned income has reduced the effect of this tool on employee performance. Employers seeking to improve employee performance can consider more options besides the ones they currently use in their organizations. Alternative offerings like growth, achievement, responsibility, recognition and nature of work can be explored.

1. Growth: You can expect your employees to carry out their functions better than their previous attempt when they can see opportunities for personal and corporate growth. If they see self-development and corporate growth plans, they will do more.
2. Achievement: Employees will do more when they can see the endpoint of their efforts. Clarity of link between effort and result is essential for performance. Let there be no ambiguity that your employees are contributors to corporate success.
3. Responsibility: There will be increased performance when people find that they can be in control of processes that define their outcomes. Employees will do better when they are empowered with authority to influence their experiences.
4. Recognition: Every great effort that is not applauded may not be sustained. Every great feat that is not acknowledged and commended will not be repeated. Employers that show gratitude always influence employee attitude.
5. Interesting Work: Employee engagement increases performance. When your employees have work that is positively absorbing and holds their attention, you can expect that they will deliver more than when they had figure out work expectations.

These 5 points are by no means an exhaustive list of alternatives but they are worth considering by any organization seeking to improve performance by exploring non-financial approaches to such quest.

OAO