Are your organization’s strategic business goals in sync with your employees’ goals? Although organizational and employee objectives don’t have to match 100%, they should be somewhat aligned. Besides having personal development and professional development targets (which may include educational goals), your employees should have specific work-centered goals. Having definite goals to work towards motivates employees to become great team players while achieving specific individual milestones.
Employee Goals: How to Motivate Your Team
What is the best way to set goals that employees will actually be motivated enough to achieve on a consistent basis? Employee goals can be based on productivity, efficiency, or anything else that helps them boost their skill set—and helps your organization hit its targets as well.
State Goals Clearly, Early
It’s crucial to set clear and measurable goals. Everyone in your organization should know what their goals are, how to achieve them, and (if applicable) what rewards they can expect when they do. Making a company-wide scoreboard before pushing for metrics-based employee goals can enhance transparency, too. Don’t leave it to managers to randomly dole out rewards – create a straightforward process. Unpredictability and inconsistency can lead to accusations of unfairness. The idea is to motivate your teams, not cause a dip in team morale.
A recent Forbes piece on why communicating company goals is key for employee growth suggests asking employees to outline goals and determine the steps needed to achieve them. Although this may not be practical at every firm, the idea is to get everyone personally invested in achieving the goals right from the start. The article also notes how instituting common team goals can be an excellent morale booster.
Link Goals to Strategic Business Objectives
Make sure that your employees’ goals help your organization reach its strategic objectives. If you’re a metrics-driven company like a call center, that’s straightforward enough. You can also have stretch goals like low error rates to tally up at the end of a campaign. If your objectives include creating your organization’s next generation of leaders, or other types of education and mentorship programs, you can clearly link employee development work to your overall business goals.
Encourage Employee Engagement
One of the best ways to motivate employees and increase engagement is through recognition and rewards. Employees are more engaged in their work when they know their output is being monitored. Recognition and rewards programs that depend on regular reviews of employees’ work can do just that. Your employees will feel more appreciated, and you’ll be able to focus their efforts on the tasks that matter most to your firm.
We’ve discussed why motivation in the workplace is so important, including how public recognition is an excellent motivator (when done properly). Don’t just send a generic email to “RECIPIENTS” about the “PRIZES” they have been awarded—be specific, personal, and don’t be afraid to provide public recognition. Ideally, ensure the praise is coming from ownership, senior management, and (most importantly) peers. Depending on the particular rewards you offer, you might reap the benefits of long-lasting internal PR when employees tell co-workers about their rewards.
Incentive Programs That Get Results
Inproma’s recognition and rewards-based programs can focus on whatever goals your organization has for the short and long-term. We structure incentive plans that work. If you need to better align your employees’ goals with your organizational objectives, or you already have an incentive program that’s not getting the job done, let’s talk.
