A good manager’s role is to bring out the best in those they manage, so that the organization can thrive on employees’ talent and hard work. To do this, managers first must assess employee performance to spot who is struggling, and to assess which motivational tools can be used to raise job performance throughout the organization.
When assessing an employee’s performance, use a human touch. People are more than metrics and have human motivations behind all that they do. Look at an employee’s work and ask: are they effective, efficient and proactive in advancing their knowledge? If you find that many employees are underperforming, it may be a problem of engagement.
So how do you engage employees to raise performance metrics? One of the most effective methods is to use team building activities for employees. These activities improve the workplace culture so that it can support high job performance while bringing co-workers and management closer. Team building activities are also great ways to present employees with rewards, recognition and incentives. And like everything else in management, knowing which team building activities to use and how to leverage them is an art.
How to Define Workplace Performance Metrics
The performance metrics you track will vary depending on your industry, business model and the job roles your employees take. Performance standards detail the expectations for each job. Make sure these are clearly defined, understood and communicated so that employees can understand what’s expected of them, and have a fair chance to deliver. List actions an employee can take to get their job done well, and the results management expects to see from those actions.
The criteria you set to define satisfactory job performance should be based on the position, not the individual, They should be observable and reasonable to attain. And they should be easy to express in definable terms, such as quality, timeliness, quantity, outcomes or cost. For example, a receptionist may be expected to answer all phone calls, prepare outgoing mail and file all documents. You can track how many calls are answered or unanswered, as well as how many pieces of mail went out or how many documents were filed. Then, you can set criteria to measure how well these tasks were done. Was every call answered with a courteous greeting? Was every document filed within a certain time frame? By setting specific performance criteria for every job role you can then use performance metrics to measure them.
How to Raise Workplace Performance Using Team Building Activities for Employees
Even the best managers can’t boost organization-wide job performance without the right tools for the job. That’s where team building activities come in: they help management send the right message and make employees feel appreciated and engaged.
Team building activities can make everyone feel empowered and involved in decision making. They’re important because empowered employees feel they are stakeholders in your organization’s success, and they want to see their actions make a positive difference. And by giving your employees the space to share their ideas with management and team members management can convey their confidence and trust in employees. This improves your company’s culture.
Team building activities don’t exist in a vacuum, either. They’re more effective when they are used as a means of distributing rewards, recognition and incentives. Here are some team building activities that are made even more engaging when used along with a quality incentive program.
Code of Conduct
Anytime you begin a new group training, workshop, or day of team building events, Code of Conduct offers a good way to get everyone on the same page. Naturally, you’ll have an agenda. But wouldn’t it be great if all your participants could define what they want to gain from your sessions, and what would make your day of events meaningful?
Branded Products
Branded apparel, including custom uniforms, can help employees feel like a valuable part of the team. With branded products, employees can stand out, express bragging rights, and recognize team members for their performance. Branded products can serve as great rewards for winners of team building activities, or enhance team building all on their own.
Shark Tank
In this activity, teams invent sales pitches for imaginary products and compete for investors’ money. Shark Tank is a game that allows employees to come up with funny, zany products and strategies. Its an exercise in entrepreneurship, creative thinking, and collaboration.
Perfect Square
Here’s a fun little game you can play outdoors to give people a break from stuffy office environments. Play Perfect Square whenever you need an icebreaker, such as when introducing new employees or integrating departments. It’s also great to sharpen group problem-solving skills, and can help increase team communication.
Campfire Stories
Telling stories at gatherings is one of the oldest human social traditions, and with good reason. It strengthens social bonds while exchanging information in an enjoyable way. Telling Campfire Stories is a great activity for teams that foster empathy and workplace unity. People who relate to each other’s experiences are more likely to work out interpersonal conflicts in a friendly way.
Incentive Programs Offer Rewards That Make Team Building More Fun
No matter which team building activities for employees you use, you’re going to need incentive programs to offer the rewards your employees actually want, at an affordable cost. Incentive programs can increase opportunities for friendly competition and serve as team building exercises in themselves. So leverage an incentive program that has the potential to yield a lot of value. Because the best incentive programs not only get performance-raising results, but they also deliver an ROI that’s greater than the program’s initial cost.
How do you choose a quality incentive program? There’s a lot to look for. Choose the incentive program that’s best for your management strategy. Some programs work best with metrics-driven job roles, and are programs you should definitely look into if you use workplace performance metrics heavily.
The program you choose should be able to motivate employees to reach specific goals, while giving employers custom plans to help them achieve the organization’s strategic goals. It should recognize employees for their work and enable employers to track the incentive program’s progress and feedback in real-time. It should offer useful rewards, that lead to greater morale and employee retention. And of course, it should be fun!
Enhance Team Building Activities With Custom Incentive Programs
Ultimately, the best way to raise workplace productivity is to use team building activities and incentive programs together. Inproma’s custom incentive programs and employee rewards are award-winning, with 5 national awards to date. Our incentive programs benefit employees across all levels, especially those in non-managerial roles who tend to represent most of the workforce. They benefit everyone in the program, unlike rewards like travel incentives which can only motivate a single employee. Moreover, our rewards make employees feel honored, sending the message to all that the recipient is a high-status employee valued by management.
Coming to work should be enjoyable and engaging for all your employees and our programs help employees feel motivated to enhance their workplace productivity, day after day. Let us help improve your workforce’s productivity by raising job satisfaction, loyalty, morale, and retention with our custom incentive programs.
Let’s Get Started
Team building activities are more successful when used along with an engaging incentive program. At Inproma, we can design an incentive program that’s customized to your management strategy and business needs. Let’s talk about how we can help you boost workplace performance today.
Inproma’s custom employee incentive programs get results. From design to fulfillment, we can handle all the behind-the-scenes requirements. If your employee benefits aren’t producing the results you need, or your current incentive program isn’t getting anywhere, let’s talk.
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