Employers who prioritize the engagement levels of their employees know that setting growth metrics is critical not only for employee and team morale but for the return on investment from each employee. Clear and tangible growth metrics drive effective growth in roles and maximize input from employees by establishing ownership for personal projects. Further, transparent and clear goals on the individual level boost company culture and team morale altogether.
Below are a few best practices for establishing metrics with individual employees.
1. Create checkpoints
Consistent and clear checkpoints enable your employees to plan ahead and meet their goals. Plan for a minimum of one mid-year check in and one end-of-year check in. These should function to make sure that you are connected and in sync with your employee in terms of their role and the ideal outcomes within certain time frames for their projects. Creating an understanding of these expectations and setting a realistic timeline sets up individuals for success.
2. Use transparency wisely
Consider creating an organization-wide document or form where each employee can record their individual focuses and goals for each quarter or year. Reinforce the importance of this project so that each employee utilizes the document. Allowing each team member to have access to this information is a great way to share the critical focuses of the entire organization as they relate to individuals – and it clarifies the type of projects that each person is working on while also establishing a sense of accountability. Ensuring that each employee can return to their own records and goal-tracking information is another way to guarantee that they will meet their own goals.
3. Track communications internally
When wrapping up a check in or progress update in particular, be sure to track and record the communications surrounding the update. Being able to return to this record later can serve as a valuable way to establish accountability further and, most importantly, determine by the end of the year how and why each employee should be rewarded. Did certain challenges prevent individuals from reaching their checkpoints? If an accurate record is kept, questions such as this can be dealt with promptly and fairly.
4. Be clear about rewards and opportunities
Never make a promise to an employee if you aren’t sure you can meet the inevitable demand by the end of the year. Just as reasonable goals should be set in place, a reasonable reward process should also be established early on. Avoid any type of surprise factor; employees want ultimate clarity when it comes to compensation and other benefits. Reward the success of a year’s worth of goals met knowing that it serves as an investment in the future of the employee and their ownership within the company.
Overall, establishing growth metrics can determine the level of engagement from each employee in a significant way – and ensure a long-term positive morale from your employees.
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