Employee accountability translates into high-performance, and creates a culture of trust and positive morale. Accountable employees adopt a CEO mindset; they take responsibility for their work, and they don’t pass the puck. They know what’s expected of them, and because they value their team members, managers, and the company, they continue to churn out exceptional work.
Creating a culture of accountability can be a daunting task, but if you focus on implementing tried and true methods, you can demystify the process and transform your brand.
Set Specific Goals
If employees don’t know exactly what’s expected of them, how can they meet the standards of their employers? Even if you have employees that seem lazy, most people truly want to excel and produce their best work.
Clearly communicating what you’d like to see from your employees is a great place to start. If there’s room for improvement in their performance, set clear, measurable goals that can be tracked and assessed regularly. Identifying when you’d like the goal to be hit adds an extra element of accountability.
If you encourage your employees to be part of the goal-setting process, they’ll be more open to the process and feel like an autonomous agent in their own self-improvement journey, rather than feeling like a child that’s confined to producing results for your benefit.
It’s in our nature to improve and reach new heights. Small, achievable goals that benefit you and the employee once they’re reached will empower employees to hold themselves accountable.
Praise Right Actions
Praise is a powerful tool. It’s highly motivating, and encourages more of the same right behavior. Employees who aren’t praised or recognized for doing a good job may feel neglected and underappreciated, which is demotivating.
If an employee hits their goal, congratulate them in front of their peers. Reward them if appropriate. People are either intrinsically motivated to perform better or they’re not—praise can encourage intrinsic motivation and create a bottom-up culture of accountability so employees invest in themselves and take responsibility for their work.
Issue a Badge ID Policy
Aside from increasing security, improving morale, and creating trust, a badge ID policy can hold employees accountable for their actions. Badges enable companies to keep track of their employees’ whereabouts, and that level of transparency and responsibility will hold employees accountable to their schedules. A well-enforced badge ID policy will also ensure that employees hold each other accountable for wearing their badges at all times.
Assigning badges to employees is a worthy investment that doesn’t have to be a budget breaker. Choose from a wide variety of badge holders and lanyards to find the perfect match for your needs.
Progress Updates
Encouraging employee accountability is an ongoing process. It doesn’t end with a lecture and a set of instructions on how to perform better. Ongoing feedback is important, especially if you notice that your employees are making progress.
Set clear goals, and then follow up with your employees regularly. If they’re doing well, praise them. If they’re not making progress, try to identify the problem. Simply knowing that you’ll be following up with your employees to discuss their progress will motivate them to begin implementing better practices right away.
People are happiest when they’re making progress, and recognizing their hard work will encourage further development. They’ll begin to look forward to receiving consistent feedback, and you’ll see better results.
Lead By Example
As the saying goes: you set the standard. You can’t expect your employees to mirror high-performance if you’re not embodying that value. Leading by example will inspire your employees to reflect your behavior, especially if they see that you’re getting consistent results.
Yes, you should sit down with your employees and map out stretch goals, you should follow up with them, praise them, and give them constructive feedback, but none of that matters if you don’t walk your own talk. If your employees feel that they’re being held to a higher standard than their manager, they’ll begin to resent you for not putting in more effort.
Be Consistent
Integrate these best practices, but don’t stop. Consistency is key when it comes to implementing long-term and meaningful change. Be consistent about everything you do, from administering feedback, to reinforcing standards by openly praising employees who do great work.
If your employees are new to this type of culture, they may be skeptical at first. But if you follow up on your promises, they’ll begin to take you seriously and realize that self-improvement is highly valued and encouraged.
Transforming Your Brand
Creating a positive and thriving workplace extends beyond ensuring workers’ safety, and calls for greater dedication to the development of your employees. When you invest in your employees, they’ll be more likely to invest in themselves, and they’ll take responsibility for ensuring their performance enhances the company’s achievements.
Ultimately, everyone wants to do their best, they just need to be encouraged and guided through the process.