What are some of the ways to raise employee performance in the workplace?

I think it's important to challenge them regularly. When I was an admin, the one thing I hated about my job was the fact that it was too easy and too routine. But when I was given higher level projects to work on, not only did I jump in with enthusiasm, but I brought in others to work with me as well. Keep the work challenging and new. Encourage your employees to push themselves to their potential and beyond and most importantly, let them know when they are doing a good job. Studies show that praise more than pay, is a great booster for employee morale.

Here are a few tips on improving employee performance: 1. Make the goals very clear and measurable. For example, "Increase sales" is not a measurable goal. If you change that to "Increase sales 20% by the fourth quarter," then the employees have a clear idea of what needs to be done. 2. Make sure every employee knows what his or her role in achieving this goal is. Using the example above, give each sales rep or account executive a sales revenue goal, and then a stretch goal. If they hit the first goal, they might get their regular commission. If they hit the stretch goal, they should receive something extra, such as a cash bonus, or in some cases, a trip or other incentive. When people see exactly where the finish line is and see their way to it, they are much more likely to reach it. If there is a reward there, even better. 3. Recognize good performance. When your employees do reach that finish line, make sure they get recognized, whether it's a simple "great job" face-to-face or a company-wide email. There are also many software platforms that provide things like leaderboards and badging, social recognition in the form of encouraging posts, or even monetary rewards for achieving goals. All employees will be more motivated if they truly feel like they can make an impact on your company's performance. If they can actually see how their performance is moving the needle, they will go that extra mile. I wrote about this concept here if you'd like to read more: http://corporaterewards.com/incentives-fantasy-football.