10 Practical Ways to Improve Employee Performance, Examples

You want your team to perform better, but despite meetings, tools, and check-ins, something still feels stuck. Maybe tasks take longer than they should. Maybe the quality is not quite there. Or maybe you are tired of repeating expectations that somehow never translate into action.

In fact, according to Gallup, only 23 percent of employees worldwide are engaged at work. That means most of your team might be operating far below their full potential. Not because they do not care, but because something is missing. It could be clarity, motivation, resources, or even feedback.

In this article, we will walk through 10 practical ways to improve employee performance, backed by real examples from companies that are already doing it right.

4 Key reasons for poor performance 

When it comes to identifying issues with employee performance and trying to come up with ways to boost performance, most companies blame the poor results on the employee. However, as Patrick Schwerdtfeger, an author and businessman, points out, most reasons depend on the company. The managers, to be exact.

The usual reasons for employees not completing their job sufficiently include the following:

• Unclear instructions for the employee 

If an employee is not doing the job right, it might be because they do not actually know what "right" looks like. Without a clear picture of what success looks like, the employees get stuck. Yet, if they are not asking any questions to clarify, it is hard to understand whether the instructions are clear to them. 

To avoid this reason, you do not need to micromanage. You need to set clear outcomes.

• Break down the task into steps with deadlines
• Define what "done" means for that task
• Communicate the idea that employees can ask follow-up questions all the time if necessary

• Insufficient aptitude and a lack of training 

Sometimes, employees struggle not because they are lazy or careless. But because they simply do not have the skills yet. The Directorate of Education of Ma'an District shared a study that discusses how employees initially had moderate but persistent underperformance.

To address this, the organization focused on targeted employee training with emphasis on the quality of trainers as well as training relevance. The results showed that there is an indication of the impact of training on improving the performance of workers.

To figure out if this is your employee’s case, watch how they approach tasks. 

Do they avoid responsibility? Do they often deliver results that miss key details? If the answer is yes, and they still show motivation and willingness to learn, then training is the solution. 

In this case, you can, 

• Pair the employee with a more experienced teammate for shadowing
• Provide practical, role-specific training instead of general workshops

• Resources to do the job are not present 

Other times, you do not have an employee performance issue. You have a resource issue. You would agree that the lack of resources, be it their laptop or a software tool an employee needs for productivity, leads to delays and poor results. And if you are unable to address these issues promptly, eventually, employees also lose motivation. 

Here is what to do instead:

• Ask employees directly what tools or resources are missing
• Audit the workflows to identify friction points or automate tasks
• Allocate a budget for tools that save time or increase quality

• Lack of willingness to perform better 

When an employee consistently avoids taking initiative, ignores feedback, or does the bare minimum, you are likely dealing with a lack of willingness. But before jumping to conclusions, take a step back and check everything else first. As Patrick Schwerdtfeger puts it:

“If you have a situation where your people are not doing a job you need them to do, you can look at their willingness to see if there’s an issue there. But the other issues are on you. Ask yourself if you’ve given clear instructions, given them the right job, provided the training they need, and provided the resources they need to do the job”. 

Patrick Schwerdtfeger

Keynote speaker, author

Yet, when the willingness is not there, accountability becomes the key. In this case, 

• Set clear performance expectations with consequences
• Have a one-on-one conversation to understand the root cause
• Track behavior changes over time and document outcomes 

The best ways to improve your employees’ performance 

At this point, you already have an overview of the roots of poor employee performance and key steps to address those reasons. Now, we will get into more details of the exact practical steps you can implement to help your employees improve. 

#1 Clarify the expectations upfront

Employees always need to understand how their day-to-day work connects to the bigger picture and helps to drive the company forward. According to the research by Gartner, when employee goals are aligned with both organizational and employee needs, performance increases by up to 22%.

So, how do you make expectations crystal clear? First, help employees understand how their work contributes to the company’s mission.

One effective method to do so is what we call a SMART-alignment briefing. At the beginning of each quarter, you can sit down with the employee and walk through three things: the objective, the key results you are expecting, and how that work ties back to team or company goals. 

You can keep the records in a shared tool, so that the employees can refer back to them whenever necessary. 

#2 Let employees take ownership of their own careers

Sometimes, there are cases when people feel like the credit was given to their team member while it was a team effort. And the sense of not being appreciated, let alone when one colleague takes the shine for the teamwork, affects motivation and performance. 

But instead, you want your employees to take ownership of their careers. To do this, create clear opportunities for them to communicate what they have achieved and ensure their contributions are visible. 

One proven approach is to establish a formal way of sharing wins. So to speak, have a platform where employees present a short summary of key outcomes they or their team members achieved, which is a win for them. 

You can pair this with your employee recognition system, peer-to-peer shout‑outs, or internal postings. 

In practice, it can look like what Cisco does with its recognition program. Employees send each other recognition messages accompanied by redeemable points, and achievements are visible across teams. One important part of the Connected Recognition Program is how it fits into Cisco’s larger plan for keeping employees engaged. The program works as a part of a bigger plan to create a strong, high-performing company culture. 

For instance, employees are encouraged to appreciate teammates who show innovation, teamwork, or a strong focus on customers. 

#3 Provide them with feedback

Right, perhaps you run performance reviews or 360-degree feedback processes. But that is mostly twice a year for a lot of companies. 

In the meantime, you should keep the constructive feedback running all year round. In fact, a Gallup report found that 80% of employees report full engagement after receiving meaningful feedback in the past week. 

The feedback each employee receives from their peers and managers should:

• Recognize specific success
• Check in on workload and possible roadblocks
• Suggest improvement points

A well-known example in the corporate world is Netflix’s feedback culture. Netflix’s culture is built around daily feedback and candid communication. Their model encourages managers and peers to exchange feedback continuously. 

Reed Hastings, the executive chairman and former CEO, mentions that most people at Netflix provide feedback for at least ten colleagues. And it does not have to be just managers or just their team members. In one of the episodes of the “Masters on Scale” podcasts, he shared the following:

“What we’re about is collectively changing the world in the areas of internet television, and that takes incredible performance at every level. We’re also about really honest feedback all the time, so you can learn and be the best that you can be.”

Reed Hastings,

Executive Chairman and former CEO at Netflix

#4 Create a positive work environment 

Essentially, having a feedback culture is part of a positive work environment. But there are a few more points you should consider. A positive work environment is one where employees feel safe, valued, and motivated to do their best. So, only having perks and occasional fun is not enough. 

“When you create an environment where people can operate with freedom and autonomy, you empower people to optimize their gifts and contribute to the highest level possible. When mistakes feel like learning opportunities, people feel safe to try new things”. 

Margaret Graziano

CEO KeenAlignment

What should you consider when implementing a positive work culture?

• Make sure employees feel comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas, or admitting mistakes without fear of blame.
• Acknowledge efforts and wins
• Have managers who listen, guide, and support
• Promote work flexibility and reasonable workload

#5 Implement a culture of continuous learning 

Continuous learning is the ongoing process of expanding skills, acquiring knowledge, and improving competencies at every level of the organization. 

It includes on-the-job learning, mentorship, peer sharing, and even learning from failures. And having a continuous learning culture does not mean you just organize formal training sessions from time to time. It is also about how employees regard the process of their learning and development. 

So, how can you foster it?

• Offer internal training sessions or online course subscriptions. 
• Set up regular sessions where team members share what they have learned from projects, mistakes, or courses. 
• Celebrate those who took the initiative to learn

#6 Identify performance issues as soon as possible to address

Identifying the root of the issue seems more than obvious. But often, one of the problems with poor employee performance is when we ignore the cause for too long. And suddenly, we see the snowball effect. At this point, addressing low performance is quite tricky.

That is why you do not have to take everything for granted right from the beginning. 

• First, identify the reason. As we have already presented at the beginning of this article, the most common reasons are unclear instructions, insufficient aptitude, lack of resources, or a lack of willingness.  
• Communicate openly with the employee and understand the causal relationship of why that might happen. 
• Together with them, create the action plan and decide how you could support them in that journey. 

#7 Give incentives based on your performance appraisal process 

Rewards and incentives are another great way to drive employees forward and encourage them to perform better. Depending on your company culture, you can implement different incentives, such as

• Performance-based bonuses
• Profit‑sharing or gain‑sharing plans
• Spot awards or “wow” rewards
• Professional development stipends

For example, Salesforce is known for paying 10–15% annual performance bonuses to employees who exceed targets. Southwest Airlines distributes about 15% of its annual profits among staff through profit-sharing. Zappos offers $50 “Wow!” cards that managers can award instantly for standout work.

#8 Offer flexible work arrangements 

Research, such as the Future Forum Pulse survey, found that employees with full schedule flexibility reported 39% higher productivity and 64% stronger focus than those with rigid schedules. 

To provide your employees with flexibility, you can implement policies such as

• Hybrid or remote options
• Flextime or adjustable working hours
• Four-day workweeks
• Results‑Only Work Environment (ROWE)

Recently, lots of companies have moved to fully-remote or hybrid environments. Dell Technologies has offered flexible work options since 2016․ As part of their flexible work culture, Dell offers remote working days, flextime, job sharing, and a compressed work week. 

#9 Provide tools that actually make their work easier 

As we have already discussed above, one of the key reasons for poor performance and engagement is when employees lack the necessary resources for their job. It may be any physical appliances, like a PC or a laptop, or digital software they can use in their daily work. 

You could survey the employees to learn more about what other tools, software, and automation processes would make their work easier and more efficient. Based on the survey, update the list of resources for the departments. 

#10 Encourage cross-functional collaboration 

Cross-functional collaboration means bringing together employees from different departments, like marketing, product, sales, or customer support, to work on shared goals or solve complex problems.

This kind of collaboration boosts performance by breaking communication barriers and offering different perspectives. 

A few ways you can encourage different teams to work together include:

• Hold regular cross-team brainstorming or review sessions to align on key metrics and pain points
• Use shared digital workspaces to centralize communication and updates
• Recognize collaborative wins in performance reviews
• Assign rotating roles in cross-team initiatives so everyone gets exposure to how other departments operate. 

FAQ 

• What are the key aspects of employee performance?

The key aspects of employee performance are the core elements that help evaluate how well someone is doing their job. They show how effectively and consistently the work is done, and how it aligns with company values. Those aspects include:

• Effectiveness – the ability to achieve set goals and deliver the expected results.
• Efficiency – completing tasks in a timely manner while making the best use of available resources.
• Quality – producing work that meets accuracy, reliability, and professional standards.
• Consistency – maintaining a stable and dependable level of performance over time.
• Behavior – demonstrating positive work habits, collaborating well with others, communicating clearly, and aligning with company values.
• Demonstrating positive work habits, collaboration, communication, and adherence to company values

• How to measure employee performance?

Measuring employee performance requires looking at both the outcomes of the work and how the work is carried out. One of the most common ways to measure performance is through clear, predefined goals. Managers can track progress toward these goals during regular check-ins or formal performance reviews.

Another important method is gathering feedback. This can include manager evaluations, peer reviews, and even self-assessments. A 360-degree feedback process helps gather a full picture of how the employee contributes to team dynamics, communicates, and supports overall company objectives.

Quality of work is another performance indicator. It includes checking for accuracy, attention to detail, and how well the work aligns with standards or customer expectations. Also, consider if they are collaborative, reliable, and proactive? Observing these traits over time helps build a more complete picture of overall performance.

• What employee performance metrics to track?

To evaluate employee performance effectively, you need to track metrics that reflect both the results and the behaviors that lead to those results. These metrics help identify areas for improvement, recognize achievements, and align individual contributions with company goals.

Such metrics include:

• Task completion rates
• Work efficiency
• Revenue per employee
• 360-degree-feedback
• Appraisal by management
• Task completion rates, etc.  

If you are looking for a platform that helps you track employee training results and boost performance, consider Uteach. Book a demo with our expert to learn more about how Uteach supports your company's training goals and helps you build a high-performing team.