Microsoft Teams has gained worldwide recognition and usage across various sectors, making it well-known to individuals from all walks of life. Whether you work in a corporate environment, educational institution, or non-profit association, the Microsoft Teams app has become a prominent tool for tracking efficiency, virtual collaboration, communication, and productivity across teams mobile apps. Its popularity and adoption have grown significantly, especially with the increased need for remote work and online collaboration. As a result, people from various backgrounds and professions are likely to be familiar with Microsoft Teams and its features, as it has become a relied-upon platform for seamless teamwork and effective communication. As a leader, recognizing the outcomes of maintaining an efficient team can help you leverage Microsoft Teams apps more effectively. Using Microsoft Teams effectively, you can benefit from a range of new features, and capabilities that can greatly enhance your team's efficiency and productivity at work. Let's dive into the strategies that will enhance your Microsoft Teams experience for the better! Organize Channels and Teams to avoid confusion Organizing channels and teams within Microsoft Teams is the first step in efficient collaboration and easy access to information. By forming your channels and teams optimally, you can facilitate communication, enhance productivity, and construct a more organized workspace. Here are some methods to assist you arrange your channels and teams in Microsoft Teams: Develop Channels Based on Projects or Cases: Divide your teams into channels based on specific projects, departments, or topics. This allows team members to focus their discussions and collaboration within relevant channels. Utilize Folders: Within each channel, use folders to organize files and documents related to that specific topic or project.  Establish Naming Conventions: Consistency in channel and team names is essential for easy navigation. Establish naming routines to guarantee that channels and teams are named in a standardized manner.  Archive or Delete Unused Channels: Regularly review your channels and teams to identify any that are no longer functional or relevant. Consider archiving or deleting channels that are no longer needed. Organizing teams channels and teams enhances productivity, promotes efficient communication and business processes, and improves overall teamwork within your organization. Use chats for one-to-one messages and general channels for collaboration Encouraging team members to use chats for private or one-to-one conversations is a great way to increase efficiency. Chats are excellent for quick talks, conveying confidential information, or seeking prompt feedback from specific individuals. By operating chats, teams users can maintain focused and private conversations without cluttering the general channels. On the other hand, general channels are designed for broader collaboration and discussions within a team or project. You can motivate team members to use channels for sharing project updates, brainstorming ideas, asking questions, and collaborating on documents. General channels nourish transparency, visibility, and inclusive collaboration, enabling everyone in the team to contribute and stay informed. Set up teams for each project Managing projects efficiently requires effective collaboration and streamlined communication between project team. Microsoft Teams provides a robust platform for project management, offering a reliable space for teams to work together. By setting up distinct teams for each project, you can optimize collaboration, foster effective communication, and drive project success. Setting up dedicated teams for each project in Microsoft Teams provides a structured and efficient approach to project collaboration. By creating separate teams, you can streamline communication, improve organization, and ensure that project-related discussions, files, and tasks are easily accessible to the relevant stakeholders. Leveraging the features and functionalities of Microsoft Teams, such as channels, task management tools, and customization options, you can enhance project collaboration and drive successful project outcomes. Leveraging private channels in teams Maintaining focus and productivity within teams is crucial for accomplishing optimal outcomes. In Microsoft Teams, creating private groups allows you to promote an environment where team members can centralize their work without distractions. This feature provides a space for tactful conversations, project-specific collaboration, or confidential information sharing. Making important groups private in Microsoft Teams can significantly enhance focus, collaboration, and information sharing within a dedicated and secure environment. By operating private groups effectively, teams can simplify their workflow, share sensitive information confidently, and foster a sense of trust and privacy. Encourage your team to leverage the benefits of private groups, defining their purpose, limiting membership, and promoting active participation. By doing so, you can create a focused and productive workspace where teams can attain their goals and collaborate efficiently in Microsoft Teams. Familiarize your team with Folders and Files Familiarizing your team with folders and files in Microsoft Teams can significantly improve organization, collaboration, and access to important documents. Start by explaining the advantages of using folders and files in Microsoft Teams. Emphasize how it improves file sharing, makes documents easily accessible, and enables efficient collaboration. Highlight features such as version control, simultaneous editing, and automatic syncing. By familiarizing your team with folders and files in Microsoft Teams and promoting good organization practices, you can enhance collaboration, streamline document management, and improve access to essential information. Empower your team to leverage the full potential of folders and files within Microsoft Teams, and watch as productivity and efficiency skyrocket. Set up all calendar meetings in Teams, not Outlook Effective meeting management is critical for collaboration and productivity, particularly in today's remote work environments. By utilizing Microsoft Teams for scheduling calendar meetings instead of Outlook, you can streamline communication, enhance collaboration, and centralize meeting-related activities within a single platform. Setting up calendar meetings in Teams provides numerous benefits, including streamlined communication, enhanced collaboration, simplified document sharing, and a seamless meeting experience. By leveraging the features and capabilities of Teams, teams, and organizations can optimize meeting management, reduce the need for switching between applications, and foster efficient collaboration. Use Notes in Teams to collaborate on documents Utilizing the "Notes" feature in Microsoft Teams to collaborate on documents can greatly enrich teamwork and enhance overall productivity. The Notes tab provides a dedicated space for team members to take collaborative notes, share insights, and discuss document-related topics in real-time. This collaborative approach not only saves time but also ensures that important information is captured and easily accessible to all team members involved in the document collaboration process. By using Notes in Teams, team members can effectively brainstorm ideas, document key decisions, track action items, and provide feedback on specific sections of the document. The ability to link notes to relevant sections within the document allows for seamless navigation and provides context for discussions. This integration between the document and the collaborative notes fosters a holistic approach to document collaboration, where team members can actively engage with the content and contribute their insights and expertise. Name Your Convos In a dynamic Microsoft Teams channel, conversations can pile up like winking and become challenging to follow. However, there is an easy yet compelling way to make noteworthy conversations stand out and easily searchable: by adding titles to them. By giving conversation titles, you can quickly find and reference them later using the search function in the Teams desktop app. Adding titles to conversations in Microsoft Teams is a simple yet effective way to enhance organization. By providing titles to influential chats, team members can easily locate and refer back to specific conversations. By adopting this practice, you can improve the visibility of important discussions, facilitate easier searchability, and enhance overall collaboration within Microsoft Teams. Leverage your Microsoft Teams Experience with Teamble Microsoft Teams has revolutionized the way teams collaborate and communicate in the workplace. By integrating Teamble, you can take a step forward in your team's productivity and streamline workflows within the Microsoft Teams platform.  Streamlined Project Management: By syncing your different projects, tasks, and timelines between Teamble and Teams, you can centralize project-related activities and streamline project management processes. Team members can access and update project tasks, monitor progress, and collaborate on shared project documents seamlessly within the Teams interface. Enhanced Collaboration and Communication: With Teamble's features, such as task assignments, deadlines, and progress tracking, team members can efficiently collaborate on projects, exchange ideas, and provide real-time updates.  Consolidated Information and Notifications: With the integration, important project updates, task deadlines, and notifications from Teamble can be seamlessly brought into Microsoft Teams. Team members can stay updated on project activities and receive relevant notifications within their familiar Teams environment, improving efficiency and reducing the risk of missed updates. Simplified Access to Project Resources: Integrating Teamble with Microsoft Teams provides easy access to project resources and files. Team members can attach Teamble project files or documents to Teams channels, making them readily accessible to the team.  By integrating Teamble with Microsoft Teams, teams can unlock a new level of collaboration, project management, and productivity. 

In the dynamic and competitive climate of today's business world, team efficiency stands out as the paramount factor determining a company's overall success. Whether for a small business or a big corporation, having an efficient team can be a game changer. A team's capability to work together in harmony and provide satisfactory outcomes is crucial for reaching objectives and gaining a competitive advantage. Additionally, with the growing trend of a hybrid approach that combines both remote working and onsite in recent years, increasing efficiency requires multifaceted strategies that address the unique dynamics of both models. Boosting the competence levels of remote teams is essential due to the unique challenges it presents compared to onsite employees. Efficient teams exhibit higher productivity levels, improved problem-solving qualifications, and increased innovation, ultimately boosting growth and profitability. Therefore, companies that invest in the right strategies to increase team efficiency are more likely to outperform their competitors. By measuring your team's efficiency at work and understanding the vital role that efficient teams play in improving workplace productivity and prioritizing an environment for team effectiveness, leaders can create an environment where teams thrive and productivity ascends day by day. Here are 8 well-chosen strategies you can utilize to enhance teamwork within your organization. Identify your team's strengths and weaknesses Being a leader who cultivates high-performing teams, it is crucial for you to recognize the potencies and liabilities of yourself and others. By understanding what your team excels at and where they may face challenges, you can strategically assign specific tasks, provide support, and implement targeted improvement strategies. Capitalizing on strengths and addressing weaknesses, a team leader can greatly improve a team's productivity. Conducting overall team performance reviews can help seek intake from other team members regarding their perceptions of the team's strengths and weaknesses. As a leader, you can boost efficiency by creating a safe and supportive work environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their feedback and where constructive criticism is valued. By identifying your team's pros and cons, you can select the most suitable strategies to enhance your team's efficiency. Build team communication skills to improve team efficiency Developing strong team communications paves the way for increasing the team's performance. When leaders encourage open communication, employees are more likely to share their ideas, concerns, and feedback without fear of negative outcomes. This fosters a sense of belonging and empowerment among team members, leading to improved motivation and performance. Providing communication training and promoting constructive feedback cultivates a culture of effective communication within the team. Regularly evaluating and adapting communication strategies further enhances efficiency by identifying and addressing any communication barriers or challenges. By investing in team communication skills, teams can collaborate more seamlessly, make informed decisions, and maximize their collective potential. Support Professional Development Providing opportunities for professional development allows employees to expand their knowledge, acquire new skills, and stay updated with industry trends and best practices. Continuous learning promotes innovation and adaptability, enabling employees to thrive in a rapidly changing business environment. Supporting professional development also demonstrates a commitment to employee growth and well-being. It shows that the organization values its employees and is willing to invest in their long-term career success. This can boost morale, increase job satisfaction, and foster employee loyalty and retention. By contributing to their professional development, you can help your team members enhance their skills and knowledge, which in turn improves team efficiency. Reward your team members Rewarding employees is a critical aspect of sustaining employee engagement, motivation, and retention. Recognizing and appreciating their efforts and achievements can contribute to a positive work environment and drive team performance. There are multiple approaches you can implement to effectively reward your employees. Financial incentives, recognition programs, and professional development opportunities are confirmed strategies to effectively reward and motivate employees. Recognition programs are another robust method to reward employees. This includes acknowledging their achievements publicly, such as through employee of the month/year awards, appreciation emails, or shout-outs during team meetings. By utilizing these methods, organizations can cultivate a motivated and engaged workforce, foster loyalty, and create an environment where employees feel valued and appreciated for their contributions. Set and measure goals for each team member Setting and tracking goals for both remote and on-site employees is crucial for leaders to improve team efficiency. By establishing clear goals and regularly monitoring progress, organizations can maximize individual potential, enhance productivity, and drive overall team success. When goals are clearly defined and expressed, team members gain a sense of direction and purpose. Regular check-ins and progress updates can indeed present challenges particularly when working with remote employees. However, with the right strategies and tools in place, these challenges can be effectively addressed. By prioritizing goal alignment, accountability, and ongoing support, leaders can optimize team efficiency and drive overall success, regardless of the employees' physical work environment. Make the daily workflow more efficient Workflow habits can either elevate your business or cause you to lag behind. An effective team prioritizes tasks, minimizes distractions, and optimizes communication. By receiving regular feedback from your team members, you can improve your workflow and optimize your performance. With feedback, you can streamline your workflow by identifying inefficiencies, eliminating redundant steps, and finding ways to facilitate tasks and decision-making. As a leader, you can make sure everyone is aligned with the team's goals and objectives, enhancing overall coordination and collaboration. Prioritize work based on key results to boost team performance Emphasizing the practice of working based on key results expeditiously is a proven method for increasing team productivity. When teams understand and prioritize tasks that directly contribute to key results, they can channel their efforts and resources more efficiently. By focusing on high-impact activities, teams avoid wasting time on low-value tasks and ensure that their work aligns with the organization's strategic objectives. Through ongoing evaluation and adjustment, teams can continuously improve team productivity, optimize productivity, and achieve excellent results. This evaluation process includes observing key performance indicators, demanding feedback from team members, and analyzing data to gain insights into potencies, deficiencies, and opportunities for growth. By embracing a key results-driven approach, teams can expedite their productivity and make significant strides toward organizational success. Give and receive feedback The ability to give and receive feedback is crucial for fostering growth, improving performance, and enhancing team efficiency. Feedback provides valuable insights into areas of strength and areas that require improvement. By actively giving and receiving feedback, team members can share constructive recommendations, acknowledge achievements, and provide guidance for growth. This feedback circle fosters constant learning and development, leading to improved performance and increased team productivity. Encouraging a feedback-rich environment fosters open communication, trust, and collaboration, ultimately driving the team toward achieving its goals. Use the right tools and technology The advent of digital solutions has transformed how teams collaborate, communicate, and facilitate their workflows. By leveraging the power of these tools, teams can boost their productivity, enhance teamwork, and achieve their goals skillfully. Creating a culture of continuous feedback is now simpler than ever with the assistance of the project management tool Teamble. By leveraging our platform, you can enhance team performance, develop more potent teams, and strengthen efficiency within your organization. The best part is that Teamble integrates seamlessly with popular communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, which you are already familiar with. With Teamble, you can easily improve team performance, simplify workflows, and drive efficiency: Provide continuous feedback and recognition in real-time; Receive feedback from team members; Hold one-on-ones with your employees; Develop and distribute surveys; Document interactions with your team; Document engagement-related metrics; Set and view goals; and Establish team rituals. For additional information on how Teamble can take you to the next step in the business by improving team efficiency, check out our Help feature or give Teamble a try for free.

Employees can be a company's greatest asset or its biggest liability, depending on how well they collaborate and align with the company's mission. Having a team that consists of multiple people working in harmony for common goals and objectives plays a crucial role in an organization's success. However, if employees are not aligned or lack teamwork, they can become a drawback and hamper the company's overall progress. It comes as no surprise that leaders who strive to enhance efficiency in their teams need to prioritize teamwork. When employees come together and work towards a shared purpose, they can reach excellent results. This is why leaders who possess effective teamwork skills are more likely to thrive and succeed in the industry. Collaborative teams bring strength and effectiveness to a company's operations and performance. By putting collaboration at the heart of its company culture and encouraging effective teamwork, an organization can excellently tap into its full potential. The benefits of teamwork are not limited to a single aspect of an organization's operations; It encompasses a wide range of advantages that impact different facets of an organization. Team building is not an easy task that requires time, effort, and thoughtful planning. However, it is a rewarding effort that can lead to exceptional results for your organization. What is teamwork? Teamwork refers to the coordinated efforts of a group of individuals working towards a shared objective. It involves healthy communication, cooperation, and joint support among team members. Teamwork is not just about conducting tasks together; it encompasses shared decision-making, problem-solving, and leveraging each other's strengths to achieve collective success. Teamwork paves the way for building an efficient team. When team members with different perspectives and backgrounds manage to enhance each other's potencies and address each other's shortcomings, they create a synergy that drives the team forward. In an efficient team, each member recognizes the strengths and expertise of their peers, allowing for the distribution of tasks based on specialization. This division of labor ensures that each team member can focus on their areas of expertise, maximizing productivity and minimizing unnecessary duplication of efforts. Here are eight ways in which an efficient team that is centered on teamwork can positively impact your organizational success. Teamwork improves problem-solving skills Efficient teams are competent in problem-solving. They have diverse perspectives and experiences, which enable them to approach challenges from different angles. With effective communication and collaboration, an efficient team can quickly identify and resolve issues, minimizing downtime and keeping projects on track. When the entire team works together towards a common goal, it facilitates problem-solving processes. In a collaborative environment, individuals have the opportunity to bring their unique expertise and insights to the table, allowing for a thorough review of the problem from different angles. The support and synergy within a team encourage an environment of confidence, risk-taking, and shared learning, enabling a team member to approach problem-solving with a fresh mindset and a collaborative mood. Working together facilitates idea generation and creativity Good teamwork sparks creativity and nurtures idea generation. When team members with diverse experiences, skills, and perspectives come together, it creates a fertile environment for robust intellectual exchange and enhanced cognitive functioning. It fosters creativity and an environment of psychological safety and trust. When team members feel supported and respected, they are more likely to take creative risks and utter new ideas. This freedom to contribute without fear of judgment or criticism nurtures a culture of creativity, where individuals can explore and experiment with innovative solutions. Teamwork promotes open communication and brainstorming session. Through collaborative meetings, team members can freely share their ideas, and collectively shape and refine creative concepts. The exchange of diverse viewpoints encourages critical thinking and ideation. It Builds Trust and Enhances Relationships Effective teamwork plays a crucial role in building trust and enhances relationships among team members. Successful teamwork promotes a more rewarding work environment occurs where team members can lean on one another for assistance and understanding. Offering help, providing feedback, and showing genuine care for one another's well-being builds trust and fosters strong connections within the team. Recognizing and appreciating the contributions of other team members is vital for building trust and enhancing relationships. When individuals feel valued and appreciated for their efforts, it creates a positive team culture. Acknowledging achievements, providing constructive feedback, and expressing gratitude foster a sense of belonging and strengthen the bonds between team members. Working in teams boosts employee morale, motivation and job satisfaction Teamwork cultivates a sense of belonging among employees. When individuals work together towards common goals, they feel part of something bigger than themselves. As a result, employees feel more connected to the organization and are motivated to contribute to its success. The opportunity to collaborate with colleagues fosters a sense of shared responsibility and mutual support. Employees feel valued for their contributions and have the chance to learn from others, which enhances their job satisfaction and professional growth. When employees are involved in team discussions and have a voice in important matters, they feel a sense of ownership and empowerment. This increased engagement leads to higher levels of motivation and commitment to achieving team and organizational goals. Teamwork improves productivity and brings better business results Teamwork qualifies individuals to bring their unique skills, expertise, and perspectives to the table. By leveraging the diverse strengths of team members, tasks can be assigned to those with the most relevant capabilities, resulting in improved productivity. Each team member can focus on their areas of expertise, leading to more efficient and high-quality work. In a team setting, tasks can be divided among members based on their skills and availability. By distributing the workload, a high-performing team can effectively manage their time and resources, ensuring that each task receives the attention it requires. This shared responsibility helps prevent bottlenecks and overburdening of individual team members, resulting in increased productivity. Teamwork cultivates effective communication Effective teamwork emphasizes active listening and respect for different opinions. Team members listen attentively to one another, valuing and considering diverse viewpoints. This active listening fosters better understanding, encourages constructive dialogue, and promotes a culture of respect within the team. As a result, communication becomes more inclusive. Teamwork requires clear and concise communication to ensure that everyone is on the same page. When team members communicate their thoughts, expectations, and feedback in a clear and straightforward manner, it minimizes misunderstandings and promotes efficiency. Clear communication helps to align team efforts, set clear goals, and ensure that tasks are executed effectively. Effective teamwork increases employee engagement Teamwork involves collaboration and active involvement in decision-making processes. Employees can contribute their ideas, insights, and expertise, which fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment in a successful team. When employees are actively engaged in the decision-making and problem-solving processes, they feel valued and motivated to perform at their best. Encouraging teamwork creates a platform for recognition and support among team members. When employees work together, they can acknowledge and appreciate each other's contributions. Recognition and support from colleagues not only boost employee morale but also enhance their engagement and commitment to the team's success. It encourages diversity, equity and inclusion Effective teamwork provides an opportunity to challenge biases and stereotypes that may exist within the team or organization. By promoting open dialogue and raising awareness of unconscious biases, teams can work together to overcome preconceived notions and create a more inclusive work environment. Teamwork encourages collaboration and equal participation among team members. It means creating opportunities for everyone to contribute their ideas, insights, and expertise. By ensuring that all voices are heard and valued, teamwork promotes a sense of equity and fairness, allowing each team member to make meaningful contributions to the team's success. Teamble—An Innovative Performance Management System Thanks to Teamble, the innovative performance management system, pinpoints the relationship between teamwork and efficiency. By utilizing the power of effective teamwork, Teamble enhances efficiency within teams and drives overall organizational success. Here's how Teamble promotes teamwork and efficiency: Collaborative Task Management: Teamble streamlines task management by providing a centralized platform where team members can collaborate on assignments, set priorities, and allocate resources. Shared Workflows and Processes: Teamble allows teams to establish and share standardized workflows and processes. Transparent Communication: Teamble facilitates transparent and real-time communication among team members through chat, discussions, and document sharing. Performance Monitoring and Accountability: Teamble enables teams to monitor individual and collective performance. Resource Allocation and Optimization: Teamble provides insights into resource allocation, enabling teams to optimize their use of time, skills, and tools. By analyzing data on workloads, availability, and skill sets, teams can allocate resources effectively, ensuring that the right people are assigned to the right tasks. This maximizes efficiency and minimizes bottlenecks. Continuous Improvement through Feedback: Teamble encourages a culture of continuous improvement by facilitating feedback and performance evaluations. Team members can provide constructive feedback to each other, identify areas for growth, and collaboratively work towards enhancing their efficiency. This feedback loop helps teams iterate, refine processes, and drive continuous efficiency gains. Streamlined Performance Reviews: Teamble simplifies the performance review process, making it more efficient and impactful. With predefined evaluation criteria and real-time data, managers can provide timely and relevant feedback to team members. This fosters a culture of continuous learning, development, and performance improvement.

In today's digital age, remote work has become increasingly prevalent, and managing remote teams has become a critical skill for leaders. While remote work offers flexibility and benefits, it also develops unique challenges, particularly in maintaining team efficiency. Recognizing the benefits of a high-performance team, leaders must pay special attention to remote workers and implement strategies that foster their productivity and engagement. Identifying signs of inefficiency is crucial for overall team performance and organizational success. Remote teams rely heavily on effective communication, self-motivation, and the ability to manage time and tasks independently. When inefficiencies arise, they can lead to missed deadlines, decreased productivity, and a breakdown in collaboration. Ensuring seamless teamwork, effective communication, and maintaining a team spirit require thoughtful strategies and adaptability from both team leaders and members. Since remote work becomes the new norm, incorporating the right strategies to increase remote team efficiency will not only optimize productivity but also promote job satisfaction and employee retention within your remote workforce. Join us as we delve into the world of remote team management and discover how you can transform your remote team into a high-performing, cohesive unit, surpassing boundaries to achieve remarkable success. Set clear expectations for your remote team Setting clear expectations is crucial for remote employee performance. When a team member has a clear understanding of their goals, deliverables, and expectations, it is easier to align efforts accordingly. This clarity eliminates confusion, reduces miscommunication, and ensures that everyone is working towards a common objective. Enabling remote team members to prioritize their tasks and allocate their time and resources effectively, setting clear expectations to improve team productivity, and help team members avoid unnecessary or low-priority tasks that can detract from their overall efficiency. Foster effective communication for remote workers Effective communication is paramount for remote working employees to collaborate efficiently and maintain a sense of connection with their team. In a remote work environment, where face-to-face interactions are limited, fostering effective communication becomes even more crucial. Here are some methods to enhance communication among remote workers: Utilize Communication Tools: Embrace technology tools specifically designed for successful teams. Utilize messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams for quick and real-time communication.  Establish Clear Communication Channels: Set clear guidelines on how and when to use different communication channels. Encourage Active Listening: Effective communication involves active listening, especially in a remote work environment. Encourage employees to actively listen to each other, ask clarifying questions, and provide thoughtful responses. Foster a Culture of Feedback: Establish a culture where feedback is encouraged and valued. Encourage team members to provide constructive feedback to one another, promoting growth and improvement.  Implement Meeting Analysis Tools for Enhanced Meeting Insights: Leverage meeting analysis tools like Spiky to analyze and optimize remote meetings. By automating follow-ups, providing detailed summaries, and offering real-time insights, tools like Spiky enhance communication and accountability among remote teams. Encourage a Flexible Work Environment Encouraging flexible work hours is a key strategy for increasing team productivity, especially in a remote work setup. Remote work provides flexibility, allowing team members to set their own schedules and work in environments where they feel most productive. Respect different time zones and accommodate personal commitments, as long as deadlines and deliverables are met. Flexibility promotes work-life balance and empowers team members to manage their time effectively. Here's how to promote flexibility among your team members: Embrace Different Work Schedules: Recognize that not all team members will have the same preferred work schedule. Provide Remote Work Guidelines: Set clear guidelines and expectations for remote work. Foster Trust and Collaboration: Build a culture of trust and collaboration where team members feel comfortable reaching out for support and assistance when needed. Encourage Self-Management and Accountability: Remote work requires self-discipline and self-management. Encourage team members to take responsibility for managing their time, setting priorities, and meeting deadlines. Establish remote team policies Establishing clear remote team policies is crucial for maintaining efficiency and ensuring a consistent and productive work environment. Create guidelines and policies specific to remote work to ensure consistency and accountability. These may include guidelines for availability, response times, communication protocols, and expectations for remote workspaces. Clear policies set a framework team to follow and align behaviors and practices. Here are some critical guidelines to consider: Communication Guidelines: Define expectations for communication among team members. Availability and Work Hours: Set expectations regarding team members' availability and work hours. Task and Project Management: Establish guidelines for task assignments, progress tracking, and accountability. Performance Evaluation and Feedback: Establish a framework for evaluating remote team members' performance. Define the criteria, metrics, and frequency of performance reviews. Provide guidelines for delivering constructive feedback and recognition. Cultivating Collaboration and Engagement Fostering teamwork and engagement is crucial for increasing team efficiency, especially in a remote work environment. Encourage collaboration and create a positive work culture among team members by promoting virtual team-building activities, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative projects. Provide opportunities for remote team members to share ideas, collaborate on problem-solving, and contribute to decision-making processes. Foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie to enhance engagement and motivation. Here are some strategies to promote cooperation and engagement: Virtual Collaboration Tools: Utilize collaboration tools that facilitate real-time collaboration and document sharing.  Online Discussion Forums or Channels: Create online discussion forums or channels where team members can engage in ongoing conversations, share insights, and seek input from others. Encourage Cross-Functional Collaboration: Promote collaboration across different functional areas or departments. This promotes a holistic understanding of the organization and encourages innovative thinking. Recognition and Appreciation: Regularly acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of remote team members. Celebrate milestones, achievements, and individual efforts.  Virtual Learning Opportunities: Offer virtual learning and development opportunities to enhance skills and knowledge. This can include webinars, online courses, or guest speaker sessions.  Invest in Professional Development Investing in professional development is a key strategy for measuring and improving your team's efficiency at work. Support the growth and development of remote employees by providing access to training programs, workshops, and resources. Offer opportunities for skill-building, certifications, and career advancement.  By investing in their professional development, you enhance their skills and expertise, which ultimately contributes to the team's overall efficiency and success. Here's how you can prioritize professional development: Identify Skill Gaps: Conduct assessments to identify skill gaps within your team. Determine the areas where additional training or development is needed to enhance efficiency. This can be done through individual assessments, performance evaluations, or team-wide skill gap analyses. Provide Learning Opportunities: Offer a variety of learning opportunities to address skill gaps and promote professional growth.  Encourage Knowledge Sharing: Foster a culture of knowledge sharing within your team. Encourage team members to share their expertise, experiences, and best practices with one another.  Mentoring and Coaching: Establish mentoring or coaching programs within your team. Pair experienced team members with those who can benefit from their guidance and expertise.  Provide Ongoing Support and Feedback for remote teams Providing ongoing support and feedback plays a vital role in measuring and improving your team's productivity at work. Remote team members require regular feedback and support to stay motivated and improve their performance. By providing ongoing support and feedback, you demonstrate your commitment to your team's growth and success.  Here are some strategies to ensure continuous support and feedback: Regular Check-ins: Schedule regular check-in meetings with each team member to discuss their progress, challenges, and any support they may need. These one-on-one sessions help employees improve their performance. Performance Feedback: Provide timely and constructive feedback on individual and team performance. Recognize achievements, highlight areas for improvement, and create a feedback culture where team members feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback. Training and Development: Offer training and development programs to enhance the skills and knowledge of your team members.  Support Remote Work Challenges: Acknowledge and address the unique challenges of remote work. Provide support to overcome issues such as isolation, work-life balance, and technology-related difficulties. Leverage Technology Leveraging technology is essential for optimizing remote team collaboration and efficiency. By using digital tools and platforms, remote employees can overcome physical barriers and collaborate seamlessly. These tools facilitate productive team communication, project management, file sharing, and collaboration, enabling remote team members to work together effectively, stay organized, and achieve their goals. Embracing technology empowers remote teams to maximize their efficiency and productivity in the remote work environment. Here are some ways to make the most of technology tools and platforms: Project Management Software: Utilize project management tools that enable remote workers to have a centralized platform where they can access project-related information, collaborate on tasks, and stay updated on project status. Communication Tools: Explore remote communication tools that enable real-time discussions and instant messaging among team members working remotely. Learn how to facilitate platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams channels for team communication, allowing remote employees to connect, share updates, ask questions, and seek quick feedback. These tools help foster effective and efficient communication, keeping remote teams connected and engaged. Teamble: A Game Changer for Remote Work We're thrilled to present Teamble, a potent project management software that seamlessly integrates with both Slack and Microsoft Teams. Let's explore how Teamble facilitates remote teamwork, communication, and productivity, making it a great asset for businesses. Streamlined Task Management: With features like task assignment, deadline setting, and progress tracking, Teamble ensures that remote team members have clear visibility into their responsibilities and project milestones. Communication and Collaboration: By integrating with popular communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, Teamble qualifies remote team members to communicate and collaborate in real-time despite physical distance. Transparent Performance Tracking: Measuring the performance of remote team members can be a challenge, but Teamble makes it easy-peasy. The platform offers performance-tracking features that allow managers to monitor individual and team progress. Continuous Feedback and Recognition: Through Teamble's feedback and recognition features, remote team members can receive timely feedback on their work and celebrate achievements. This fosters a positive work culture, boosts team morale, and encourages continuous improvement. Data Analytics and Insights: Remote team leaders can access valuable insights into team performance, specify blockages, and make data-driven decisions to optimize processes. With Teamble and its seamless integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams, you can unlock the full potential of your remote team while maximizing efficiency and driving success. Don't let remote work hinder your team's productivity. Try Teamble today and share the power of streamlined project management merged with your favorite communication platforms.

Efficiency is a critical component in the success of any team, regardless of the sector or scale of the organization. As a manager or team leader striving to achieve success in the business, understanding how to measure team effectiveness is essential for identifying areas of improvement and maximizing output. An efficient team operates smoothly, achieves goals, and contributes to the overall growth and success of the organization. However, it is equally important to acknowledge that an underperforming team can have a detrimental impact, hindering progress and holding back the organization's potential. That's why measuring efficiency, which allows you to pinpoint underperformance, address issues, and take corrective actions to ensure organizational success, holds great importance. Measuring efficiency is a great tool for detecting the signs of inefficiency and underperformance within your team. By closely monitoring key indicators and performance metrics, you can identify potential issues and take proactive measures to address them. Tracking team performance allows organizations to assess the productivity and effectiveness of their teams. By understanding how to measure and track efficiency, you can gain a better understanding of team performance, identify drawbacks, optimize processes, boost customer satisfaction, and make informed decisions to improve overall work quality. In short, you will be able to step into the strategies to boost the effectiveness of your team. Tracking efficiency is a continuous process that requires ongoing monitoring and feedback, yet, the rewards reaped from this endeavor are substantial. Let's delve into how you can effectively track efficiency within your team. Set clear goals for increasing team performance Leaders and project managers must establish clear goals and KPIs that align with the objectives of the organization. These goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). By setting precise targets for your team projects or tasks, you provide your team with a clear direction and a benchmark against which the team's performance can be measured.  Specificity: Goals should be articulated, leaving no room for ambiguity.  Measurability: Goals should be measurable, allowing you to track progress objectively.  Attainability: Goals should be realistic and attainable. Consider your resources, capabilities, and limitations when defining goals. Relevance: Goals should align with the team's role and contribute to the broader organizational objectives.  Time-bound: Establishing time-bound goals creates a sense of urgency and responsibility, allowing for effective monitoring and evaluation. Monitor and Track the Progress of the team's performance Regular monitoring and tracking of progress are crucial for measuring and increasing team effectiveness. Implementing a strategy that allows you to collect relevant data and track key metrics related to your team's performance. This can include metrics such as task completion time, productivity levels, customer satisfaction ratings, or project milestones. You can utilize project management tools, performance dashboards, or data analytics software to encourage efficient tracking and analysis of this data. By enforcing a system for monitoring and tracking advancement, you can collect accurate data, gain insights into your team's performance, and measure efficiency better. This process enables you to make data-driven decisions, pinpoint areas for improvement, and optimize your team's productivity and success. Gather Feedback and Conduct Performance Reviews: Feedback is one of the best value tools for measuring team performance and improving efficiency. As a leader or team member seeking progressive improvement, you must provide regular feedback to your team members based on their performance and progress toward goals. This feedback should be specific, constructive, and focused on areas where improvement is needed. Additionally, you can conduct periodic performance reviews and team meetings to assess individual and team performance, discuss strengths and weaknesses, and set goals for improvement. These reviews facilitate open communication, highlight areas for growth, and allow you to track progress over time. Here's how you can effectively gather feedback and conduct performance reviews: Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins with team members to discuss their progress, challenges, and accomplishments. These can be one-on-one meetings or team meetings where individuals have an opportunity to share their thoughts and provide updates on their work. Anonymous Surveys: Conduct anonymous surveys to gather feedback from team members about their experiences working within the team. Create targeted questions that address specific aspects of efficiency, collaboration, communication, and leadership. Performance Reviews: Conduct regular performance reviews to evaluate individual and team performance. Set clear performance criteria and goals that align with the team's objectives. During these reviews, discuss achievements, areas for improvement, and development opportunities. Two-Way Communication: Performance reviews should be a two-way conversation. Encourage team members to share their self-assessments, challenges they faced, and ideas for improvement. This promotes open communication and empowers individuals to take ownership of their performance and growth. Document Performance: Keep a record of performance discussions, feedback, and agreed-upon action plans. This documentation serves as a reference for future evaluations and helps track progress over time. Continuous Feedback: Encourage ongoing feedback and communication between team members and their supervisors or managers. This helps address issues promptly, recognize achievements, and provide timely guidance for improvement. Recognize and Reward: Acknowledge and appreciate the efforts and achievements of team members. Recognize exceptional performance, contributions to team efficiency, and successful outcomes. You can focus on operating communication tools such as Microsoft Teams and Slack more effectively. Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Determine the KPIs that directly reflect your team's efficiency. These indicators should provide quantitative measurements of specific aspects related to productivity, quality, timeliness, customer satisfaction, or any other relevant factors. For example, if the objective is to measure client satisfaction, a relevant KPI could be customer satisfaction ratings or feedback. Examples include task completion time, error rates, customer feedback ratings, or project deliverables. Pinpointing key performance indicators (KPIs) is crucial for measuring your team's efficiency at work. KPIs are specific metrics that directly reflect the team's performance and progress toward its goals and they provide team leaders insights about the team's success. Productivity: Measure the team's output in terms of tasks completed, projects delivered, or units produced within a given time frame. This KPI provides insight into the team's ability to efficiently utilize resources and meet deadlines. Quality: measure team effectiveness such as error rates, defect counts, or client satisfaction ratings. The high-quality output indicates efficient processes and adherence to standards. Time Management: Track how effectively the team manages time by measuring metrics like task completion time, cycle time, or response time. This KPI helps identify potential bottlenecks and areas where time can be optimized. Efficiency Ratio: Calculate the ratio of output to input resources, such as the number of tasks completed per hour worked or revenue generated per employee. This KPI measures the team's ability to maximize output with minimal resources. Employee Engagement: Measure the level of employee performance, engagement, and satisfaction through surveys or feedback. Engaged team members tend to be more productive and efficient in their work. Analyze Efficiency Metrics and Identify Trends Once you have collected the necessary data and feedback, you can analyze the efficiency metrics, recognize trends or patterns and look for areas where the team performance is well and areas that require improvement. By identifying these directions, you can identify areas that need attention and take appropriate actions to improve efficiency. Here's how: Collect Relevant Data: Gather the data linked to your team's efficiency metrics.  Organize and Visualize Data: Organize the collected data in a structured manner to facilitate analysis. Identify Key Metrics: Identify the key efficiency metrics that are most relevant to your team's performance. Compare Against Benchmarks: Benchmark your team's efficiency metrics against industry standards, best practices, or internal benchmarks.  Conduct Root Cause Analysis: Examine the processes, workflows, resource allocation, or any other relevant factors that may be impacting efficiency.  Seek Insights from Team Members: Involve your team members in the analysis process. Seek their insights and perspectives on the identified trends and metrics.  Adjust Strategies and Implement Improvements: Based on the analysis of efficiency metrics and identified trends, develop strategies and action plans for measuring team performance.  Seek Input from Team Members Seeking input from the entire team is a valuable practice when measuring team performance. A team member is on the front lines of the work and can provide valuable insights and perspectives on areas that may be affecting efficiency. It can also help you increase employee satisfaction and belonging. Efficiency measurement should not be a one-sided process. As a team leader, you must involve your team members in the measurement process by seeking their input and insights. With this in mind, you can encourage open communication and create a culture where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and suggestions for enhancing efficiency. Adjust Strategies and Provide Support Based on data, feedback, and performance reviews, it is crucial to make data-driven decisions to improve team efficiency. By operating the practical insights gained from these sources, you can identify specific areas that require adjustment and devise targeted strategies to enhance performance. This data-driven approach allows you to objectively assess the team's strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. Adjusting strategies involves reevaluating and realigning the team's goals, plans, and processes. It may require identifying bottlenecks, streamlining workflows, or adopting new technologies to optimize efficiency. By making informed decisions based on analysis, you can prioritize and implement the most effective changes to enhance overall team performance.

Technology has enhanced our lives for the better, including professional dynamics. Its advancements have transformed how we work, communicate, and collaborate, leading to increased efficiency, productivity, and overall improvement in business operations. As a team leader, you are likely aware that having an efficient team can greatly contribute to the success and growth of your business. Harnessing the power of technology is essential for organizations aiming to increase team effectiveness and productivity. Embracing technological tools and solutions to streamline processes paves the way for improving collaboration, and achieving better outcomes, and tracking efficiency. Providing a convenient and efficient platform for exchanging feedback, fostering open communication, and promoting continuous improvement, Slack is one of the most advanced technological tools and a game-changer for many organizations! With its cutting-edge features and capabilities, Slack's mobile app has transformed team collaboration, becoming a core platform for organizations of all sizes. Whether you're an experienced Slack user or just getting started, incorporating these eight workplace hacks will enhance your experience and transform the way your team utilizes this potent tool. Keep reading to learn how to use Slack more effectively! Create quick polls with emoji reactions Slack messages lie at the heart of communication within the Slack platform. Combining them with emoji reactions provide a quick and concise way to respond to messages without needing to type a full reply. They enable team members to acknowledge a message, show appreciation, or express agreement, all with a single click. Using emoji reactions in Slack message channels makes conversations more interactive and engaging. Team members can use emojis to react to funny or amusing messages, creating an easygoing atmosphere and fostering friendship within the team. In Slack, you can also create emojis that represent your own brand, inside jokes, or specific team members. This customization adds a personal touch to communication and strengthens team identity. Pause notifications and Mute Channels for focused work time Slack provides a Do Not Disturb (DND) mode that allows you to mute notifications for a specified duration. You can activate DND mode by clicking on your profile picture, selecting "Preferences," and navigating to the "Notifications" section. Set the desired duration for DND mode, and Slack will prevent notifications from appearing during that time. This feature ensures uninterrupted work sessions. In addition to DND mode, Slack offers customizable notification settings. You can specify which channels or conversations you want to receive notifications from and set preferences for keywords or mentions in private channels that trigger notifications. By fine-tuning these settings, you can minimize distractions and receive only essential notifications during focused work periods. Pin direct messages and links for easy recall To increase efficiency in Slack, utilizing the pinning feature is a valuable practice. Pinning messages and links allows you to easily recall important information and keep relevant content at your fingertips. Pinning messages and links allows you to highlight and easily locate critical information within Slack. Whether it's an important announcement, a project update, or a reference document, pinning ensures that relevant content is readily accessible to team members. Pinning important messages serves as a reminder and helps maintain focus on essential tasks, preventing them from getting buried in the noise of ongoing conversations. By strategically pinning critical messages and links, you create a centralized hub for important information, reducing the time spent searching for relevant content. This promotes streamlined workflows, facilitates quick access to resources, and fosters effective collaboration. Switch to Slack's compact theme to get rid of message noise To increase Slack's efficiency in the workplace, utilizing Slack's compact theme can be highly beneficial. When you find the message noise in the Slack app distracting, switching to Slack's compact theme can help clean your workspace and provide a neater interface. The compact theme reduces visual noise by condensing the size of messages and minimizing unnecessary elements. The compact theme prioritizes the display of message content rather than irrelevant elements. This simplification enhances navigation, allowing you to locate and access important information quickly and efficiently. By minimizing unnecessary elements, the compact theme creates a cleaner and less visually cluttered workspace, which also helps alleviate visual fatigue and provides a calmer environment for focused work. Benefit from message threads Using message threads in addition to the direct message feature in Slack is a powerful way to keep conversations organized, maintain clarity, and streamline communication within channels. When you want to respond to a specific message in Slack, instead of replying directly to the channel, start a message thread. Hover over the message you want to respond to, click on the "Reply in thread" option (represented by a speech bubble icon), and begin your threaded conversation. Message threads help preserve context by keeping related dialogues connected to the original message. By replying in a thread, you ensure that responses are directly linked to the relevant topic, making it easier for team members to follow the conversation. Create Slack channels for social or fun purposes Another way to use Slack effectively is to create Slack channels dedicated to socializing and non-work-related discussions. A team channel serves as a virtual space where team members can share their interests, hobbies, and experiences outside of work. It creates opportunities for casual conversations and friendly interactions that contribute to a sense of belonging and companionship within the team. You can enhance channel details to attract new team members. Channel details for a specific channel can help members get the idea. You can also employ Slack Connect, a feature in Slack that enables organizations to communicate and collaborate with externals who also use Slack, to establish safe and controlled channels of communication across different workspaces. Creating a positive and engaging work environment is vital for fostering team spirit and enhancing employee satisfaction. When employees feel connected and valued on a personal level, it positively impacts their overall engagement and job satisfaction. Create custom notifications for channels Creating custom notifications for a Slack channel allows you to prioritize and tailor your alerts based on the importance and relevance of specific public channels. With custom Slack notifications, you can ensure that you receive timely updates for critical discussions while minimizing distractions from less crucial channels. By developing custom notifications for channels in Slack, you can create a balance between staying informed and minimizing distractions. Tailoring your alerts ensures that you receive timely updates for critical discussions, improving communication and productivity within your team or organization. Connect Slack with your existing tools Connecting the Slack app with your existing tools and applications can greatly improve productivity, simplify workflows, and consolidate data. Integrating Slack efficiently with other tools qualifies for seamless collaboration and efficient communication across various platforms. Let us introduce Teamble- a revolutionary tool complementing Slack workspace. Enhance Cooperation and Productivity: Integrating Slack with Teamble Teamble is a wide project management and collaboration tool developed to streamline team workflows, improve communication, and centralize project-related data. Centralized Communication: Integrating Slack with Teamble brings communication channels and project management capabilities together. Team members can discuss projects, share updates, and collaborate on tasks directly within Slack channels, making it easier to keep everyone aligned and informed. Seamless Task Management: With the Slack and Teamble integration, you can create and manage tasks from within Slack. Convert messages into tasks, assign them to team members, set due dates, and track progress—all without leaving the Slack interface. This streamlines task management and keeps project-related discussions and actions in one place. Automated Notifications: By integrating Teamble with Slack, you can receive automated notifications and updates about task assignments, due dates, and project milestones directly within Slack channels. Stay informed about task progress and important project updates without the need to switch between tools or constantly check separate platforms. Real-time Collaboration: The integration between Slack and Teamble enables real-time collaboration on projects. Team members can discuss tasks, share files, and provide updates in Slack channels dedicated to specific projects or teams. This promotes efficient collaboration, fosters transparency, and reduces communication gaps. Centralized Information: Integrating Slack with Teamble allows for the centralization of project-related information. You can access project files, documents, and progress reports directly within Slack, eliminating the need to search through multiple platforms for essential project resources. Enhanced Productivity: By leveraging the capabilities of both Slack and Teamble, you can enhance productivity. The seamless integration enables smoother workflows, reduces context switching, and minimizes the time spent switching between different tools. This empowers teams to focus on their work and accomplish tasks more efficiently. Integrating Slack with Teamble empowers your team with an effective set of tools for collaboration, project management, and streamlined workflows. Explore the opportunities of integrating Slack with Teamble and experience the benefits of enriched collaboration and productivity in your team's work processes!

Employee performance acts as a robust foundation for organizational success. Having a high-performance team can elevate your company to new heights. When employees operate at their full potential, it leads to improved productivity, enhanced client satisfaction, increased innovation, and overall operational superiority. High-performing employees bring their skills, knowledge, and loyalty to their roles, enabling the organization to progress its goals and objectives. On the other side of the coin, poor performance can have detrimental impacts on your organization. When employees underperform, it can result in decreased productivity, skipped deadlines, lower quality of labor, and ultimately, a damaging influence on organizational success. Poor employee performance can lead to dissatisfied customers, as the organization may fall short to meet their anticipations. This can harm the organization's reputation and result in loss of business and potential opportunities. That's why measuring your team's performance on a regular basis is crucial: You know when to utilize strategies centered on boosting your team's competence at work. What is underperformance? Underperformance refers to the inability to meet the benchmarks or tasks expected within an organization. It occurs when the actual performance and outputs do not align with what is desired, planned, or demanded. Factors contributing to underperformance can vary from scene to scene. They may include incompetence, inadequate resources or support, ineffective communication, lack of ambition or engagement, external challenges, or even personal issues such as health issues or individual problems. Recognizing and addressing underperformance is essential for individuals and organizations to sustain success. It involves a commitment to continuous learning, growth, and adaptation to overcome challenges and meet performance expectations effectively. How do you diagnose an underperforming team? NO WORRIES - we've got your back! Although underperforming is a significant organizational drawback, it can be managed with the right training, observations and supervision. Now that we understand the meaning of underperformance and the potential consequences of not addressing it, let's explore how to diagnose underperformance within a team. Interpreting underperformance involves identifying the the root cause or causes of the issue, understanding contributing factors, and gathering relevant information to address them. Let's dive in and take a look at how underperformance manifests itself in a company. Employee disengagement hits When employee engagement levels drop off, it can be a clear indicator of employee underperformance. Decreased engagement levels often hint at a lack of encouragement, loyalty, and bond to the work and the organization. Disengaged employees may frequently call in sick, take more days off, or show a lack of commitment to their work schedules. This consistent absence can disrupt team dynamics, and workload distribution, and decrease overall productivity. Being unable to handle the current workload, underperforming workers may avoid team communications, contribute minimally to group projects, or demonstrate a lack of cooperation. Their disengagement can hinder effective communication, slow knowledge sharing, and impede overall team performance. High error rates and poor quality issues arise Another indicator of employee underperformance worth keeping an eye on is the apparent decline in work quality. An underperforming employee or a team member can be recognized by a decrease in the quality of their work. This process can be observed through errors, inaccuracies, or a lack of attention to detail in their outputs. Tasks that were once completed to a high standard may now show signs of carelessness. The quality of the products or services delivered by employees directly affects the organization's prestige and external perception. When there is a decrease in the quality of work, it can have detrimental effects on the organization's reputation and competitiveness in the market. Low productivity Low productivity is a key symptom of inefficiency and underperformance within a team. When a team member struggles to complete a task or fails to meet expected outputs, it can greatly influence overall performance. Team members may take longer than necessary to conclude projects, exhibit recurring distractions, or struggle with time management. It may occur as a lack of focus, excessive procrastination, or a failure to prioritize tasks effectively. Regular monitoring and feedback are crucial in managing low productivity. It allows leaders to improve performance, provide guidance, pinpoint areas for advancement, and offer timely interventions. Regular feedback and constant attention qualify leaders and managers to establish open lines of communication, provide guidance, and foster a collaborative environment. A lack of collaboration and communication A lack of collaboration and communication can manifest in various ways within a team. When an employee is underperforming, a sense of disconnection or detachment from their work and the team can often be observed. Team members may work in silence during meetings, avoiding conveying information, ideas, or resources to their colleagues. There might be a lack of effective communication channels, resulting in misunderstandings, misalignment, and delays in project execution. Collaboration and communication are keystones of effective teamwork. When team members are unable to cooperate, it hinders their ability to support each other's strengths, share expertise, and collectively solve problems. It also restricts the exchange of diverse mindsets and innovative views, which can hamper the team's ability to find excellent solutions. Low employee morale and enthusiasm Underperforming employees usually lose interest quickly and display a lack of interest or passion for their tasks. They experience performance issues in a timely manner. A general sense of dissatisfaction, negativity, and a lack of willingness among employees can give you hints about inefficiency in the work environment. Employees with low ethics may have reduced energy, show less initiative, and may be less likely to take on additional job duties and responsibilities or seek growth opportunities. Note that poor job fit and unrealistic expectations may provoke low morale, work quality, and job satisfaction causing employees to feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or disengaged due to the challenges they expect to encounter in fulfilling job expectations. Workplace Stress and Burnout It is no wonder that workplace stress and burnout function as clues when it comes to underperforming employees. Team members who are unable to maintain a healthy work-life balance usually experience work-related stress and distorted focus, which ultimately results in underperformance issues. Constant workplace stress and burnout are red flags that indicate an employee may be struggling to negate professional and personal life and meet the performance goals of the work. That's why managers should regularly monitor shifts in employee behavior, performance, and well-being. Encouraging open communication and promoting positive and constructive feedback can help identify stress and burnout early on. High turnover rates and absenteeism High employee turnover rates and habitual absence from work can be significant indicators of team dysfunction. When team members frequently leave or are absent, it indicates the underlying problems that restrict the team's ability to perform effectively. They often reflect discontentment, disengagement, or lack of career advancement opportunities within the company. Employees who are discontented with their work environment or feel disconnected from their positions are more likely to seek other job options or exhibit absenteeism. Leaders must address underperformance related to high employee turnover rates and absenteeism with a comprehensive approach focusing on the underlying causes and executing proper strategies. By operating those plans, organizations can work towards improving performance and reducing turnover rates and absenteeism. Provide the right tools for underperforming employees. When dealing with underperforming employees, providing them with the right tools can support their improvement and contribute to overall team efficiency. Teamble is a leading tool that offers practical features for addressing performance issues. Here's how: Tracking Competence: Teamble allows you to track individual and team performance metrics. By observing progress and performance indicators, you can pinpoint areas where underperforming employees may need extra support. Goal Setting and Alignment: Teamble enables you to set clear goals and objectives for each team member. By aligning their tasks and responsibilities with specific targets, you provide space for improvement and qualify them to focus on required areas. Task Management: With Teamble, you can assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress, promoting accountability and ensuring that underperforming employees have a clear understanding of their deliverables. Feedback and Recognition: Teamble offers features for continuous feedback and recognition. Regular feedback is the greatest investment for underperforming employees to understand their areas for improvement and receive guidance on how to enhance their performance.  Collaboration and Support: Teamble facilitates collaboration among team members, fostering a supportive environment in which underperforming employees can seek guidance from their coworkers, benefit from shared knowledge, and overcome challenges. By combining Teamble with a consistent approach, you can help underperforming employees enhance their performance and contribute to overall team efficiency.

Employee engagement plays a crucial role in an organization's overall success. Companies with highly engaged employees experience greater profitability, improved performance, and higher productivity than organizations with low levels of engagement. That's why more and more organizations are looking for ways to make effective employee engagement initiatives. However, the abundance of information and advice related to improving employee engagement can seem overwhelming at times–leaving business leaders with more questions than answers. One key question that might arise: who is responsible for employee engagement anyway? The answer is everyone–from company leadership to middle management, to individual employees. However, human resources departments play a critical role in improving employee engagement since they serve as the liaisons between executive leadership, managers, and individual employees. The Role of HR in Employee Engagement An engaged workforce is crucial in bringing business success and HR plays a pivotal role when it comes to sustaining the sense of engagement in an organization. While creating a positive working environment is a shared commitment across an organization, HR departments usually play a key role in driving employee engagement measures. With responsibilities including company benefits, workplace culture initiatives, employee retention strategies, onboarding processes, and other policies, HR professionals are uniquely positioned to ensure that their organizations prioritize employee engagement. By treating employee engagement in HR as a priority, organizations can improve engagement and maintain a positive working environment. Keep reading to explore our top eight tips on how your HR team can lead the way toward strengthening levels of employee engagement at your company. Make Engagement Part of Company Culture. An office dog and complementary cold brew–although fun–aren’t enough to keep your employees healthy, satisfied, and excited to show up. Instead, successful employee engagement strategies start with rethinking company culture and values to ensure that engagement is a part of daily life at your organization. Gallup defines employee engagement as “the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace.” Essentially, employees want to feel like they belong, their work matters, and that their company is making a difference. There are several ways HR teams can foster this sense of purpose and connection: Develop and uphold core company values. Ensure that your organization’s stated values are reflected through action. Plan fun, interesting events and budget for team-building initiatives. Include virtual options for remote employees. Communicate clearly and often. Promote a culture of trust and transparency by keeping employees informed on important decisions, policies, and other news related to your organization. Recognize and reward performance.  Develop Policies That Center on Wellness and Psychological Safety. Burnout, anxiety, and other mental health concerns often lead to employee disengagement. Some of the top contributors to work-related stress and burnout include inadequate work-life balance, feeling psychologically unsafe at work, feeling like your job doesn’t matter, and feeling like you can’t voice concerns or questions to leadership. Luckily, there are clear steps HR professionals can take to address these problems. Companies that engage employees by providing real workplace wellness programs, promoting a culture of trust and transparency, prioritizing work-life balance, and actively communicating with their workforce can go a long way toward improving the employee experience and mitigating job-related stress. You might also consider offering tangible benefits like flexible hours, remote work options, unlimited PTO, and covering the cost of gym memberships. Revise Your Onboarding Process First impressions matter, so it makes sense to implement the best onboarding strategy possible when bringing on new employees. An effective onboarding process provides new workers with all the resources and training necessary to succeed at your company.  In addition to job-specific training, use this time to introduce new employees to your company and its culture. Show them how their position fits into the larger goals and values of the organization. Doing so will motivate new employees and provide them with a sense of connection and belonging from their very first days of work. Provide professional development and coaching. Providing employees with business growth opportunities is an essential element in boosting engagement and retaining top talent. Employees are more engaged when they feel like they have a future at their organization. Here are a few tips on how the human resources department can drive employee engagement for employees to see a clear career path within the company: Creating Career Growth Programs: Develop programs that cultivate employees' soft and hard skills that align with the organization's goals.   Coaching and Mentoring: Implement internal programs that bring employees and specialists together to support professional development in your organization. Employee Engagement Surveys: Conduct regular surveys to pinpoint areas for advancement and develop strategies that improve employee satisfaction accordingly. Train your managers on why employee engagement matters. Have you heard the saying that people leave managers, not companies? Well, studies show that managers account for at least 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement. Because managers are so essential to an employee’s experience at a given company, one of the most important things HR professionals can do to improve employee engagement is to ensure managers are actively participating in and managing employee engagement. To empower managers to take ownership of employee engagement, HR professionals can: Support managers with trainings and make sure that they have the tools to promote engagement. Give managers the authority and autonomy they need to do their jobs. Involve managers in strategic decisions and invest in their leadership development. Use employee engagement as a performance metric for managers. Invite feedback. Feedback is a great tool for an HR department to evaluate the engagement level of workers. To gauge whether your strategies are working, encourage your employees and provide opportunities for your workforce to give feedback. One way to do this is to develop and distribute periodic surveys seeking employee views on various issues. The surveys might include questions related to company culture, workplace environment, staff recognition and satisfaction, personal growth, and development opportunities, relationships with managers, and relationships with peers. Develop and track engagement-related metrics. In addition to gathering direct employee feedback, HR can also track specific metrics to gain an understanding of the state of employee engagement at their company. There is a strong correlation between the level of employee engagement and recruitment, employee retention, absenteeism, and sickness rates. HR leaders can track and analyze these statistics in order to measure engagement in their business. Provide the right tools for engaging employees. Using the right technology and tools to implement employee engagement strategies can make a huge difference in the success of such measures. They can also make your job a lot easier. Thanks to performance management software like Teamble, establishing a culture of employee engagement and empowering employees and managers to connect has never been more simple. Our platform allows you to improve employee engagement, build better teams, and strengthen performance at your organization using the tools you are already familiar with: Slack and Microsoft Teams. Using Teamble makes it simple to: Provide continuous feedback and recognition in real-time; Receive feedback from employees; Hold one-on-ones with your employees; Develop and distribute surveys; Document interactions with your team; Document engagement-related metrics; Set and view goals; and Establish team rituals. For additional information on how Teamble can help you strengthen your hand in business operations and increase employee engagement levels, check out our Help feature or give Teamble a try for free.

Employee engagement directly affects business goals in any organization. While engaged workforces can help you hit the jackpot, disengaged employees can bring you down easily. When reaching the benefits of employee engagement, the paramount factor turns out to be the management. In fact, evidence shows that managers account for at least 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement levels. Numbers don't lie! A manager's role in employee engagement is crucial in improving employee engagement scores in an organization. With growing evidence pointing to a strong correlation between engagement and key metrics like performance, productivity, and profitability, making employee engagement a central aspect of your leadership philosophy is also a smart business practice. Understand the manager's role in employee engagement. Managers are the link point between an employee and the company. An employee’s experience with their company is based on their daily working environment and relationships. Managers–who have an enormous influence on day-to-day interactions, processes, and operations–act as the gatekeepers of employee engagement. Here's an elaboration on a manager's role in employee engagement: Regulating the daily working environment, Building associations, Providing support and growth, Running performance management, Encouraging communication, Addressing disagreements. Fulfilling these responsibilities effectively, managers are a company's greatest asset in enhancing engagement and ultimately bringing better business outcomes to the company. Understand the importance of engagement. Employee engagement managers are responsible for creating strategies that aim to develop a positive workplace experience. But before implementing strategies to improve engagement on your team, you should understand why having highly engaged employees is essential for long-term business success and how ensuring workplace engagement can contribute to business units in your company. Employee engagement is typically recognized as a measure of how involved and enthusiastic employees are at work. Highly engaged employees feel connected to and valued by their company, and take pride in their work. Engaging employees, therefore, plays a significant role in reaching objectives. Not only are engaged employees healthier and happier, but they are also: Less likely to leave the organization, resulting in reduced turnover. Less likely to miss or skip work due to job-related stress and burnout. More productive. Higher performers and less likely to make mistakes. More creative and innovative. With a well-designed employee recognition strategy, managers can help employees build authentic connections with organizations. If you want to see these outcomes on your own team, take a look at our top 7 suggestions for managers hoping to boost employee engagement. Communicate often. As a manager, one of the most effective tools you can use to boost engagement levels on your team is continuous feedback. This could look like a range of strategies–from regularly scheduled check-ins to using messaging platforms for a quick chat. However you choose to connect with your employees, not only does frequent feedback show that you are invested in their performance, but it also provides you with the time and space to build relationships with each member of your team. Especially with the rise of remote work, regular one-on-ones give your employees a chance to connect, ask questions, and feel more involved. Aside from providing individual attention, you should also try to regularly communicate company news, team goals and priorities, and any other important knowledge that could impact your team. It can be difficult for employees to feel invested in an organization when they never heard from leadership or know where the company is going next. Instead, try to establish trust and transparency by being as open and honest as possible. Be a good listener. Employees feel valued when their managers actively listen. Remember that effective communication is a two-way street. This means that you should provide safe avenues for your team members to provide their own thoughts and deliver feedback. To feel engaged, most employees must also feel valued and psychologically safe at work. As an effective manager, you can have a huge impact on this by allowing and empowering your employees to speak up with confidence. Encourage team members to voice questions and concerns. Listen when an employee tells you that they are overwhelmed. And don’t forget to act on valuable suggestions and employee feedback. Showing your employees that you care about and support them can go a long way toward improving the performance of your team. Cultivate the community to increase employee engagement scores. Employees perform better when they have a sense of belonging in the workplace. Creating an environment that encourages involvement is rooted in social connections. As a manager who targets higher engagement levels, don’t be afraid to get social. Because one important aspect of employee engagement is an overall sense of belonging, it is important to make your team feel like a community–not just a place to get a paycheck. Luckily, fostering a sense of community can be a lot of fun! Outside of good, consistent communication, think about events and activities you can use to bring your team a little closer together. This could include happy hours, trivia nights, and holiday celebrations. For remote teams, all of these options can be made virtual. You might also want to celebrate work-related accomplishments like the completion of a big project or winning a new client. Whatever you decide, bringing your team together in a fun way outside of the typical work environment provides an opportunity to build strong relationships and a sense of belonging that will improve employee engagement. Recognize and reward. Recognizing performance is one of the key ways for great managers to keep their employees motivated and excited about work. So when one of your employees demonstrates excellence, don’t hesitate to acknowledge and reward their performance. This could be as simple as writing an email or making a phone call to thank your employee and let them know that they are doing a good job. Providing monetary awards like bonuses, extra paid time off, and gift cards can also show your employees that you are genuinely interested in their work. Depending on your human resources department policies, you might also be able to nominate team members for company-wide awards or give them a shout-out on social media. Encourage autonomy and growth. Providing your team with structure and clarity is important, but make sure to avoid micromanaging. Instead, empower your employees to work independently and solve problems on their own. Let them know that they can come to you with questions and concerns, but encourage them to take ownership of their work. When you prioritize autonomy, your employees will feel more invested in their own performance. As a manager, you should also take an interest in your team’s professional development. Although you might not be responsible for company-wide policies like tuition reimbursement and professional development courses, you can help your employees navigate these opportunities and serve as an essential partner in career planning. For example, you might be able to create opportunities for your employees to grow and thrive within your team by assigning new or different tasks and increasing responsibility. You can also help your employees by working with them to set ambitious, but achievable goals for the year.  Embody company culture and values. Company culture and values are central to successful employee engagement efforts. However, the way most employees experience their company’s values is through their manager. This means no matter how strong your organization’s values are, if your managers don’t strive to uphold these values, they don’t mean a whole lot. For example, if your company prides itself on work-life balance, managers should embody this by leaving the office at a decent time every day and refusing to answer emails when they are on vacation or after working hours. Use technology to connect with your team and ask questions. When in doubt, ask your team questions to figure out how to boost engagement. You can determine engagement levels and come up with solutions to solve some of your toughest engagement-related problems by using employee engagement software like Teamble to connect with your employees. Teamble integrates seamlessly with Slack and Microsoft Teams and makes it easy to: Provide continuous feedback and recognition in real-time; Receive feedback from employees; Hold one-on-ones with your employees; Develop and distribute surveys; Document interactions with your team; Document engagement-related metrics; Set and view goals; and Establish team rituals. For additional information on how Teamble can help you increase employee engagement and strengthen performance on your team, check out our Help feature or give Teamble a try for free.

Employee engagement and productivity are two closely tied-up concepts that positively influence each other in the workplace. Employees who feel valued in their work environment and know how their efforts contribute to the overall objectives are more likely to drive productivity. That's why making employee engagement an integral part of your company culture is essential for attaining higher productivity levels. Having higher labor productivity, companies that engage employees outperform their competitors and achieve greater economic growth. Hence, employee engagement serves as the foundation for overall success and increased job satisfaction. Creating an employee engagement strategy that is aligned with the company goals can be challenging but it definitely brings better business outcomes. Let's first examine how employee engagement works and then how maintaining employee engagement can lead to productivity growth. What Does Employee Engagement Look Like? Gallup defines employee engagement as “the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace.” When employees feel like their work matters and their company values their contributions, they are far more likely to show up to work each day eager to do their job. This mentality can dramatically reduce rates of absenteeism, improve both efficiency and quality and inspire your workers to consistently perform at their best. But what, exactly, do employee engagement strategies look like?  The most effective ways to improve employee engagement involve efforts to center your company culture and values around creating a more fulfilling and healthy work environment for your workforce. These strategies could include: Programs and policies that show you value your employees (e.g., wellness programs, work-life balance, active communication, creating a culture of trust and transparency) Encouraging continuous feedback Recognizing and rewarding employees for stellar work and accomplishments Improving your onboarding process Investing in career development and employee education Developing and adhering to core company values If you’re curious to learn more about how investing in employee engagement strategies like these can boost productivity at your company, keep reading! Engaged employees are more focused and motivated Engaged employees are more productive than disengaged employees–according to a recent employee engagement research, Gallup study, by almost 18%. Having a positive emotional connection with work and other team members, an engaged employee is more encouraged to go the extra mile for business goals. They are ready to take action and willing to give their best shot to improve the company's economic performance and business productivity. Engaged employees are more invested in their work because they believe in their company mission and feel like their contributions are valued. They are aligned with team and company goals, and therefore more likely to understand their responsibilities, stay on task, and will often go the extra mile to complete their work. Engaged workers are less likely to skip work Another important way that employee engagement impacts productivity is by reducing rates of unscheduled absenteeism. Job-related anxiety, stress, and burnout often contribute to employees missing work or taking unscheduled days off. This can negatively impact an organization’s finances. In fact, unscheduled absenteeism is estimated to cost U.S. companies around $225.8 billion each year. Employee engagement strategies like comprehensive wellness programs, a commitment to providing work-life balance, and creating a psychologically safe place to work can go a long way toward increasing employee morale and mitigating job-related anxiety, stress, and burnout. When employees have these resources and are empowered to speak up when they feel overwhelmed, they are far less likely to skip work. Engaged employees are more innovative Employee engagement strategies directly affect productivity in the workplace. Not only are engaged employees more dedicated and focused–they are also more creative. When employees feel like their work is valued and contributes to a larger company mission and goals, they are more likely to feel inspired. Engaged workers are also empowered to communicate their questions and think independently, so they are more likely to contribute fresh ideas and creative solutions. Not surprisingly, being collaborative and enthusiastic toward work allows employees to complete their tasks more effectively, which leads to increased personal productivity. Engaged employees make fewer mistakes Employee engagement strategies like continuous feedback and regular one-on-ones result in a workforce that is more connected to their supervisors. When managers communicate often with their team members, they have time to clarify any expectations and curb misunderstandings. Employees are also more likely to ask questions and highlight concerns regarding projects they might be working on. Frequent check-ins also allow managers to identify areas of improvement before they affect the company or become irreversible. This helps employees to produce better work and can save a significant amount of time that would be lost to fixing weeks or months of unchecked mistakes. Finally, engaged employees are also more invested in their individual performance because they feel committed to and inspired by their work. Engaged workforces are less likely to quit Voluntary employee turnover costs U.S. businesses around one trillion dollars every year. The cost of replacing a single employee is estimated to range from 1.5 to 2 times that employee’s annual salary. Losing talent can also lower team morale, damage customer relations, and cost you some of your top thinkers and innovators. Losing your employees also decreases productivity simply due to the fact that you will have fewer team members to do the work.  On top of these factors, it might take a new employee several months (or even years, depending on the role) to reach the productivity of the employee who left your organization.  Luckily, investing in employee engagement can dramatically reduce rates of turnover at your organization. Because engaged employees feel a sense of connection and commitment to their work, they are less likely to seek other employment opportunities. Engaged employees also feel as if their companies value their contributions and care about their professional growth. An employee is much more likely to remain at a company if they can envision a future there. Invest in software solutions to improve employee engagement and boost productivity If boosting employee productivity and performance sounds appealing, you might now be left wondering how to start implementing employee engagement strategies at your own company. Luckily, performance management tools like Teamble offer simple solutions for improving engagement at your organization so that you can start witnessing the many benefits associated with a more engaged workforce. Using tools you are already familiar with–Slack and Microsoft Teams–Teamble makes it easy to: Provide continuous feedback and recognition in real-time; Receive feedback from employees; Hold one-on-ones with your employees; Develop and distribute surveys; Document interactions with your team; Document engagement-related metrics; Set and view goals; and Establish team rituals. For additional information on how Teamble can help you strengthen your company culture and increase employee engagement, check out our Help feature or give Teamble a try for free.

An organization's chance of success is directly related to its employees. They're the ones on the field, carrying out all the operational processes and delivering customer services in accordance with the company's core values and missions. That's why an organization's greatest asset is its workforce and it needs the highest attention. While having skilled and experienced team members in your team is significant, prioritizing employee engagement strategies paves the way to achieving the highest level of performance and business success. Employee engagement, which Gallup defines as “the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace,” contributes to employee satisfaction and commitment. Employees who establish a positive emotional connection with the company and know their efforts will be recognized by their leaders are more competent in bringing organizational success. Some of the most significant benefits of investing in an effective employee engagement strategy include higher retention rates; lower rates of absenteeism; better individual, team, and organization-wide performance; and improved customer satisfaction. Because employee engagement is deeply rooted in the company's culture and values, it can take a lot more thought and effort to improve employee engagement strategies than many leaders might at first realize. However, leaders who are committed to creating a more fulfilling and healthy work environment will soon find that investing in their workforce can have huge payoffs. Keep reading to find out our top eight most effective strategies for companies hoping to strengthen their employee engagement efforts. Show that you value your employees It might be cliché, but actions indeed speak louder than words. When it comes to building a successful employee engagement strategy, being consistent in your everyday efforts carries great importance. If you want engaged employees who are excited about maintaining the company's mission and eager to attain business goals, you need to show that you value their time, health, and psychological safety. By making sure your employees have the tools to manage job-related stress and feel empowered to voice questions or concerns, you can form an engaged workforce. To improve employee engagement by showing your attention, you can provide real workplace wellness programs, promote a culture of trust and transparency, prioritize work-life balance, and actively communicate with workers. Leaders can also invest in developing managers, who account for at least 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement. Provide feedback often Regular feedback is one of the most beneficial tools that managers can utilize for improving employee engagement. When an employee is informed timely about how their work is evaluated and how they contribute to overall success, they can feel more responsible for being actively involved in operations. Lack of regular feedback, on the other hand, can lead employees to feel directionless, disengaged, and unmotivated, eventually reducing job satisfaction. Therefore, consistent feedbacks are key to enhancing employee engagement. Continuous check-ins that are focused on core competencies show employees that their manager cares about them and wants to help them succeed. Hence, encouraging managers to establish frequent one-on-ones also provides your employees with more opportunities to connect and feel heard, which strengthens their sense of value and belonging. Recognize and reward employees Everyone likes to receive credit for their effort and accomplishments. That's why an organizational culture of appreciation and reward plays a crucial role in employee engagement. Recognizing performance and valuing hard work, a leadership team can bring highly engaged employees. Having reward systems in your organization can inspire motivation and increase belonging by making employees feel valued. A few strategies to recognize and reward your employees for improving engagement might include: Giving different awards such as Employee of the Month, Years of Service, and Customer Service. Shout-outs on company social media Monetary awards like bonuses, extra paid time off, and gift cards Employee appreciation events Celebrating the completion of difficult or important projects Engage employees in celebrations like birthdays and other important achievements outside of work (like marriage, the birth of a child, athletic accomplishments, volunteer work, etc.) With the above practices, you can motivate employees and boost engagement in your organization.  Improve your onboarding process The first few weeks of an employee's new job are critical for engagement. That's why it is so important to make sure your human resources department offers an effective onboarding process that provides new employees with all the resources and training necessary to succeed at your company.  Use this time to let employees know they have a place in your company and its culture. Show them how their position fits into the larger goals and values of the organization. Doing so will motivate new employees and provide them with a sense of connection and belonging from their very first days with your company. Create a culture of trust and transparency Hoarding information or neglecting to communicate important company news can cause your workforce to disengage. It can be difficult for employees to feel invested in an organization when they never hear from leadership or know where the company is going next. Instead, promote a culture of trust and transparency by keeping employees informed on important decisions, policies, and other news related to your organization. Regular company-wide status updates and other communications can help establish a culture of transparency and trust. Encouraging honest feedback between managers and employees can also foster a healthier work environment that your workforce will feel excited about engaging in. Prioritize growth and career development Professional growth and career development opportunities are crucial for improving employee engagement in a company. When team members know you provide them with a future at your organization, they are more likely to stay and engage in the service. If an employee feels like there are no opportunities for career growth or mobility, chances are high that they will disengage and eventually look elsewhere. Instead, improve retention and motivate your workforce by investing in career development and creating clear growth opportunities for your employees to work toward. Train managers to provide constructive feedback and set goals that challenge and encourage employees. Opportunities to learn, develop, and grow within an organization show employees that their company values them and wants to invest in their people. Therefore, companies that prioritize employee development are more likely to achieve employee engagement. Foster a sense of community and connection With the rise of remote work over the past few years, it has become more complicated to build connected teams and foster a sense of belonging. However, there are several rituals and events that you can implement at your company to strengthen feelings of connection and make employees engaged. You can have virtual connection hours, virtual happy hours, virtual celebrations of important team milestones (like birthdays, work achievements, and years of service), company-wide speaking events, company-wide town halls, and annual omitting celebrations with a virtual component. These events give your employees a chance to connect with peers, managers, and even leadership in a more inclusive way that promotes team bonding and feelings of belonging. Develop and uphold core company values Employees who believe that their work has a purpose and makes a meaningful contribution tend to show higher levels of motivation, job satisfaction, and engagement. One way to foster this sense of purpose is to develop and operationalize fundamental, consistent company values. A company mission statement alone can't provide a sense of meaning. You need to ensure that your values are an integral part of the company culture that every employee is expected to maintain. An engaged employee who embraces corporate culture through action is the greatest asset for any organization. Performance management software can help you foster employee engagement Rethinking your company culture to prioritize employee engagement can seem like a daunting task. Luckily, performance management tools like Teamble allow you to improve employee engagement, build more connected teams, and strengthen performance at your organization with confidence.  Using tools you are already familiar with–Slack and Microsoft Teams–Teamble makes it simple to: Provide continuous feedback and recognition in real-time; Receive feedback from employees; Hold one-on-ones with your employees; Develop and distribute surveys; Document interactions with your team; Document engagement-related metrics; Set and view goals; and Establish team rituals. For additional information on how Teamble can help you strengthen your company culture and employee engagement strategies, check out our Help feature or give Teamble a try for free.

Leaders from different organizations all over the globe want to believe that their employees feel engaged in the company and motivated about their work. Since a company's success is directly linked to the effort of its workers and motivated employees are more likely to thrive in the business, it is essential for directors to build successful employee engagement strategies. Without conscious efforts to keep your employees feeling involved and invested in their work, you might find your organization struggling with turnover, high rates of absenteeism, and poor or mediocre performance. Conversely, making employee engagement initiatives an integral part of your company's business model can boost employee satisfaction, increase productivity and quality of work, and improve retention rates. In fact, a recent Gallup study comparing employee engagement levels found that companies in the top quartile of employee engagement experienced 18% greater productivity and 23% greater profitability than companies in the bottom quartile of employee engagement. However, these aren't the only benefits of improving employee engagement! Keep reading to learn more about why engagement has become an important part of ensuring long-term business success. Before considering the benefits of an employee engagement strategy, it is important to understand exactly what employee engagement is. Gallup defines employee engagement as “the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace.” It is important to note that employee engagement and job satisfaction, although related, are not the same thing. However, encouraged employees are more likely to experience job satisfaction because they feel connected to the company's core values and establish emotional commitment. Now that we know what employee engagement is, let's take a closer look at how a more engaged workforce and effective employee engagement strategies can boost the success of your organization. Engaged employees are healthier and happier Mental health and burnout are major issues facing today's workforce. Some of the top contributors to burnout include inadequate work-life balance. Employees who think that their opinions and concerns are ignored or they can't get enough recognition for their efforts feel psychologically unsafe at work and are less likely to find meaning and fulfillment in their job. Companies that focus on improving employee engagement by providing real workplace wellness programs, promoting a culture of trust and transparency, prioritizing work-life balance, and actively communicating with their workforce can go a long way toward improving the employee experience and mitigating job-related stress. Engaged employees are less likely to leave It is estimated that U.S. businesses are losing one trillion dollars every year due to voluntary turnover. The cost of replacing a single employee is estimated to range from 1.5 to 2 times that employee's annual salary. Losing talent can also lower team morale, damage customer relations, and cost you some of your top thinkers and innovators. Luckily, there is a lot your organization can do to retain talent–one of the most important steps is to improve employee engagement. Because engaged team members feel a sense of connection and commitment to their work, they are less likely to seek other employment opportunities. Committed employees also feel as if their companies value their contributions and care about their professional growth. An employee is much more likely to remain at a company if they can envision a future there. Engaged employees are more likely to show up Job-related anxiety, stress, and burnout often contribute to employees missing work or taking unscheduled days off. This absenteeism is estimated to cost U.S. companies around $225.8 billion each year. An effective employee engagement strategy significantly eliminates this kind of charge. Employees who feel valued and form a positive emotional connection with work typically experience less job-related anxiety, stress, and burnout. Consequently, they are less likely to miss work and more likely to enhance productivity. Prioritizing employee health and well-being by fostering a work-life balance and encouraging employees to speak up when they feel overwhelmed creates a motivating environment that employees are excited to show up to every day. Employee engagement boosts performance One of the most pronounced differences between companies that prioritize employee engagement strategies and those that don't is the performance of their workforce. Most leaders understand that employees are a company's biggest asset. However, what many still don't recognize is that skills and experience don't necessarily ensure organizational success. In order to get the most out of your employees, you must invest in workplace culture and employee engagement. Key performance indicators of a successful employee engagement strategy include: Improved productivity. Because involved employees are more invested in the success of their company, they are more motivated to advance their organization's work and mission. They are interested in their work and aligned with team and company goals, which makes it easier to stay on task and more likely that they will go the extra mile to do their job. Better quality of work. An engaged employee is also more invested in individual performance and more likely to produce high-quality work. Workers who are aligned with the  Increased innovation. Highly engaged employees are empowered to communicate their questions and think independently, so they are more likely to contribute fresh ideas and creative solutions. They are also more invested in solving their organization's problems because they are invested in their work and believe in the company's mission. Higher profitability. Higher levels of employee engagement can actually increase a company's revenue–according to Gallup, by around 23%. This is because engaged team members are more efficient and often willing to go the extra mile to finish their work. Employee engagement improves customer experience One of the most interesting benefits of having an engaged workforce is customer satisfaction. That's right–the health and well-being of your employees directly impact the experience of your customers. If employees are committed to their work, they become delegates for the organization, delivering excellent service and fostering customer engagement. When employees feel valued, they reflect this encouraging attitude toward the customers. Workers who are respected, appreciated, and recognized by their employers will feel accountable for enhancing customer loyalty and often go the extra mile for clients. Therefore, organizations that are loyal to their employee engagement strategy are more likely to offer satisfactory client services. How to Achieve Employee Engagement in order to Gain the Above Advantages? As demonstrated, employee engagement strategies pay off for a company in many ways. To achieve engagement and gain the associated benefits, here are a few ideas to consider implementing: Enhance engagement with an improved work-life balance: Empower your employees with time-management skills so that they can confidently meet the demands of both their personal and professional lives.  Conduct periodic employee engagement surveys to assess their well-being: Surveys are great sources for gaining insights and showing your team members that you value their satisfaction. Encourage employees by creating an action plan according to the survey findings and implementing the necessary changes. Use your power to provide and get feedback: Maintaining employee engagement, actively respond to your employees' demands and concerns about their tasks by establishing a supportive and honest feedback culture.  Exhibit and boost your core values: Keep your employees engaged by aligning them with the organization's fundamental principles. Use performance management software to improve employee engagement at your company Establishing a culture of employee engagement has never been easier thanks to performance management tools like Teamble. Our platform allows you to improve employee engagement, build better teams, and strengthen performance at your organization using the tools you are already familiar with: Slack and Microsoft Teams. Using Teamble makes it simple to: Provide continuous feedback and recognition in real-time; Receive feedback from employees; Hold one-on-ones with your employees; Develop and distribute surveys; Document interactions with your team; Document engagement-related metrics; Set and view goals; and Establish team rituals. For additional information on how Teamble can help you strengthen your company culture and increase employee engagement, check out our Help feature or give Teamble a try for free.

The dramatic shift toward remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most significant workforce changes to occur during our lifetime. One survey found that in the Spring of 2022, as many as 58 percent of American employees reported the opportunity to work from home at least one day per week. Most employees embrace flexibility when given the chance, and many companies have found that remote work options can actually lead to more productive team members. For employers, remote work can create cost savings and reduce staff turnover. However, the trend toward remote work has also brought with it new challenges–especially for managers hoping to build a cohesive, high-performing team. As teleworking becomes increasingly popular, it is important to adapt your performance management system to accommodate remote employees. Luckily, new platforms like Teamble have made it simple to manage a remote workforce and conduct performance reviews with your team members. For more tips on how to plan for performance conversations with remote employees, check out our article below. Establish Clear Expectations Conducting performance reviews for remote employees can be challenging, but it is certainly not impossible. One of the key strategies is to set clear expectations on what and how things need to be done. Considering performance management processes, performance review for employees working remotely require a higher degree of competence because remote team members may have different struggles than those working in a traditional office setting. Yet, developing a sustainable culture that empowers both office and remote workers is still achievable with the right strategies. Setting clear expectations paves the way for remote performance review and constructive feedback. When remote team members are acknowledged precisely for their part in fulfilling objectives, giving them honest feedback becomes much easier and more effective. After all, knowing that your efforts will be noticed, your motivation toward the project increases. Therefore, setting expectations can portray the content of feedback and encourage employees that work in a remote setting, leading to a more effective performance management process. Encourage Participation and Engagement Encouraging participation and engagement during remote performance evaluations is essential to ensure that remote team members feel valued and supported. Remote performance reviews can sometimes result in employee disengagement, especially if it's about negative feedback. Yet, by encouraging employees to actively participate and tell their point of the story, you can manage the process easily. Remember, providing ongoing feedback can help remote employees to improve their performance and achieve their and also the company's goals. Encouraging employees to share their thoughts and ideas can also help to improve workplace practices and company culture. By establishing a culture of continuous development and creating relevant materials and guidelines by the HR teams for this character of the company, employees are more likely to take ownership of their own performance levels and work towards achieving their goals. So it creates a win-win situation for both managers and remote teams. We know that, especially in HR processes, this is one of the most significant KPIs that all specialists want to achieve. Ultimately, the key to a successful remote review process is to encourage participation and engagement. Provide feedback often Don’t just leave feedback for periodic performance reviews. Instead, work toward establishing a culture of continuous feedback with all of your employees. Regular check-ins show employees that their manager cares about them and wants to help them succeed. Further, continuous feedback and regular career conversations help increase engagement and motivate employees to perform well. Creating an environment of frequent and open communication is especially important when managing remote workers, as it can be more difficult to build a cohesive team when everyone is virtual. Holding regular one-on-ones can also help make the formal performance review process easier. For example, if you hold weekly meetings with an employee, you won’t be faced with the task of summarizing months or even a year’s worth of performance information in a formal performance review. Incorporate Employee Development Incorporating employee development into remote performance reviews is an essential aspect of the process. In today's remote environment, it's crucial to ensure that the entire team has the skills necessary to succeed. This is especially true when it comes to management skills. By providing remote employees with opportunities for development and growth, you can ensure that they feel valued and supported. Encouraging employees to take part in training programs and providing HR software for self-paced learning can be incredibly beneficial. The global pandemic has highlighted the importance of investing in employee development, as it can help remote employees to adapt to new working conditions and thrive in challenging situations. Ultimately, incorporating employee development into remote performance reviews is a win-win situation, as it benefits both the employees and the company. Develop review standards that apply to all employees If you are managing a hybrid team, or your organization has both remote and in-person workers, it is important to develop the same performance review standards for all workers. This can help you to avoid making common mistakes associated with performance management. Once you have developed a standardized performance review system, make sure your employees are aware of it. This ensures all employees are treated fairly and know exactly what to expect from a performance evaluation. Conduct Performance Reviews in a Conducive Environment When it comes to remote performance reviews, creating a conducive environment plays a crucial role. Employee performance is directly impacted by their surroundings, so it's important to create an environment that encourages engagement and openness. Working remotely can be isolating, and performance reviews remotely can exacerbate this feeling. Therefore, it's important to create an environment that puts remote employees at ease, making them feel comfortable enough to share their own performance and receive constructive criticism. Creating an environment that is both comfortable and professional is key to effective performance reviews for remote employees. Promoting a self-evaluation culture is also important; because self-evaluations can also be a significantly useful instrument to help remote workers assess their performance and share their goals with their managers and directors. By creating a conducive environment for remote reviews, managers can ensure that remote employees will feel connected and supported. Also, the disadvantages caused by the remote working structure will be minimized. Turn On Your Camera During Your Performance Review for Remote Employees Just because your employees are remote doesn't mean you can't have face-to-face interactions. Although cameras aren't necessary for every conversation, it can be helpful to use video technology for more challenging discussions like a formal performance review. Video calls will help both you and your employees feel more present and engaged. Visual connections also enable you to pick up on significant non-verbal cues that are impossible to catch without video. These indications provide valuable context to the discussions and employee performance reviews by expressing feelings, attitudes, and reactions. When both the manager and an employee can see each other, it becomes easier to stay focused and involved.   Prepare for meetings To get the most out of performance conversations, you should make sure both you and your employees come to performance review meetings prepared. This means that you need to develop clear objectives and talking points for every performance review and share this information with your employee ahead of time. Knowing what to expect mutually, you can have a more efficient session while conducting performance review for remote employees. It will also contribute to an overall culture of transparency and trust that is especially important to establish for a remote workforce. Provide Feedback Often Don't just leave feedback for periodic performance reviews. Instead, work toward establishing a culture of continuous feedback with all of your employees. Frequent conversations increase an employee's work performance by showing that the manager wants to help them succeed. Further, continuous feedback boost engagement and the employee's performance. Creating an environment of frequent and honest feedback is especially important when managing remote workers, as it can be more difficult to build a cohesive team when everyone is virtual. Holding regular check-ins can also help make the formal performance review process easier. For example, if you schedule weekly meetings with your employee, you wouldn't need to summarize months or even a year's worth of performance information in a formal performance review. Give Your Employees the Chance to Provide Their Own Feedback During performance reviews, set aside time for your employee to ask questions. You might even want to come prepared with a few questions that prompt feedback. It can be especially important to set aside this time for your remote employees, as they may not have as many opportunities to express their opinions as office-based workers.  However, don't limit the opportunity to give feedback to performance reviews alone. As you work to establish continuous check-ins, you should remember that regular feedback is most effective when it involves the active participation of both managers and their employees. Encouraging your employees to come to you with questions or concerns at any time not only establishes a culture of trust but can also help improve performance by giving you the chance to clarify expectations and avoid misunderstandings. Use Performance Management Software to Standardize Your Performance Review Process Technological advancements like Teamble have made it easier than ever to manage successful remote performance review. With our user-friendly platform that integrates seamlessly with Slack and Microsoft Teams, you will be able to create an engaging, responsive system of continuous feedback that makes performance management simple and efficient. Our platform enables you to overcome the management challenges that can accompany remote work by allowing you to easily set and view goals, provide feedback in real time, and document interactions with your team. If you are interested in seeing how Teamble can help transform your performance management system, give us a try for free or submit questions through our Help feature.

At some point in our professional lives, we all have to deal with negative feedback at work. Often, this comes in the form of constructive criticism and offers us a chance to learn, grow, and improve the quality of our work. When conducted properly, performance review meetings can serve as a valuable tool for developing a healthy, transparent, and employee-centric company culture. But what if you believe the feedback you have received is unfair or unwarranted? Do you know how to disagree with performance review professionally? Although it can be tempting to react angrily or defensively against a bad performance review, it is important to remain calm and handle negative performance reviews in a professional and respectful manner. However, you don't need to just accept performance evaluation you disagree with. Instead, try to have an honest conversation with your manager to share your side of the story. You might find that the opportunity to share both of your perspectives can foster respect and understanding between you and your manager and lead to a better working relationship and professional development opportunities in the future. So what are the best practices for pushing back on a negative performance review? Keep reading to check out our advice on how to help you keep your cool and respond to critical feedback in a professional, balanced manner. Wait before responding Before responding to negative feedback, take a moment to process it. You might even need a day or two to go over the evaluation and come up with a respectful, effective, counterargument. In this situation, tell your boss that you are surprised by the feedback and ask for some time to process it. Schedule a follow-up one on one meeting, then use this time to carefully review the feedback and develop a plan for responding. Ask questions and acknowledge your manager's point of view If you are confused by your manager's feedback, don't be afraid to ask for additional explanation about your own performance. Maybe their criticism comes across as vague or too broad–in this case, ask your manager to provide specific examples that support their claims. In order to come up with a solid counterargument and respond effectively to criticism, you need to know exactly where your reviewer is coming from. During this process, you might find that there is some truth to your manager's evaluation. If this occurs, be open to the idea that there are some aspects of your performance that you can improve. Develop a well-supported response Now that you fully understand your manager's feedback, it's time to develop your response. Keep in mind that it is probably best to avoid directly accusing your reviewer of being wrong. Instead, remind your manager of all the things you are doing right with kind words. Performance reviews are often influenced by one big or recent issue, so try to showcase all the other things you've worked on or accomplished recently. To fully support your case, be sure to use specific examples, data, and evidence that demonstrate your value to the organization and highlight the quality of your work. We know it's one of those difficult conversations, but this is the way most managers would prefer. It is also possible that your negative performance review resulted from incorrect information or a misunderstanding. If applicable, you should list any errors or inconsistencies you noticed in your manager's feedback that could have influenced their assessment of you. Finally, remember that professional feedback represents a chance for you to improve your work and grow as an employee. Acknowledge any aspects of the review that seem fair and express your commitment to improving in these areas. An accurate feedback, even though it's a negative one, is the key to a future positive feedback and a performance appraisal from your manager. Be respectful and polite When you reconnect with your manager to discuss your performance, your tone and demeanor are just as important as the contents of your rebuttal. Don't just assume that your boss has it out for you. Thank them for taking the time to meet with you and convey that you hope to have an honest, open discussion. You will want to appear polished and professional, even while disagreeing with your bad review. Outline the steps you will take to receive a positive feedback in the future Yes we know, it can be challenging to move forward after receiving a bad performance review. However, coming up with an effective action plan is the first step in the right direction. To speed ahead towards improvement, you must take some time to reflect on the feedback and identify areas for improvement. Remember to be specific and break down your plan into smaller, achievable goals. By doing so, you can track your progress and make adjustments as needed. Taking the time to come up with an effective action plan will not only be helpful for your success but will also show your commitment to the improvement process. Again, we know that it will require hard work, dedication, and guidance, but it is possible. Your manager will likely appreciate the effort you put in to address the feedback, and you will demonstrate your willingness to learn and grow. All you need to do is to spare time to work on areas that need improvement. Remember that the process of improvement is not an overnight success, but with patience and perseverance, you will prove that you care about the feedback you received -even though you think it was an unfair one-. After that, you will have a strong hand in your next performance review and it's not that likely to have another bad performance review from your manager. Set-up a timeline for the next review Setting up a timeline for the next review is crucial for you after receiving a negative performance review. It gives you the opportunity to review your performance, work on your weaknesses -if there are any-, and set goals for the next appraisal. And basically, this is the key that allows you to receive positive feedback and recognition for your improvements. This timeline will give you the chance to take ownership of your performance and set realistic goals that align with the organization's objectives. Even for the managers, the next performance review meeting should be considered an opportunity for growth, rather than a critique of the employee's work. By setting up a timeline for the next review, you can create a plan of action. It's important to judge your performance objectively. After that, you should use this opportunity to conduct a self-assessment of your work and identify any possible gaps in your skillset, as well as any kind of negativity that prevents you putting your 100% into your duties. Also keep in mind that this is a great opportunity to seek more responsibility. When this is done, you are already halfway through a positive performance review. With the right mindset and approach, you can turn a negative performance review into a positive one. With the effort you show, a negative review will end up with a performance appraisal from your manager. Come to an agreement Once you have been given a chance to explain your side of the story, you should obtain closure and work on next steps. This process could require compromise from both you and your manager.  For example, you might realize that although your boss was largely unfair in their appraisal, there are some elements of your performance that you could improve. If this is the case, talk to your manager about coming up with some fair next steps that would help you get to a place where you are both happy with your work. This will help you receiving a positive performance review in the future. At the end of the day, it is important to remember that you might not be able to change your manager's mind about this specific appraisal. However, you probably have a much better understanding of their expectations and a clear plan for improving your performance reviews and receiving a positive review in the future.  Make performance conversations a regular part of your work environment Performance conversations are most beneficial when they are held on a continuous basis. To prevent future misunderstandings and make sure you are on track, don't be afraid to follow up with your manager. Find out whether you are meeting expectations and seek clarification on tasks or projects that you don't fully understand. Establishing regular check-ins with your boss will also demonstrate that you are engaged and care about the quality of your work. Teamble can help you make continuous feedback and regular check-ins a part of your work experience. We know that managers often have busy schedules, so we make it easy to have meaningful performance conversations using tools you are already familiar with: Slack and Microsoft Teams. Teamble allows you to have efficient, documented interactions in real-time–providing you with the environment you need to make your voice heard in any situation. For additional information on how Teamble can help you build stronger working relationships with your manager or other members or your team, connect with us using our Help feature.

When conducted properly, performance reviews can help foster employee engagement and wellbeing, as well as improve quality of work. Bad performance reviews, on the other hand, can be detrimental to an organization's culture and leave your employees feeling like it's time to start looking for another position. Unfortunately, many companies still rely on outdated performance review systems and practices that do more harm than good.  One of the biggest mistakes a person or an organization can make when it comes to performance management is providing performance feedback too infrequently. Despite the fact that continuous feedback has been shown to be far more effective than periodic performance evaluations, over 60 percent of managers still only provide performance feedback once per quarter or less. It is important to not only hold performance conversations more frequently, but also correctly. To help you ensure performance reviews are a positive and constructive experience for both you and your employees, we've compiled the following list of tips on some of the top mistakes managers should avoid while conducting a performance review. Common Mistakes to Avoid in a Performance Review As we all know by now, and also repeated multiple times, one of the most critical aspects of managing employees is conducting a performance review process. For the managers, it is essential to ensure that your employees are meeting expectations and delivering the results that the company needs. We all know that a good performance management on the workplace can help both the managers and the employees for their future careers as well. However, conducting a performance evaluation can be a daunting task, especially when dealing with an underperforming employee. Even the most experienced managers can make mistakes on identifying the bottlenecks of the tasks, the required training plans or communication problems during the performance review process. And these mistakes can have significant consequences for both the employee and the organization, such as the decrease on work performance and hurt feelings of an employee, and being unable to reach the professional goals of an organization. Let's take a look at the common mistakes to avoid while conducting a performance review and the possible outputs of these mistakes. Lack of preparation to the one on one meeting We all know the moment when when we delay an essential task until the eleventh hour and then try to complete it quickly. The same can happen when it comes to planning and managing a performance review meeting. But just take a moment to think about how performance review meetings are actually one of the most important tasks for the managers who wants to create a safer environment for their team members and also help them reaching their professional goals. To avoid the pitfall of lack of preparation, managers should start by creating an outline for the upcoming meeting that includes the overall happiness of the employee, the KPIs they are responsible of, and the other important stuff about the business. Talking about the general employee performance is not enough; as performance review meetings are a part of micromanagement strategy of the organization. Make sure you also talk about the details such as communication, learning experience, development areas as well. If an employee is underperforming, managers may need to create a performance improvement plan to help them get back on track. If you want to read more about how to handle a negative performance review, make sure you check our How to Conduct and Write a Negative Performance Review article. Remember, preparation is key to conducting a successful performance review! Providing feedback periodically rather than continuously If held on a more regular basis, performance conversations can be part of a successful strategy to increase employee engagement and improve quality of work. However, many managers still fail to provide continuous feedback to their employees. By relying on periodic performance reviews rather than incorporating regular check-ins or one-on-ones, these managers are missing out on key opportunities to: Establish a culture of trust and transparency with their team; Minimize staff turnover and promote career growth among employees; Identify areas of improvement before they affect the company or become irreversible; Reduce pressure or emphasis associated with formal performance reviews; Document conversations that can inform and strengthen formal performance reviews; and Improve their own management skills. Providing only negative feedback or avoiding critical feedback When conducting a performance review, two things you should avoid are providing only negative feedback and, conversely, shying away from providing necessary critical feedback. Instead, try to keep performance conversations balanced. Make sure to recognize achievements and acknowledge strengths when possible, for example, but don't be afraid to directly address areas of improvement. Being honest and fair can go a long way toward bolstering employee motivation and performance. Making the conversation one-sided As a manager, one of the most important functions of your job is to listen to your employees. If you don't allow your team to ask questions and provide their own feedback, they will feel as if they don't have a voice. Over the long-term, this can negatively impact employee motivation and satisfaction. With this in mind, make sure to allow your employees time to express concerns or ask questions during a performance review. Even if you feel that your evaluations are fair and correct, you should still empower your employees to respond to any feedback that you might provide. Being disorganized or vague on the performance review process Another mistake that managers should avoid is failing to prepare for performance reviews. Without clear objectives, a performance conversation can end up being a huge waste of time. Instead, to make sure you get the most out of a performance review meeting, plan ahead and know exactly what you want to talk about. Make sure that you are also able to provide specific examples to back up your claims, as vague or generic criticism will not provide your employees with a clear idea of how they can improve their work. Failing to address biases on performance reviews It can be easy to let our biases influence our opinions of other tasks and people. However, as a manager, it is essential to recognize your biases and prevent them from impacting your employees. In order to provide the most fair and objective review possible, think about incorporating the following practices into your performance review process: Obtain feedback from other employees and ask the employee in question to fill out a self-evaluation (this is also known as a 360 review); Avoid “recency bias” and don't give certain performance metrics more weight simply because they occurred more recently; Set clear, measurable performance standards that apply across your organization; and Allow evidence and data to inform your assessment of an employee rather than drawing a conclusion and then looking for evidence to back it up. Forgetting to follow up performance expectations If you don't develop an action plan or provide clear next steps to your employees following a performance review, they can end up right back where they started. Show your employees that you are invested in their growth and performance by following up regularly on their progress toward any goals or objectives you discussed. Doing so will help them become more confident and improve the quality of their work. Possible Effects of Avoidable Performance Review Mistakes So far, we talked about the points to avoid during a performance review meeting and how those problems can cause different problems for your team and organization. But when managers fail in at least one of these, surely there will be consequences, such as demotivated and disengaged employees that question their ability to meet performance expectations, ended up in decreased effort level. Another example is the employees may feel frustrated and hurt communication as a result of unclear feedback of the managers. As a result, they may become less willing to communicate their performance issues with their managers, which can lead to limited employee growth and development. Let's take a look at the possible outcomes of a wrongly conducted performance feedback. Decreased employee morale and engagement Employee morale and engagement can take a hit when managers fail to conduct an effective performance review, doesn't matter whether it's a positive one or a negative one. When employees feel like they are not reviewed fairly, it wouldn't be a realistic to expect their performance issues to be solved. Even after a positive performance review, you can end up with a weaker engagement on the employee's side if you follow the wrong pattern. This is why it's crucial for managers to take performance reviews seriously and give them the attention they require. To prevent decreased employee morale and engagement, managers need to be proactive in setting clear expectations and goals for their team members. This means actively providing specific feedback on where the employee can improve and offering a solution to help them meet their performance goals. Also, managers shouldn't oversee to appreciate the positive sides of an employee's key metrics. By regularly reviewing employee performance against these goals, managers can provide support and guidance where needed, which will help employee's progress as well as the professional goal of the organization. Additionally, managers should encourage open communication by asking for employee feedback and suggestions for improvement. Building a double sided feedback culture will help build trust and create a more positive and productive work environment. Disconnected communication between the managers and the team members Another possible outcome of a wrongly conducted review meeting is disconnected communication between the managers and the team members. Disconnected communication between these two elements of an organization can have detrimental effects on the overall performance of the team. When team members do not have a clear understanding and appreciation of their own performance, it becomes difficult for them to meet expectations set by the management. And this can end up with the employees who hesitate to bring up with their valuable ideas. Another harmful outcome of disconnected communication is that employees feeling not brave enough from sharing feedback and concerns with their managers, leading to unresolved issues and further damage to the team's performance. To prevent this negative result, managers should provide a safe space for their team members to talk about their concerns about their duties and general feelings. While providing clear expectations, performance goals, and feedback to their team members, they should also listen to them and encourage them to talk about their ideas and critics overall. When the employee understands that they are listened, they will be more open to the possible critics about their performance concerns as well. By fostering an environment of transparency and trust, managers can prevent the negative effects of disconnected communication and help their team members achieve their full potential. Use performance management technology to improve your performance conversations We tried to explain what to avoid in a performance review. And here is a great tip for your organization: The best way to implement a system of continuous feedback and modernize your performance review process is to utilize performance management tools like Teamble. Teamble can help you avoid common performance review mistakes by making these meetings simple and more effective. Most employees love receiving this type of progressive feedbacks from their managers. Our platform allows you to easily set and view goals, track them, provide continuous feedback in real-time, and document interactions with your team using applications you are already familiar with: Slack and Microsoft Teams. Have more performance review-related questions? Want to learn more about how Teamble can help you transform your performance management system? Connect with us using our Help feature or give us a free try starting today.

Performance reviews can have a bad reputation among both managers and their teams as a yearly chore that just needs to be checked off the corporate to-do list. However, recent trends suggest that more and more organizations are beginning to recognize the value of continuous feedback over annual or periodic performance reviews. These companies understand that if held on a more regular basis, performance conversations can be part of a successful strategy to increase employee engagement and improve quality of work. To learn more about why you should make frequent check-ins an integral part of your company culture, check out the top benefits of regular performance review meetings below: Happier and more successful employees Lack of regular feedback can leave employees feeling directionless or like their work goes unrecognized. Conversely, companies are finding that continuous feedback can have an incredibly positive impact on their workforce. Regular check-ins show employees that their manager cares about them and wants to help them succeed. Further, continuous feedback helps increase engagement and motivates employees to perform well. All of these factors are important for minimizing staff turnover and promoting career growth among your workforce. Frequent performance meetings also allow managers to identify areas of improvement before they affect the company or become irreversible. This helps employees to produce better work and can save a significant amount of time that would be lost to fixing weeks or months of unchecked mistakes. Enhanced employee motivation and engagement Regular performance review meetings can enhance employee motivation and engagement in several ways. Firstly, constructive feedback provided during these meetings can help employees understand their strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to make necessary improvements in their performance. Additionally, a continuous feedback approach that includes informal feedback outside of scheduled performance reviews can help employees feel valued and supported, leading to higher levels of motivation and engagement. Goal setting during these meetings can also be used to help employees stay focused and motivated, giving them a clear sense of direction in their work. Regular team meetings can also be used to create a collaborative and supportive work environment, which can further enhance employee motivation and engagement. Enhanced employee motivation and engagement can be highly advantageous for the organization. Motivated and engaged employees are more likely to go above and beyond in their work, leading to increased productivity and better overall performance. They are also more likely to be committed to the company's goals and values, which can lead to improved teamwork and collaboration. Additionally, high levels of employee motivation and engagement can help reduce employee turnover rates, which can save the company time and money on recruiting and training new staff. Overall, investing in employee motivation and engagement can have a significant positive impact on the company's bottom line and long-term success. Improved employee performance and productivity Regular performance meetings, such as team meetings and continuous feedback models, can lead to improved employee performance and productivity. During these meetings, employees can receive feedback on their on-the-job behaviors and discuss areas for improvement. This can help employees identify areas where they can develop their professional skills and grow within their roles. Additionally, providing positive reinforcement for employees' successes can help them feel valued and motivated to continue performing at a high level. Communicating clear expectations and setting achievable goals can also help employees stay on track and remain focused on achieving their objectives. The company can gain significant advantages from improved employee performance and productivity. When employees perform at a high level, there is a greater likelihood of achieving business objectives and goals. Improved productivity can also lead to increased efficiency and cost savings, which can have a positive impact on the company's bottom line. Additionally, when employees are engaged and motivated, there is a higher likelihood of employee retention, which can reduce the costs associated with recruiting and training new staff. Finally, when employees receive opportunities for professional development and growth within their roles, they are more likely to feel valued and invested in the company's success, leading to greater commitment and loyalty. Overall, improved employee performance and productivity can have a significant positive impact on the company's success. Improved management skills Your employees aren’t the only ones who will benefit from regular feedback. More frequent performance review meetings can also help you to become a better manager and avoid improper or damaging interactions with your employees. Interestingly, one study demonstrated that managers who received feedback on their strengths showed 8.9 percent greater profitability. It’s also much easier for you to identify, track, and maintain goals when you schedule regular performance meetings. These meetings can help you better understand your employees and develop goals that reflect their strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what your employees are capable of and setting individualized goals can help them thrive and saves you from wasting time on assigning projects or tasks that don’t make sense. Identification of employee development needs and opportunities One of the significant benefits of regular performance review meetings is the identification of employee development needs and opportunities. During these meetings, managers can discuss areas where the employee needs to improve and identify the skill sets that require development. This can be done by reviewing the employee's past performance, setting objectives for future performance, and assessing the progress made toward those objectives. Additionally, managers can provide employee feedback that is constructive, specific, and relevant to their job responsibilities, enabling them to gain a better understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement. By identifying employee development needs and opportunities, managers can support employees in achieving their full potential and contribute to the growth and success of the organization. Identifying employee development needs and opportunities can serve as a significant benefit for the company as well. Performance management is an essential aspect of any organization's success, and employee development plays a crucial role in this. By providing meaningful feedback and identifying development opportunities, organizations can improve employee performance and increase productivity. Additionally, employee development helps organizations attract and retain top talent, which is essential in today's highly competitive job market. When employees feel valued and supported in their career growth, they are more likely to be motivated, engaged, and committed to their work. Ultimately, this leads to better decision-making, improved customer service, and increased profitability for the organization. Clear expectations and two-way communication Sporadic or infrequent check-ins with your employees can result in miscommunication. Holding frequent one-on-ones with the employees who report to you provides time to clarify any expectations and curb misunderstandings. This ensures that any questions an employee might have are addressed on a regular basis and allows you to bring up concerns on projects they might be working on. Regular one-on-ones also provide your employees with more opportunities to connect with you and feel heard. As a manager, one of the most important functions of your job is to listen to your employees. If you don’t allow your team to ask questions and respond to feedback, they will feel as if they don’t have a voice. Alignment of individual and organizational goals Regular performance meetings, such as performance appraisals, are an effective way to align individual and organizational goals. During these meetings, managers and employees can discuss how the employee's work aligns with the organization's goals and objectives. By providing ongoing feedback and constructive criticism, employees feel heard and supported, and their accomplishments are acknowledged. These discussions can help employees understand how their work contributes to the overall success of the organization and identify areas where they can improve their performance. Additionally, regular performance feedback can help managers and employees stay on track with their goals and objectives and ensure that they are working towards the same outcomes. The company can benefit greatly from achieving alignment between individual and organizational goals. When employees' goals align with the organization's goals, there is a greater sense of purpose and direction in their work. This can lead to increased employee motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction, which in turn leads to improved employee retention rates. When employees are aligned with organizational goals, they are more likely to take ownership of their work and strive towards achieving the desired outcomes. This can lead to improved productivity, quality of work, and customer satisfaction. Overall, aligning individual and organizational goals can lead to a more cohesive and successful organization. Less pressure associated with annual performance reviews Annual, end-of-year performance reviews can be daunting for both employees and their managers. Establishing frequent performance meetings throughout the year can help take the pressure off these yearly evaluations by making sure everyone knows what to expect when the time comes around. If you have conducted regular reviews throughout the year, you also don’t have to summarize an entire year’s worth of performance in one meeting, which can be time-consuming. Holding frequent performance review meetings also provides a documented history of conversations, which can help you evaluate an employee’s performance more accurately and efficiently. Let Teamble help you establish a regular performance review program that works for your organization We built Teamble to help you make continuous feedback a meaningful part of your company’s culture. We also make this transformation simple by allowing you to continue using the tools you and your employees are already familiar with: Slack and Microsoft Teams. Our platform allows you to easily set and view goals, provide continuous feedback in real-time, and document interactions with your team–providing you with all the tools you need to improve employee engagement, build better teams, and strengthen performance at your organization.  For additional information on how Teamble can help you establish a better performance review system and manage your team more effectively, check out our Help feature or give Teamble a try for free. Promoting Professional Growth and Development with Regular Performance Review Meetings and Constructive Feedback by Teamble Promoting professional growth and development is crucial to keeping employees engaged and motivated. With the help of Teamble, a performance management software that integrates with Slack and Microsoft Teams, promoting regular feedback culture in the organization is made easy. By encouraging the use of Teamble, managers can provide constructive feedback to their employees, highlighting their strengths and areas for improvement. Teamble allows managers to create personalized development plans and set measurable goals and performance improvement plan for their team members, ensuring that they are aligned with the company's business goals. Joining Teamble is a straightforward process that can help your organization achieve its business objectives with continuous feedback performance management. With its user-friendly interface, managers and team members can easily provide and receive feedback, making communication more effective and efficient. Teamble can help identify areas where employees can develop their skills and competencies, leading to improved performance and productivity. With regular feedback and personalized development plans, employees can track their progress and see how they are contributing to the company's success. Join Teamble today to take advantage of its performance management tools and create a culture of feedback in your organization.

Performance management is a strategic approach to monitoring and managing employee performance. The goal of performance management process is to focus on the development of employee skills and increase the effectiveness of their performance. More specifically, performance management is a system that shows tangible evidence of what is and isn't working and which employees rise higher than others. Performance Management plays a significant role in a booming industry. No matter the organization's size, understanding how well your employees are functioning can help determine where improvements can be made and where they excel. Without the knowledge of WHAT your employees are doing, HOW they are doing it, and WHY they are doing it, resources such as time and money can ultimately be lost. Understanding the Significance of Performance Management Employee performance management provides valuable insights into each employee's strengths and weaknesses. With a manager's performance appraisal, a company can gauge staff's work ethic, skills, and knowledge. Additionally, it can help to provide constructive criticism, develop clear employee roles, boost productivity, highlight inside leadership, and increase interest among staff. Engaging in continuous reviews of an employee's performance can help ensure that the company's goals and values are effectively displayed. Without proper communication between higher-ups and their staff, valuable information can be easily lost. In order to maintain an organized and efficient team, everyone needs to be on the same page about the company's long-term aspirations and how their roles fit into achieving them. Lastly, proper performance management can help to weed out underperforming employees and promote the ones that bring value to the company. With updated records of one's successes and downfalls, you can easily determine who is considered an asset to the company and who is considered detrimental. Importance of Professionality in Performance Reviews Employee performance management isn't only about showing which employees are high-quality workers and which ones can use more training and development. It also helps to promote the professionality of leaders during performance reviews. A performance review meeting with a manager can either hurt or benefit the company and the employee simultaneously. If you cannot effectively display continuous feedback as a manager, an employee can be left astray. In turn, this will ultimately result in an employee not having the knowledge or resources to improve on their shortcomings. Learning the best practices of performance reviews can greatly increase overall efficiency and project accuracy. Setting Clear Performance Expectations and Goals Setting clear performance expectations and goals is a significant component of effective performance management. To set individual performance standards that align with company culture and goals, managers should involve both themselves and employees in the performance planning process. This collaboration helps ensure that employees' goals are aligned with organizational objectives, and that they have the necessary resources and support to meet their targets. Clear and achievable performance expectations provide employees with a roadmap for success and enable them to prioritize their work effectively. Additionally, setting clear goals helps managers evaluate performance accurately and fairly, and provides a basis for feedback and coaching. By involving both managers and employees in the performance planning process, organizations can create a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, which is the hallmark of effective performance management. Benefits of Regular Feedback Vs. Periodic Feedback The benefits of both regular feedback and periodic feedback are numerous, and organizations should consider adopting a continuous performance management approach to reap the benefits. With the help of a good performance management solution or performance management software, managers can provide feedback to employees in real-time, which can have a significant impact on employee engagement and performance. Regular feedback allows managers to identify issues and provide training and development opportunities to address them promptly, resulting in faster and more effective performance improvement. Additionally, regular feedback empowers a culture of open communication and trust, as employees feel more supported and valued. By contrast, periodic feedback can feel more like a box-checking exercise. Continuous performance management meetings conducted by either managers or HR teams, with its emphasis on regular feedback and ongoing development, can help organizations create a more agile and adaptable workforce and increase the overall contribution on employee's side. Most companies act on periodic feedback rather than regular feedback. For example, a popular approach is quarterly performance management cycle. However, this limits the potential gain in skill and improvement within a company's team. Putting a strong focus on providing constant performance feedback can incredibly impact your team's success. For example, a few benefits of regular performance review meetings are: ▶︎ Keeping employees and project teams up to date and aligned with the company’s current goals ▶︎ Catching poor performing employees early, breaking bad habits, and encouraging growth immediately ▶︎ Reduces the amount of confusion a tram will experience, as regular feedback provides clear and effective communication. ▶︎ Builds a solid rapport with employees and allows management to promote from within more easily ▶︎ Encourages employees to focus on their career growth Methods of Tracking Employee Performance Understanding why setting performance objectives and providing proper performance management is just the beginning of setting up a successful and efficient team and employee retention strategy. It is also essential for you and your company to understand how to track the performance of your employees. Competency-Based Performance Management A competency-based performance management approach encourages straightforward communication between employees and managers. Evaluating performance aims to provide an open space for employees and leaders to discuss shortcomings and performance excellence and surely helps employee development. Often, a competency-based approach reduces the amount of frustration between an employee and their job because of the open communication line throughout the performance review process. Additionally, higher rates of alignment between employee results and company goals are reported with the use of this method. S.M.A.R.T Goals The SMART method is a popular goal planning technique for performance management strategy in order to reach performance targets. It focuses on 5 targets to hit when forming and setting a new goal for yourself and your employees. Using the SMART technique as a guide in tracking your employee's performance has proven highly effective. So, what does S.M.A.R.T stand for? Specific: Your goal for your employee should clearly state all expectations and responsibilities for the strategic objectives. Measurable: You will need to ensure that the goal is something that can be measured through key performance indicators. This could be the quality of the work produced or how cost and time effective the goal was once achieved. Attainable: You want your employees to succeed, so it's highly important to set achievable goals in the given timeframe and with the resources available. Relevant: Busy work isn't going to display an employee's performance accurately. You must ensure that the goal you are requesting is pertinent to their position and beneficial to the long-term goals of the team and company. Time-based: Be clear about when the goal is expected to be completed, and request milestone updates as progress are made. OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) Objectives and Key Results is a method designed to encourage communication between the WHAT and the HOW when setting and achieving goals. With OKRs as the performance management approach, organizational goals should be created, and the plan to achieve them should be transparent. Typically, an OKRs plan will consist of 3-5, paired with 3-5 quantifiable action items, commonly known as KPIs. These goals and KPIs allow for company goals to be set very high as employees will document their progress towards successful completion. Using Performance Data for Talent Management Using performance data for talent management is a key aspect of effective performance management. By collecting performance data through regular applications like one-on-one meetings and performance management tools, managers can gain valuable insights into employee performance and potential. Timely feedback based on this data helps managers identifying areas where employees need additional support or training, and rewarding good performance through employee recognition and other incentives. Transparent communication about performance data and metrics also helps build trust between managers and employees, and creates a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Using performance data for talent management and increasing employee performance enables organizations to make data-driven decisions about managing performance, identifying high potentials, and succession planning. By providing effective real-time feedback, managers can help employees reach their full potential and contribute to the success of the organization. Providing Continuous Improvement and Feedback Loops Continuous improvement and feedback loops are essential components of effective performance management systems. By regularly monitoring and measuring performance against company objectives and strategic goals, managers can identify areas of poor performance and take corrective action through a performance plan. This process helps ensure that employees are aligned with business outcomes and company objectives, and that they are continually improving their skills and abilities. Feedback loops are also important to this process, as they enable managers to provide ongoing guidance and support to employees, helping them achieve their goals and reach their full potential. By creating a culture of continuous improvement and feedback, organizations can ensure that they are always working toward their strategic goals and objectives, and that employees are continually developing their skills and abilities. This approach to performance management also helps foster a culture of accountability and transparency, as employees understand how their work contributes to the success of the organization. Teamble—An Innovative Performance Management System With more remote work than ever, having online resources to track your team's performance is crucial. With an application like Teamble, you can easily plan performance reviews for remote workers. What is Teamble, you ask? Teamble is a tool designed for Slack and Teams, which allows you to give and receive continuous feedback on your projects, skills, and performance. The applications reduce the risk of miscommunication and ensure that both employees and management have an open line of contact. Teamble makes it possible for teams and managers to ▶︎ Make use of powerful templates to provide detailed and quality feedback from your phone and computer ▶︎ Review past feedback received and performance details ▶︎ Schedule 1:1 meetings to improve performance, resolve conflicts and enhance communication ▶︎ Build inspiring rituals to keep your team engaged ▶︎ Increase overall performance ratings and push responsive performance management ▶︎ Gather people analytics and goal-setting figures With the help of Teamble, conducting remote performance reviews, providing continuous feedback, setting and tracking goals, and maintaining a professional attitude is easier than ever!

Performance reviews are essential tools to help employees understand how they are performing in their current roles. In addition, these reviews often provide feedback and insights into where an employee is highly skilled and where they need to make improvements. But some of the performance reviews are harder than the other ones, especially the negative ones. So if you are here, we just assume that you already know the value of conducting regular performance reviews to lead to a more efficient and successful team, and you are basically ready to learn the proper way to handle the tougher performance reviews. It is no surprise that performance reviews are highly stressful and awkward. These negative feelings are typically mutual between both parties. Performance evaluations are not just nerve-racking for the employee but also for the employer that has to give feedback. These reviews become even harder to complete when they are based on more negative than positive feedback to an underperforming team member. Unfortunately, sometimes a manager has no other choice but to give his or her employee a poor review to bring out the best out of them, or find out what causes the low level performance. The good news is that this article will teach you EVERYTHING you need to know about the dos and don'ts of giving and writing a negative review. What is a Negative Performance Review? A negative performance review occurs when an employee's professional performance does not match the pre-set standards and expectations of their company. Best-in-class companies define each competency and skill required for an employees role as well as the expected behaviors within each competency. When employees are given definitive examples of what good and bad performance looks like, company feedback is able to highlight competencies areas and behaviors that are not in line with expectations. The poor performance review can serve as constructive guidance on how the employee can better align their behaviors with company goals. There are assorted reasons why you may feel you should give your employee a less than a positive review. Still, it will ALWAYS be based on their professional performance. For example, you may have an employee who ▶︎ Lacks practical communication skills, and this leads to misunderstanding and delayed responses ▶︎ Has the inability to complete their assigned projects on time ▶︎ Does not exhibit the skills required to complete tasks involved in their role ▶︎ Has difficulty showing up on time or misses an extensive amount of the workweek ▶︎ Has the inability to work collaboratively / not being a team player ▶︎ Not being a good coach or mentor for the junior roles What is the Importance of Giving a Negative Performance Review? Some might find giving a bad performance review far too uncomfortable to follow through on. However, it is incredibly important to understand that unfavorable reviews are just as essential, if not even more so, as positive ones are. These less-than-exciting reviews can act as immensely beneficial guides to employees with many weaknesses they need to improve on. Additionally, when given correctly, a poor performance review can lead to the building of new skills, higher productivity, career advancements, and even feelings of encouragement. How to Give a Bad Performance Review There are some things that you should avoid while conducting a performance review. Learning to give a professional and well-rounded review in performance review period is necessary when being a leader for your company and your team. Although it may seem challenging, learning the proper techniques is possible and will leave you feeling more confident in the message you are displaying to your employee. So, what should you do? Here are some specific examples: Provide a Self-Evaluation to Your Employees as a Performance Improvement Plan Before the meeting, give your employee a self-assessment. This will prepare them for the topics you plan to review and allow them time to begin thinking about their performance. In addition, a self evaluation also offers you the opportunity to understand how they already gauge their work and will help you narrow down where your focus should be and what issues you should discuss. Maintain a Positive and Encouraging Attitude Even During a Negative Review The LAST thing you want to do is make your employee feel more uncomfortable with the situation. So, when providing negative feedback, keep it factual and NEVER speculate. Remember, criticism is already a fear your reviewee most likely has, so maintain a positive environment to ease some of their worries. One way to maintain a positive environment is to offer advice. You want your criticism to be constructive, NOT destructive. Inform your employee on how they can go about making improvements in their current role. As a manager, you should offer support and guidance to those who are struggling. Incorporate Some Positive Feedback on Performance Reviews Although a negative review is mainly focused on what the employee needs to work on, there is no reason you shouldn't be giving them some positive feedback as well. You should always remember to touch on their achievements and valued skills. Providing employees with a clear understanding of their overall performance targets can greatly benefit their performance improvements. For example, even if a project wasn't turned in on time, you should still compliment the quality of their work. It is important to note where their strengths are and recognize what they bring to the company. Positive feedback will minimize any discouraging feelings they are having during the review. Allow for the Reviewee to Share Their Side of Things You may spend most of the meeting telling your employee about their flaws and weaknesses. Although their shortcomings may drastically affect you and the rest of the company, you should always consider their side. Keep in mind that we are all human, and we have good and bad months. That said, be sure to allow your employee to have an open line of communication where they can feel free to express their concerns. While also having the option to explain why they haven't been meeting expectations. Addressing Emotional Responses and Managing Conflict Addressing emotional responses and managing conflict is a crucial aspect of conducting a review. It's natural for employees to feel defensive or upset when receiving negative feedback, and it's important to approach the conversation with empathy and understanding. Creating a safe environment for the employee to express their emotions and concerns can help to alleviate tension and promote performance improvement. Additionally, addressing emotional wellbeing during the review process can have a positive impact on the employee's overall job satisfaction and engagement. However, it's also important to be clear about the areas where the employee needs to improve, particularly for poor performers, and provide actionable steps for how they can achieve their goals. By handling emotional responses and conflicts effectively, managers can facilitate a more productive and positive performance review process. Common Phrases to Use When Giving a Bad Review When you have completed your 1:1 review, you will need to create a write-up that documents all issues and achievements among your employees. It is vital that you work up a clear message about your employee’s weaknesses and inadequacies. Here are some examples to add to your detailed report to avoid assumptions and confusion: ▶︎ She is frequently late to work. In the past month, they have come tardy X number of times. ▶︎ He has difficulty communicating and does not provide timely responses. ▶︎ She works well alone but struggles to work effectively in a group. ▶︎ He struggles to differentiate between professional and personal conversations. Final Thoughts It is also crucial to have supporting evidence to back up your claims. One way to ensure you have the supporting statements is to use Teamble. Teamble’s tools can set you up for success by providing managers and leaders like you with the best practices of performance reviews. Created to be added to your teams or slack application, Teamble can supply an innovative and effective way to utilize performance reviews. Teamble is designed to track an employee’s performance, allow managers to set up 1:1 meetings, and provide regular feedback to their team from their computer, tablet, or phone. With powerful templates, managers and employees can express their feedback professionally and clearly every time!

The Magic Window for Retention Introduction When it comes to employee retention, how you onboard and engage with a new employee in their first 90 days matters significantly. Research shows there is a magic window of time when your employees are still new enough that they’re excited about their job, but not so new that everything is still overwhelming and unknown. The magic window can vary depending on the type of company you run or the type of employee you hire, but generally speaking it’s in the first 90 days. This article will explain why this is so important as well as how to use leverage this critical time frame to promote tenure > 1 year. The Magic Window for Retention Did you know that there’s a magic window for employee retention? It’s true! And it’s called the “Magic Window.” The first 90 days are when new employees are most likely to quit, but they’re also the best time to make an impact on their long-term decision making. So if you’re wondering why your company is losing so many people this might have something to do with it. Why the first 90 days? The first 90 days of a new job are crucial. In a large study by Fast, the reasons for leaving were varied, but solvable. > Forty-three percent say their day-to-day role wasn’t what they expected, 34% report that an incident or bad experience drove them away, and 32% didn’t like the company culture. But what is more interesting is that if an employee makes it past the three-month mark, you can expect that they will stay for more than a year. That means if you don’t get it right in their first 90 days there is no chance to develop them into a top performer. Your Secret Weapons Focus on Onboarding Well. Making sure new teammates have an onboarding conversation that involves working styles, personal preferences, team norms...etc. example: "you find out EOD meant 5pm for your manager, and you sent it at midnight!!!". Help them learn the little things will make them work effectively and set them up for success. Set-up 1:1s. Start with 15, 30, 60 day check-ins. You’ll want to build at least one of these into your onboarding process, and the sooner the better. Having a conversation about what’s working and what isn’t early on will give you both time to plan for changes or additional training if necessary. Recognize progress publicly. Recognizing new hire’s performance publicly with kudos (or even just letting them know how much you appreciate something they’ve done) is an easy way to boost their morale—and keep them around longer! Monitor engagement and sentiment along the way If you’re not already leveraging people analytics, this should be an easy add - allowing you to set up alerts that trigger when issues with engagement or satisfaction are detected. Get Set Up for Success You need a tool to succeed during this time. Consider using teamble. We’d be happy to show you how to optimize for the 90 day window.

It's that time of year again. Time to sit down, assess performance, and decide who is getting a raise and who is not. Performance reviews are one of the most dreaded parts of work for both managers and employees. But I've learned it doesn't have to be! If you've done the legwork up front, annual performance reviews can be an exciting, rewarding experience that propels your team forward in their professional development. Here's how: By using a goals-based pyramid performance review. This creates a structure where a goal is backed by a core behavior and contributes directly to a team or company objective. By using this structure, clear direction to employees on what to do (goal) and how to do it (core behaviors) is given, while enabling managers with the information to build the case for merit or promotions (company objective). This is how it works in real life: Ensure your team or your company has created and agreed on clear, measurable objectives that represent the results you want to achieve. These are typically called OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Make sure you have defined core behaviors that relate directly to your culture and achieving your OKRs. For example, proactive communication and active follow up might be core behaviors for a customer service team, whereas, meeting preparation might be one for a sales team. Once your team understands where you are headed and the behaviors that will help get there - you want to set aside time for them to come up with 3-5 personal goals that contribute to the objectives and are backed by core behaviors. For example, for a service team member it might look like: Obtain >95 CSAT rating by practicing emotional intelligence in order to help increase our team’s CSAT by 20%. After your team has crafted these, make sure they are available in an easily accessible place and you have feedback loops set in place to continuously track the behaviors that are contributing to the accomplishment of the goal. That's where teamble comes in. We've created a system that will help you manage performance reviews with ease. With teamble, you can set up these goals easily and implement them into your day-to-day operations so you can track them over time. Then, when it's time for performance review season, everything is already in place, and all you have to do is check off the boxes! When it comes time for official performance reviews you now have an easy template and data to quickly move through and assess performance in addition to all the information needed to put together evidence for merit or promotional advances in less time than ever. It's that easy—and no more headaches during performance review season.

February 2022 was an incredible month for teamble's presence in the Microsoft Teams app store and Slack App Directory. Teamble was recognized as a Top App in several categories. Please take a look: 🥇 teamble is featured as the #1 App for HR & Recruiting in Microsoft Teams App Store 🥇 teamble is featured as the #1 App for Working From Home in Slack App Directory 🥇 teamble is featured as the #1 App in Communications Category in Microsoft Teams App Store 🥇 teamble is featured as the #1 App in Productivity Category on Microsoft Teams App Store 🏆 teamble is featured as a Top Pick on Microsoft Teams App Store Ranking #8 out of 1000+ apps Microsoft Teams also highlighted teamble as a top app for a couple of industries: 🥇 teamble is featured as the #1 App for Finance and Professional Services Industries in Microsoft Teams App Store We very much appreciate the recognition for being one of the top apps in Microsoft Teams and Slack.

Years ago, 6 months into my new job as a consultant, my staffing manager told me that I was “un-staffable and my performance was lagging” That came as a total surprise because I thought I was doing everything right and no one ever said anything otherwise. Apparently, there was some feedback I needed to hear, but I never got it. I was lucky to then have amazing managers and mentors who got me under their wings and coached me. Just one 30 min 1:1 conversation changed the whole trajectory of my career as my new manager laid out what I was doing wrong and what I should be focusing on. When done well, feedback is transformative. But very few people are lucky to get it. Giving and getting that kind of feedback and coaching should not be an outlier event, it should be the norm in the workplace! That is why we built teamble! Today we launched teamble on Product Hunt and other various platforms. Already loved by 800+ organizations around the world, teamble is a Slack and Teams app that helps you give & get feedback and develop your skills. What can you do with teamble? 👩‍💻 👨‍💻 Team members, managers, team leads can: ▶︎ Give and get better, contextual, actionable feedback using simple tools and templates ▶︎ Build new team rituals with automated tools & surveys for 1:1s, pulse checks, standups… ▶︎ Get to know your team’s working styles and personality traits to work more effectively ▶︎ Get insights into your strengths and track your development 👩‍💼 👨‍💼 HR and People Ops can leverage teamble to: ▶︎ Measure performance, burnout, engagement, DE&I, and L&D metrics with powerful surveys ▶︎ Get the right insights and reports to drive the people strategy effectively ▶︎ Simplify performance reviews with automation, complete review cycles in a breeze and do all the above without leaving Slack or Teams 🌟 Teamble is available for free on Slack and Teams app stores. Unlimited number of users can give and get unlimited number of feedback and surveys. 🌟 You can upgrade for more scale, analytics, reporting, and admin tools. 🌟 Get One Month FREE + 30% OFF with the code PH30 on upgrades. 🌟 If you want to give teamble a try without adding it to your Slack or Teams space please join our teamble demo playground Slack workspace to use teamble there. We will show you how to give & get feedback, launch & respond to surveys etc… Please come check us out on Product Hunt and let us know what you think.

Everybody wants more continuous feedback at work but few people get the feedback they need. That is why we built Teamble! Teamble makes 360 feedback simple, continuous, and meaningful. Feedback conversations (especially the ones that make a difference) are hard to come by. As a result, organizations are struggling to meaningfully coach, engage, develop, and retain their people. The sudden shift to remote made this challenge even more difficult. Our goal is to help companies, managers and teams develop team rituals that foster ongoing and meaningful feedback through very simple tools that live where you work: in Slack and Microsoft Teams. We want every organization to be able to build a workplace culture that is “people first”; where individual growth and development is the priority; even when we are working remotely! Whether you are a remote, agile or a project team, Teamble is the best platform to start building a culture of continuous feedback for all teams. Who are we? We are a mission-driven organization taking on a challenge to change the way companies develop and grow talent today. We have worked for decades on organizational and culture transformation at several “Best Companies to Work For” and we want to help every organization to be one. We help organizations get rid of outdated talent development practices and clunky HR systems and  that treat people as “assets” or “resources” vs. the talented and passionate individuals we all are. We believe that we can all find harmony in work & life by being more effective and smart about how we work (e.g.; aspire to have 4 day workweeks while making lasting impact We believe that with the right tools and practices any organization can develop, grow and become an environment that is a “best place to work for” We are already used by 650+ teams and 4K+ users in some of the “Best Companies to Work For” To start exploring teamble please add us to your Slack workspace here, Microsoft Teams here or schedule a demo here.