It makes a lot of sense for working individuals to continually improve themselves in order to keep up with the rest, or to stay ahead of them. Unless a person is waiting to get fired from his job, steps must be taken so that skills and abilities will be honed and developed, and also to make room for new skills to be learned and acquired. Supervisors and managers play a crucial role in helping their people boost their performance.

Without the proper guidance and support of superiors, performance improvement efforts will most likely become unsuccessful.  Aside from these, an employee can also get the help of their organization to enhance their work performance. Organizations put much of their efforts at improving their employees’ performance, and these are exhibited in many different ways.

Core systems and processes are fully utilized in order to provide support to every employee so that they can perform their job functions at a higher level. Several valuable tips are given below, which can be used by the employees, supervisors and managers, and the organization.

For Employees

Employees can boost their performance using the following tips:

1. Allot time to improve your skills. Many people have become too caught up with work that they neglect to develop their skills, or learn new ones. While it is required that you stay committed to your job, one should not forget that striving to continually improve and stay competitive is key to good performance.

2. Overcome your fears, such as fear of public speaking and fear of failure by taking part in activities that will help you conquer your work-related fears. Public-speaking courses and attending social gatherings can greatly aid you in becoming more confident when speaking in front of a crowd, such as meetings and corporate dinners.

3. Take time to relax, get enough sleep, and create a balance in your life. While staying up late to finish a project is laudable, it is not recommended to do this on a regular basis because lack of sleep and rest can make a person unproductive, thereby hurting his performance at work.

4. Dress the part. When you want to be seen as someone with very good work performance, you need to dress like one. Sloppy dressers are always perceived in a negative way so make sure you dress smartly for work, every day.

5. Have a high level of self-esteem. Many people do not perform well in the workplace because they do not believe that they can be great at what they do. Make sure to build self-esteem and confidence in oneself so that you can perform better.

For Supervisors and Managers

As mentioned, supervisors and managers have a role to play when it comes to improving employee performance. They can fulfill this role by:

1. Monitoring employee performance consistently. Do not just do it one-time, without even conducting a follow-up to check for improvements. Giving of feedback and making follow-ups are key drivers of boosting performance.

2. Coach, Mentor and Train people whenever necessary. Monitoring results could help determine whether an employee needs to be coached and trained.

3. Creating an environment of open communication. Poor performance stems from a lack of clear communication between the employee and his superior.

4. Giving encouragements. Sincere commendations and words of encouragement will help motivate people to improve themselves. Never miss out an opportunity to praise an employee for a job well done.

For Organizations

Organizations spend a lot of their financial resources just so their people could perform better in their jobs. Here are tips that will be helpful to organizations in their aim of boosting their employees’ performance:

1. Set up systems that will consistently monitor and measure employees’ performance. Consistency is key to effectiveness.

2. Make employees feel valued and important. Providing incentive schemes and rewards programs will encourage them to perform better.

3. Communicate. Organizations should hold open forum sessions with employees to discuss issues and concerns. This should also be the time to recognize high performers, and to encourage those who still need to utilize their potentials.

4. Sponsor workshops and seminars, such as those related to self-improvement, which will increase their motivation at work.