NFIB

Set Higher Work Standards
11/ 06/ 2003

by Jeffrey Moses

One of the most difficult and most vital tasks for small business owners and managers is raising the bar on employee work standards. There are numerous ways to encourage employees to excel -- profit sharing, performance bonuses, stock options and special recognition, for example -- but taking a more subjective, personal approach can produce lasting results.

By working directly with employees on a personal level through one-on-one meetings, inspirational memos and ongoing personal encouragement, small business owners can instill a widespread dedication to excellence in every aspect of a company's operations.

You can help raise the bar on employee performance in the following ways:

Challenge employees to do better than they've done before. The status quo is never good enough. When a project is successful, celebrate and reward the success -- but then point out specific ways in which the next project can be even more successful. Don't do this in a vague, unspecified way. Give concrete, tangible areas in which improvements can be made. Over time, employees will constantly be looking for ways to do things more efficiently, faster and with higher quality.

Encourage constant attention to work through the day. Wasted employee time is one of the biggest drains on a company. Employees shouldn't be required to work themselves to exhaustion, but they should be expected to be attentive and productive to their tasks throughout their work schedules.

Introduce the idea that work is rewarding and valuable, not just a way to earn money. When employees understand that they are part of a larger sphere, and that many other people depend on the quality of their work, they are more apt to place higher standards on themselves.

Recognize and reward employees who show initiative. Encouraging independent thinking can reap long-term rewards for a company. To accomplish this, it's important not to require employees to receive approval for every little improvement they want to implement. Not every new idea will pan out, but the overall increased attention to quality among employees will be worth any minor difficulties.

It's important to remember that setting higher standards for quality always starts from the top. When owners and managers insist on excellence and attempt to achieve it in their own work, this attitude filters down. Financial incentives are always a good way to boost performance -- but when it comes to maintaining high quality standards at every level of a company, month after month, it's necessary for owners to set the example, and to work on a personal level with each employee to make sure that the example is followed.

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