9 Areas of Employee Improvement and How to Identify Them

Ensuring that employees have the skills and competencies that meet the needs of the business is important. Therefore, it is very important for companies to know what areas of employee improvement need to be improved.

By knowing which areas need to be improved, it will support the company to be able to achieve its goals effectively and efficiently with the support of competent employees.

Why Employee Improvement is Important

Paying attention to employee improvement is very important because from there the company will get many great benefits considering employees are the company's valuable assets.

Providing skills and competencies development to employees will help them to be able to work more efficiently and productively. When employees have the right skills and knowledge, they can perform their duties more effectively and efficiently, which can lead to increased productivity and efficiency for the company.

The opportunity for improvement that is given by the company to employees can also make employees more motivated in their work. Employees will feel empowered and have the opportunity to develop and be enthusiastic about their work. When employees are motivated and engaged, they are more likely to be productive and deliver high-quality work.

9 Areas of Employee Improvement

The scope of employee improvement is very broad. Companies can conduct programs following the needs of each employee or the needs of the company's business. However, the following are the most common areas of employee improvement required by companies.

1. Leadership

Leadership is one of the areas of employee improvement that should not be overlooked because it involves key elements in the success of the company.

Leaders play a major role in guiding, motivating, and directing team members or employees to achieve the company's goals and vision.

There are several things that can be done to improve leadership skills in employees, such as:

• Encourage Ownership: Give employees the permission to take over responsibility for tasks and projects.
• Plant The Seed of Possibility: Plant in employees a vision of what can be achieved from leadership and encourage them to believe that they can create positive change.
• Provide Opportunities for Leadership Roles: Encourage employees to take on leadership roles in projects, teams, or committees.
• Develop Leadership Tools: Identify the stages, styles, and strengths of employees' leadership. Provide tools and resources to accelerate the development of employees' leadership skills.

2. Work Breakdown Structure

Work breakdown structure (WBS) is a project management approach that involves breaking down a complex project into smaller tasks that are easier to manage with a defined timeline.

The benefits of implementing this include increasing project transparency, ensuring everyone has the same understanding, and helping to identify potential risks.

Here are some ways to improve your work breakdown structure skills:

• Start With The Basics: Make sure your team understands the basics of WBS. Provide examples of successful projects that have used WBS.
• Emphasize Clarity: Encourage your team to use clear, concise language when creating the WBS structure.
• Use Visual Aids: Visual tools can be an effective way to communicate the WBS structure.

3. Time Management

Time management is a critical skill for employees in any company. It can help them be more productive and avoid wasting time on unproductive tasks.

There are a few ways to improve time management skills, such as:

• Time Blocking: This involves scheduling specific times for work, meetings, and breaks. This can help employees visualize their schedule and prioritize their time.
• Setting Clear Expectations and Deadlines: Employees should know exactly what is expected of them and when it is due. This can help them stay on track and avoid procrastination.
• Encouraging Breaks: Taking breaks is important for productivity. It can help employees come back to work refreshed and focused.
• Minimizing Meetings: Meetings can be a major time suck. Only schedule meetings if they are absolutely necessary.
• The Pomodoro Technique: This is a time management technique that involves working for 25 minutes at a time, followed by a short break. It can help employees stay focused and avoid burnout. Use our pomodoro timer to try this method

4. Avoiding Distractions

The temptation to check social media and notifications can lead to wasted time and loss of focus. This can ultimately impact employee performance.

To help employees avoid distractions, try the following:

• Create A "Quiet Zone": Designate one area of the office as a quiet zone free from distractions such as phone calls, conversations, or music. This area can be used for tasks that require high focus.
• Implement Flexible Working Hours: Flexible working hours allow employees to work during their most productive times. This can reduce distractions and improve the quality of work.

5. Task Prioritization

Task prioritization is a critical skill in a variety of contexts, including the business world. Task prioritization helps individuals manage their time more efficiently.

It allows them to focus on the most important and urgent tasks, while reducing the time spent on less important tasks.

To improve this skill, try the following:

• Use The 1-3-5 Rule: Encourage employees to work on one big task, three medium tasks, and five small tasks. This encourages them to focus on the important things.
• Apply The Pareto Principle: This principle states that 80% of results come from 20% of inputs. Try to focus on the 20% of important tasks to generate 80% of results.
• Use The Eisenhower Matrix: Use a framework to categorize tasks into urgent and non-urgent quadrants. Ask employees to prioritize urgent tasks and delegate less urgent tasks.

6. Communication

Communication is an essential employee improvement area. Developing open and effective communication can help avoid misunderstandings and conflict. It can also create a positive work environment where employees feel respected.

Here are some ways to improve employee communication skills:

• Promote Feedback: Create a safe environment where employees feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback. This can be done through open, honest, and respectful communication.
• Recognize The Power of Nonverbal Communication: Make the team aware that nonverbal communication is important, including body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions.
• Take Advantage of Role-Playing Exercises: Putting employees in hypothetical scenarios can help them practice effective communication.

7. Listening

Listening is an essential skill for employees in any company. It helps messages be communicated effectively and builds stronger relationships by engaging fully with colleagues and clients.

Here are some ways to improve employee listening skills:

• Use The Tree Analogy: Encourage employees to focus on building a strong foundation by actively listening and seeking understanding before responding.
• Ask Open-Ended Questions: Ask open-ended questions that require employees to think more deeply and respond in more detail.
• Practice Active Listening: Give employees opportunities to practice their listening skills. This can help them improve their listening skills and confidence.

8. Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is a skill that helps you approach conflict in a more positive way and resolve the issue with an effective solution that leads to a win-win outcome.

Here are some ways to help employees improve this skill:

• Focus on The Issue: Focus on the problem at hand, not on the people involved. Avoid attacking the employee's personality and making them feel attacked.
• Address The Issue Directly: It is important to be proactive when there is a problem. Avoid delaying conflict resolution.

9. Customer Service

Customer service is essential for building a good reputation and the success of a company. This skill is not only useful when providing service to customers, but also between coworkers.

With this skill, employees can build better working relationships and cooperation that are polite and professional.

Here are some ways to develop this skill area:

• The 5/10 Rules Strategy: Greet customers within five seconds and recognize them within ten feet of their arrival. Greet customers with a smile and light conversation to build a good relationship.
• Create Customer Personas: Help employees develop empathy by creating customer personas. This provides an understanding of the target audience.

How to Identify Employee Improvement Areas

To effectively improve employee skills and competencies, it is important for companies to get to know their employees better. This can be realized through open communication, one-on-one meetings, mentoring, and performance evaluation.

With a good understanding of your employees, you will be able to identify areas where they may be struggling and need guidance to improve.

In addition, you can also ask your employees questions about areas where they feel less confident, tasks that are difficult for them, and areas where they feel they need training.

Improving employees is one of the most important things that companies cannot ignore. By providing improvement to employees, companies can ensure that employees have the skills that are relevant to the current business needs.

In addition to improving employees, ensuring the right amount of manpower to meet the needs of tasks and projects is also very important. To overcome this, companies can recruit remote employees who generally have experience and competencies that are beyond doubt.

Talentport is one place where you can find quality remote workers. If you are in need of digital marketing leadership and top-level strategy, consider hiring a fractional CMO for your business. Communicate your business needs and hire candidates from our exceptional talent pool. Inquire now!