Businesses succeed through effective teams, but the factors affecting employee and team performance are now more complex than ever. Take, for instance, employee engagement and workplace resilience, which describe positive work attitudes and the ability to perform despite challenges. Both aspects fell drastically in the wake of the pandemic, affecting employee performance levels across organisations globally.

Given the state of employee performance, leaders face a much greater responsibility in managing teams effectively during this challenging time. A team’s effectiveness is only as good as its leader’s team management initiatives that allow employees to work at their best. Leaders can use several useful tips to implement valuable activities that can boost their team’s performance.

Set Clear Goals

Teams work best when the end goal is clear to every employee as it provides direction, making collaboration much easier. Organisations communicate this from top-level executives for lower-level managers to apply to their teams. The challenge is to take the broad strokes painted by the CEO and translate them into measurable and actionable goals. Each team’s goals may differ depending on their function, but by setting clear goals, they can work to reach the desired outcome.

Start goal setting with the widely-used method, SMART Goals, for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound targets. These criteria will make your goals easier to visualise, work toward, and achieve.

Prioritise Wellbeing

The importance of an employee's wellbeing cannot be understated, especially if they are expected to perform well. A joint UK-Australian study found that wellbeing was affected by several factors, such as stress levels and diminished physical health. And while wellbeing might typically refer to mental health, these findings highlight the importance of the physical aspect, making investing in comfort an important part of management. One great option to promote comfortable workspaces is by investing in a standing desk. It puts one in a neutral position, causing less stress on the spine and making it a more comfortable choice — that is, once you’ve grown used to it! Anti-fatigue mats are also great additions to standing desks as they are accessories that prevent the pain and fatigue resulting from too much standing. These accessories also improve the body’s circulation and heart health.

There are many other ways to help your team prioritise wellbeing through their environment, such as providing guidelines on ideal work setups. Encourage them to have ample lighting (natural, if possible), a comfortable temperature, and even a little desk plant! As long as it benefits one’s physical and mental health, it will also contribute to improving overall wellbeing.

Let Your Staff Be

One of the biggest hindrances to success faced by competent employees is micromanagement, which is why leaders should step back and give teams the freedom to meet their goals. Managers should only have to check on and measure the team’s progress. However, team members that struggle to keep up will benefit from a bit more guidance and mentoring. At the end of the day, each leader’s responsibility is to ensure the team accomplishes their part in contributing to business objectives. Start by learning how each of your team members works before leaving them to their own devices and trust that they’ll get the work done.

Boosting team performance should involve team management skills from leaders, but it should also focus on the most essential aspect: teamwork. Developing this interpersonal skill can be the key to your team’s success or failure. Remember that every team is only as good as its weakest member, and it is up to leaders to empower everybody to achieve greater things together.

This article was written by Raffy June.

“Raffy June is a freelance writer and photographer based in Florida. She likes travelling to experience new cultures and learn the histories of her destinations. The travelling has been put on hold due to the pandemic, but her passion for learning and writing are as bright as ever.”