Five Secrets to Keeping Your Top Performers Happy

Frequently, we are asked to work with teams that are experiencing low levels of motivation and morale. When we ask managers to describe their most demotivated and unengaged employees, they typically refer to them as their lowest performers.  To our astonishment, however, when we interview team members, we often find that the team’s top performers have some of the lowest levels of morale.

Top performers are not the employees that typically come to mind when you think of demotivated and disengaged employees. So, what does this mean?  Our Employee Opinion Surveys and our Team Assessments indicate the following three problems:

1. Lack of accountability. Top performers feel burdened by the unreasonable amount of work they are required to complete because other team members are not completing their tasks or working to their full potential. It turns out that, oftentimes, the manager of the team has a high need to be liked. Because of this need, the managers aren’t comfortable holding all team members accountable for high levels of performance.
2. Uneven workload. With lack of accountability, managers constantly give the important projects, as well as any additional work that flows into the department, to the highest performers because managers know they will always get the work done. Top performers are the “go to” people and they feel the weight of these assignments.
3. Inequitable rewards and recognition. Recognition, rewards and bonuses are distributed evenly across the board. Regardless of performance, all team members receive the same percentage of annual salary increase and the same bonus.

Does your organization value all of its employees?

You probably answered that question with something along the lines of, “Yes, our people are our most important asset.”

Now ask yourself, does your organization:

• Lack the courage to hold employees accountable to performance standards?
• Distribute workload unevenly to the top performers?
• Reward mediocre employees, poor performers, or those who don’t take the initiative to improve quality or solve problems?
• Distribute bonuses solely based on the number of years of service to your organization?
• Give everyone on your team or in the organization the same percentage of annual salary increase, regardless of performance?

If you truly do value your employees, these questions need to be answered with an emphatic “No.”

Here are 5 tips that will help you ensure your most productive employees feel adequately supported and appreciated for their excellent work and, therefore, are highly motivated and engaged.

1. Define performance standards
   The Best of the Best companies are rated 15 points higher when it comes to clearly defining what is expected from employees and how the performance will be measured. For employees to hit the goal, they need to be able to clearly see the target.
2. Hold all team members accountable for high levels of performance
   The Best of the Best organizations are 13 points above the rest of the organizations at holding all team members accountable to the set performance standards. When each team member is accountable for their performance, it provides managers with the ability to fairly distribute the workload and reward accomplishments accurately.
3. Coach and counsel low performers
   Leaders in the Best of the Best organizations are rated 15 points higher in the area of effectively coaching and counseling employee performance. If employees are not meeting expectations, the leader needs to coach, counsel and even train the employee with new skills. If that does not work, get Human Resources involved, and with HR’s step-by-step guidance, share a non-performing employee with your competitors.
4. Have different levels of rewards for your highest achievers
   We are raising a society where everyone wins a trophy. When every employee receives the same reward, or when rewards are not linked directly to performance and results, it is almost guaranteed to result in lower morale. When employees are asked if performance standards are applied consistently in their department, the Best of the Best employees rate their organization 16 points higher.
5. Recognize your highest achievers
   It is not uncommon for high achievers to tell us of their significant accomplishments and then add, “Not once has the CEO or my manager recognized these successes or valued the work I bring.” These high producers are left wondering, “Why should I keep working to this level if it is not appreciated?” When employees are asked if the highest achievers are rewarded appropriately, employees in the Best of the Best companies rate their organization 20 points higher.

We have recently worked with several teams to implement the five tips outlined above over a 12-month period of time. We have watched morale continuously improve along with scores for motivation and morale on their follow-up Employee Opinion Surveys.

Do your top performers have high morale? If you can’t check “done” next to all of the key points made above, then you mostly likely have some top performers with low morale. Peter Barron Stark Companies can help. We have a proven track record of helping organizations turn the tide of low morale to increase engagement and productivity. But, we suggest you act fast before your top performers burn out or move on to a competitor where they feel valued and are recognized for their high level of performance.