For a company to succeed, employee accountability is a must. If your business is underperforming due to missed deadlines or repeated mistakes and you’re not sure what to do about it, start with improving team accountability. Here’s what you need to know to keep your employees accountable in the workplace.
Team Accountability in the Workplace Defined:
- What is Team Accountability?
- How to Implement Transparency and Accountability
- Tracking Team Members
- Improving Poor Performance
What Makes Some Teams Succeed, and Others Fail?
Let’s begin by defining accountability. Many people associate accountability with something negative, like a punishment. That’s not what we’re discussing here.
Staff accountability is about establishing open communication between teammates and management in order to achieve the company’s goals. This requires paying attention to an employee’s performance with the intent of providing feedback, good or bad, along with guidance to boost results. In other words, accountability.
As a business owner, you can’t do everything yourself. In order to achieve your goals, you need people you can trust.
So, what differentiates the high-performing teams from those that function poorly?
For starters, teams that succeed have a clear idea of the business’s goals and its overall purpose. Every team member should know why the job they’re doing is important. If they believe in what your company stands for and know what their role is, they are much more likely to contribute and remain accountable.
“Working with people whose goals align with yours is often overlooked, but integral to your company’s success.”
Secondly, the success of any team is based on trust and understanding. If your interactions with team members instill fear, people will withhold information from you. Additionally, fellow team members will feel resentful if they see you consistently letting others underperform. Even though you can still use a time tracking solution to keep up with your team’s tasks, it’s still important to create inner transparency with them.
However, a work environment full of trust and understanding leads to stronger relationships. Cultivate an environment where team members lift each other up. Recognize and acknowledge fruitful teamwork, honesty, and creativity. Just remember not to make your employees compete for your praise.
Teach your employees how to hold each other accountable as well. The best-performing companies incorporate training and value collaboration. When working on a project together, coworkers need to trust each person will do their task well.
Now we know what accountability in the workplace is. Let’s explore why a culture of accountability is so important in the workplace and how to cultivate it.
Why Are Transparency and Accountability Important in the Workplace?
Transparency and accountability work best in a goal-oriented workplace. To hold your employees accountable, be completely transparent with your goals and the steps needed to get there. If you set vague expectations, there’s no concrete way to know if your employees achieve them. Alternatively, if you set high standards for yourself and communicate them to your team, you can inspire others and see amazing benefits.
1. Transparency and Accountability in the Workplace Builds Trust
Holding people accountable builds a trusting environment. Think about it, can you trust a worker who consistently underperforms? Time spent wondering if employees are fulfilling their duties on time is time not spent focusing on your own tasks. Additionally, fellow team members will feel resentful if they see you consistently letting others underperform.
The only way to build trust within a team is to make sure the same standards apply to everyone. Your employees will trust you more if you communicate openly and treat them fairly. They will also trust each other more if they can ask each other for help or explore new creative ideas together.
2. Transparency and Accountability in the Workplace Improves Staff Performance
Fostering accountability boosts the performance of individuals, teams, and thus the whole company. When each person is responsible for a specific task, there’s less confusion. However, that doesn’t mean you should foster a competitive, individualistic environment. Instead, combine solo work with teamwork.
Additionally, provide employees with useful feedback. Pay attention to each person’s working process and the results they deliver. You should be mindful of the different ways each member of your team works too. While some people prefer to work alone, others may excel in a group. Recognize their strengths and place them in the best possible position to succeed.
The best way to improve productivity in a workplace is to provide every team member with a work environment that fits their preferences. If you notice a lack of accountability, talk to your employees. Let them know what’s expected of them and offer to help them improve. Similarly, reward team members who work hard and regularly meet your expectations.
How to Keep Track of My Team Members’ Work
What tools do you use to collaborate with your team? If you don’t invest time and effort into nourishing collaboration, you can’t expect your employees to perform as well as they should. One of the best way to track your sales employees’ performance and foster a collaborative environment with your customer service team is through live call training. The ability to jump on a live sales call or customer service call is invaluable for ensuring quality service for all customers and prospects.
Another way to improve employees performance is by having a short team meeting every couple of days to check in with your employees. Talk about what each person is responsible for and if they’ve encountered any problems. But don’t make these meetings too frequent, as they can become disruptive and make employees feel like they’re being micromanaged. It’s best to have one or two required meetings per week and schedule more as needed.
Once there’s a team-wide consensus of what needs to be done, you can rest assured everyone will be on the same page. Each member of the team will know who they should talk to and collaborate with based on what tasks they have.
How to Improve Poor Performing Employees in My Team
Every company struggles with employees performing poorly from time to time. To lessen the frequency of poor performances, there are a couple of things you can implement right now. Here are two tips to make sure your employees are always striving to do their best.
1. Provide the Necessary Resources
It’s important to set your employees up for success. If they don’t have the knowledge or enough practice to do a task, they will likely struggle with it. Failing can discourage them from giving their all on future tasks. The best way to avoid that is to invest in your employees’ education.
One way to do so is to pay for classes that will help them learn the necessary skills to succeed. If you don’t have the resources to invest in their education, teach them yourself. A little goes a long way. If you know what needs to be done and you’re willing to teach your team, they will appreciate your effort and strive to make you proud.
2. Foster Connection
Okay, we know that if your employees connect with you and your vision, they will be more accountable and trustworthy. So, the next step is to connect their work with the broader goals of your company. This lets them know they’re part of a something bigger than themselves.
Additionally, try to relate their work with their own professional and personal goals. This is where those regular check-in meetings come in. The more you know about your employees, the more vested everyone will be.
It’s smart to promote collaboration as well. Foster connections between your employees. Doing so will make your employees feel that they are truly a part of the team. They will be proud of others’ successes, and others will be proud of theirs. By connecting with others, your employees will be accountable not only to you but to their team as well.
You can also do outside activities such as bowling nights, Tai Chi, Yoga, and more.
In Conclusion
So, what are some ideas to improve a team’s performance? Equipping your office with the right accountability tools are a great place to start, followed by regular team meetings. Additionally, invest in your employee’s education and skill development. And most importantly, make sure you’re honest with your team. You can only expect your team to be accountable if you are as well.
What are some techniques you’ve used in your business to improve team accountability? Let us know in the comments. And if you have any ideas for future articles, write us at feedback@dyl.com. We’re always looking for new ideas!
