If you want to set clear goals and expectations, having accountability in the workplace is vital. Approximately 36% of employees say they're engaged at work, according to a 2021 Gallup poll.
Holding your employees accountable is one of the best ways to ensure that your business is a success.
Here are seven ways that you can improve or increase accountability in the workplace for a successful experience that benefits everyone.
1. Accountability in the workplace starts with you
As a business leader, your aim is to be a role model for your employees. You can't expect others to be accountable for their actions if you're not holding yourself to the same high standards.
Remember that employees always follow the lead of their managers and other leaders. Make sure that you're doing the same things you expect your employees to do, or even better.
One way to improve accountability in the workplace is to simply show up. Be prepared, on time, and make a concerted effort to support your employees when they need it. Practicing what you preach is a good way to ensure that your employees are held to the same standard.
2. Devise a clear plan
If you want to know how to increase accountability, it starts by setting clear and realistic expectations. Your employees can't reach their goals if they don't know what they are.
Come up with a clear, actionable game plan in terms of goals for both your business and your workforce. By setting these goals in advance, everyone knows what they need to do to be successful.
When people are confused about what's expected of them, they'll have trouble succeeding. By devising a clear game plan and setting realistic goals, everyone knows what to strive for. This also helps you hold people accountable when they fail to reach those goals.
3. Provide tools for success
As you think about how to hold employees accountable, remember to help them by providing the right tools and support. Without these tools, your employees could feel neglected or confused about what their goals should be.
Whether it's training manuals and meetings or new software, these tools should be designed to help employees accomplish any task. The right tools will help your staff improve their skillet, increase confidence, and encourage them to take ownership of the things they do.
Managers have a responsibility to provide adequate resources to their teams. If you don't, then you could be setting your business up to fail. Giving people the resources and tools they need will help them feel confident and ready to tackle almost any task they face.
4. Boost employee morale
Why is accountability important? It's vital because it helps you ensure that every individual (and every team) is responsible for their actions as well as their shortcomings.
By improving employee morale, your workers will be more prone to do the absolute best job they can for you and themselves. Look for ways you can boost morale at work so that everyone feels good about their jobs.
Whether you hold contests with prizes, host parties, or just develop a positive company culture, morale is one of the most effective ways to keep people accountable. When people are happy at work, they'll be much more likely to do the absolute best job they can.
Perform regular performance reviews so employees know where they stand. This is another great way to keep morale at a high level in the workplace.
5. Provide regular feedback
Being open and honest with your employees is another great way to maintain accountability in the workplace. You may need to have some difficult conversations at work, but it's important to be as honest as possible.
When employees get honest feedback about their work, they're more likely to try to improve. If they don't know where they stand, they'll continue to be mediocre or assume that everything is fine.
Don't be afraid to be honest when you're giving employees feedback, but do it with compassion. Always point out a few positives whenever you provide people with constructive criticism.
6. Use mistakes as a springboard
Everyone is human which means that making a few mistakes at work is inevitable. However, you can use mistakes as a way to improve and set everyone up for success.
Instead of looking at mistakes as a setback, view them as an opportunity. Take the mistakes your employees make and turn them into a way to provide actionable steps to make improvements later on.
When people know that occasional mistakes are acceptable, it will improve accountability. Rather than being afraid, they'll be honest about their mistake so they can learn how to avoid them in the future.
7. Keep standards high
Improving employee morale and staying positive doesn't mean that you have to lower your standards. In fact, keeping workplace standards consistently high is one of the best ways to improve workplace accountability.
The higher your standards or loftier your goals, the more employees have to strive for. When you lower expectations, accountability will naturally follow.
Always maintain high standards regarding productivity, sales numbers, and other things that pertain to your business. Doing this will ensure that each individual employee remains accountable throughout their time with your company. Never settle when it comes to keeping high standards, or your business could suffer long-term.
Improve accountability, improve your business
When you maintain or increase accountability in the workplace, you're setting your business up for success. Use these seven tips to help you keep every single employee on track toward reaching their goals.
If you're ready to improve engagement and accountability, request a free demo from Mesh or contact us today.
