Improving Job Performance is Essential - Essay Example

Improving Job Performance is Essential Introduction Any kind of job whether clerical, secretarial, writing, etc., job performance is measured. Job performance defines one’s ability, skills, capability, and knowledge. Somehow, the measurement depends on the level of job satisfaction a worker or employee could do. According to some, improvement would only come if someone has the willingness and desire to improve; honing skills and humility are keys to achieve better work performance. However, not everyone has excellent job performance.

Hence, this paper tries to list and explain different methods to upgrade job performance including the limitations that human resource personnel would probably face in the course of improving such matter. Further, it seeks to explain different situations wherein the methods might be used. Methods to Improve Job Performance It is necessary that workers or employees should take necessary steps in order to raise their performance level at the peak of satisfaction. Truly, nobody is perfect but if and only if he or she will try to come out from the comfort zone, and let him or her take the methods that would really help alleviate work performance, there is a greater chance for a remarkable change.

Actually, there are several ways or methods that have been used by many successful employees in their struggle to climb up to the highest position as possible such as attending seminars, motivation, organization, job restructuring, incentives, training, and the most commonly used method--SMART objectives (Solomon, 1997). However, the effectiveness of the said methods would greatly depend on the individual using it. 1.1 Job Restructuring This technique is one way of improving work performance through adjusting to the strengths and weaknesses of an employee (Solomon, 1997).

Conditions like assessing and appraising employee’s skills and strengths are suited to this kind of technique. It will aid the process of developing one’s skills to be suited for a particular kind of job. This may include changing a job to compensate for an employee’s strengths and weaknesses. For instance, suppose a certain office clerk has difficulty in using the New Version of Microsoft Excel. In order to help this employee improve his performance, the human resource personnel, or someone in authority should give him or her necessary guidelines and strategies on using the said computer application.

In addition, it is best to avoid teasing or discriminating the employee for him or her to cope with the lesson well. However, the human personnel, or anyone who is in charge at assessing an employee’s performance might face limitations such as training and imposing new guidelines. Training is essential factor to aid employees’ performance; it would increase one’s skills if the cause of low performance is due to limited ability (Solomon, 1997, p. 28). The assessor should know if the employee has both the capacity and motivation to improve, as these two would help him evaluate the limitations.

Moreover, imposing new guidelines to the employees would determine the employees ‘self-acquired’ discipline, and would measure his or her knowledge on the new set of rules. 1.2 The SMART Objectives The acronym SMART means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (“20 Ways to Improve,” 2006). It requires both the employee and human resource personnel to work hand-in-hand on this method. In a company wherein a team or a group of employees is aiming to achieve common results and gains, it is essential to consider the following conditions like helping each other meet the employment expectation, improving individual skills, upgrading job satisfaction, and maintaining a good atmosphere in the workplace.

Specific--each one should know the specific goal of the team as possible. Measurable--employees must determine short term and long term goals like meeting quota (short term). Further, Achievable--there are goals which can be achieved in short time, while others are achieved in longer time, so it is best to ‘sort out’ matters. Relevant--prioritization really matters, so it’s better to identify common goals, and make a list of priorities (Goudie, 2010). Lastly, Time-bound--in setting up objectives and goals, one must set a definite time as to when to achieve such matters.

Since, there are many goals lining up on the list, it is wise to determine the length of time for each matter. This technique allows an employee to raise his or her job performance. One thing everyone should bear in mind: improving job performance would be successful only if one has the discipline, courage, skills, patience, and willingness to improve. There might be limitations on the part of the human resource personnel because it is solely up to the employee whether improving job performance is beneficial, or not.

Jefferson once said, “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time that never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” References Goudie, E. (2010). Ways to improve your work performance. Retrieved from http://www.helium.com/items/1952016-ways-to-improve-your-performance-at-work Jefferson, T. (n.d.). Done Quote. Brainy Quote. Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/done.html Solomon, R. J. (1997).

The physician manager’s handbook: Essential business skills for succeeding in health care (2nd ed.). US: Jones & Bartlett Learning. 20 Ways to improve the job performance of individuals, teams, and/or organizations. (2006). Job Performance.com. Retrieved from http://www.jobperformance.com/20ways.html