You improve employee performance by getting five things right: clear goals, regular two-way conversations, the right support and resources, ongoing development, and a workplace where everyone feels they belong. Leaders who build these into daily management see people contribute more, and they do it without relying on pressure. This guide explains each step in plain English, with examples from Irish organisations and a 90-day plan you can start this week.
Key Takeaways
- Performance covers more than output. It includes the core job, the way people support their team, and how well they adapt to change.
- Clear, agreed goals linked to organisational priorities give people a target they own.
- Regular conversations through the year beat a single annual review.
- Role clarity, autonomy and supportive supervision protect energy and lift results.
- Inclusive leadership helps every person do their best work, and it is a practical performance tool.
Table of Contents
- What employee performance really means
- Set goals people understand and own
- Talk regularly, not once a year
- Give people clarity, autonomy and support
- Invest in learning and career development
- Build an inclusive workplace where people belong
- Address performance concerns fairly
- Measure performance with a fuller picture
- Our perspective: performance grows where people can be fully themselves
- How we can support your team
- A 90-day plan to lift performance
- FAQ
- Sources
What employee performance really means
Before you improve something, define it. Research describes employee performance as the degree to which tasks are completed and role requirements are met. It covers task, contextual and adaptive performance, and it is shaped by motivation, leadership style, work environment, training, competence and career development.
The CIPD, the professional body for people professionals, describes the three dimensions in simple terms:
- Task performance: carrying out the activities specific to the job.
- Contextual performance: voluntary behaviour that supports the working climate, such as helping a colleague or sharing knowledge.
- Adaptive performance: the ability to adjust when something unexpected happens.
This matters because many leaders measure only the first. A team member who keeps morale high, welcomes new colleagues and adjusts quickly to a new system adds real value that a sales figure or a ticket count misses. When you discuss performance, name all three.
Set goals people understand and own
Goals are the base of everything else. The International Labour Organization's HR manual recommends SMART goals aligned with organisational goals, agreed with the employee and updated as the organisation's needs change.
Three habits make goals work in practice:
- Link each goal to a priority. Tell people how their work connects to the wider plan. A customer service lead who knows the aim is to cut response times for a new product launch can make better daily choices.
- Agree, do not hand down. Ask the employee to draft their goals first. People commit to targets they helped write.
- Review when the context moves. A goal set in January may no longer fit in June. Updating it keeps the target fair and relevant.
Irish public bodies show how this looks at scale. The HSE's Performance Achievement Policy sets out a mandatory annual process in which staff and managers develop goals, monitor outcomes and hold regular, constructive two-way dialogue. The Irish Wheelchair Association's Performance Development Framework also stresses that open conversations between managers and employees help align individual objectives with organisational outcomes. You do not need a large organisation to borrow the idea: a one-page goals sheet and a regular chat does the job.
Talk regularly, not once a year
The HSE policy points to continual feedback and review as part of the relationship between staff and managers, with constructive two-way dialogue across the annual cycle helping staff develop their skills and competencies. The ILO manual adds that traditional performance management can carry a negative reputation, and that continuous discussion and shared responsibility can turn it into a positive process.
Here is a simple rhythm that works for most teams:
| Touchpoint | How often | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Short check-in | Weekly or fortnightly | Priorities, blockers, quick feedback |
| Development conversation | Monthly or quarterly | Progress on goals, learning, workload, wellbeing |
| Annual review | Once a year | A summary of the year, goals for the next one |
Keep check-ins to 20 or 30 minutes. Let the employee set half the agenda. Ask open questions: "What would make your week easier?" and "Where would you like more support from me?" These two questions alone surface most of the issues that hold performance back.
When you give feedback, describe what you saw and the effect it had, then ask for the employee's view. Specific, kind and timely feedback is easier to act on than a general comment weeks later.
Give people clarity, autonomy and support
Performance rises when the job's demands are matched by resources. The Job Demands-Resources model, summarised in a CIPD evidence review, shows that demands such as workload and emotional pressure can drain energy. Resources such as role clarity, autonomy and supervisory support protect wellbeing and enhance performance.
You can act on this in three ways:
- Clarify roles. Write down who decides what, and who owns each piece of work. Overlaps and gaps cost time and trust.
- Offer autonomy. Agree the outcome, then let people choose how to reach it. Autonomy is also one of the motivators the ILO manual lists, alongside relationships, mastery and purpose.
- Support the person, not just the task. Good supervision gives people a space to think through hard situations. This is true for the front-line team member and equally true for senior leaders, coaches and HR professionals who carry the emotional weight of other people's issues.
If burnout is showing up in your team, a one-off wellbeing event rarely solves it. Our article on why workplace wellness often falls short looks at better solutions rooted in how work is led and organised.
Invest in learning and career development
The ILO manual states that investing in learning and development helps employees accomplish their goals, and that ongoing development supports their skills and contributions. In the Irish civil service framework, defining people's skills and capability needs, and engaging stakeholders to shape learning, are named competencies. The same logic applies in a private company of 30 people.
A practical approach:
- Ask each person where they want to grow in the next 12 months.
- Match their answer with a business need: a skill the team lacks, a role opening up, a project that needs a lead.
- Choose a mix of formal learning, stretch assignments, mentoring and coaching.
- Review progress at your monthly or quarterly conversation.
The five areas employees most often develop are communication, time and priority management, technical skills, collaboration and leadership. Leadership development deserves special attention, because managers shape the experience of everyone who reports to them. Giamos and colleagues' review of development-oriented performance management found that managerial training and trust were the most critical factors for success. Training your managers is one of the highest-return steps you can take.
Our career growth and learning commitment explains how we think about development in practice.
Build an inclusive workplace where people belong
People do their best work when they feel they belong, can speak up and are treated fairly. In Ireland, the public service's people practice guidance notes that integrating equality, diversity and inclusion into people practices can create value and positively affect organisational culture and performance.
Inclusive leadership shows up in everyday habits:
- Inviting quieter voices into discussions before decisions are made.
- Sharing credit by name.
- Checking that opportunities, stretch work and feedback are spread fairly across the team.
- Responding calmly and clearly when someone raises a concern.
Our guide on how to practise inclusive leadership in the workplace offers concrete steps. If behaviour in your team needs a direct but respectful conversation, our article on addressing inappropriate behaviour at work shows how nonviolent communication brings clarity, accountability and respect. For Irish context on structural issues, see our piece on diversity disparity and systemic change.
Address performance concerns fairly
Even in a strong team, someone will sometimes fall short of expectations. A fair process protects the employee, the team and you.
The ILO manual advises giving specific, factual feedback, recording observations related to the job, and offering suitable support or training. It describes performance counselling as a way to help an employee or team reach the required standard, while performance management as a whole aims to help people reach their full potential.
A clear sequence helps:
- Describe the gap. Compare what you observed with the agreed expectation, using examples and dates.
- Listen first. Ask what is getting in the way. Workload, unclear priorities, a skills gap or a personal difficulty each call for a different response.
- Agree the support. This might be training, a mentor, a change in workload or clearer priorities.
- Set a short review date. Two to four weeks lets both sides see progress.
- Keep notes. A short written record keeps everyone on the same page.
The CIPD adds a useful point: outcomes are often influenced by factors outside a person's control, so focusing on behaviours and processes rather than results alone can be a more effective way to manage. Coach the behaviours you want to see, and results follow.
For formal disciplinary or capability steps, speak to your HR lead or an employment law adviser, since Irish procedures carry legal requirements.
Measure performance with a fuller picture
The CIPD notes that using both subjective and objective measures gives a fuller, more accurate assessment. Objective measures include sales, quality scores, delivery times and customer feedback data. Subjective measures include manager observations, peer input and the employee's own reflection.
If your organisation wants to define what good looks like for each role, a competency framework helps. This walkthrough explains how HR teams can turn research into a competency framework in clear steps. Once the framework exists, use it in goal setting, feedback and development plans so everyone works from the same picture.
Our perspective: performance grows where people can be fully themselves
At ELIS Advantage, we see performance as the result of three things working together: a leader who knows themselves well, a team whose dynamics are healthy, and a culture where everyone can contribute.
Many organisations start with tools and templates. We start with people. When a senior leader builds self-awareness, their decisions improve, their feedback lands better, and their team feels safer to speak up. That is why our coaching is tailored to the individual and informed by psychological and organisational research.
We also believe leaders need somewhere to reflect. Professional supervision gives coaches, HR professionals and practitioners that space, and it keeps their own practice sharp and sustainable.
Finally, we bring a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive lens to our work. Inclusion is part of how high performance is built, not an extra. Our Include-Performance Framework® brings these ideas together, and our data-driven approach helps teams see what is working and where to grow next.
the author
How we can support your team
If you are ready to turn these ideas into results, we offer several routes, each tailored to your context.
Our leadership coaching helps senior leaders build self-awareness and decision-making confidence. The Effective Leadership Coaching Process starts from €2,521, and our twelve-month programmes start from €6,252 per year.
For HR professionals, coaches and practitioners, professional supervision is €150 per session. If you want to bring inclusive facilitation in-house, the Include-Performance Framework® Facilitator Programme costs €875. For whole teams, see our executive and leadership team interventions, or invite us to speak through our keynote speaking offer. You can also browse all of our services.
A 90-day plan to lift performance
Use this plan to move from reading to doing.
Days 1 to 30: listen and clarify
- Hold a 30-minute conversation with each team member. Ask what helps them work well and what gets in the way.
- Write down role responsibilities and check them with each person.
- Draft goals together and link each to an organisational priority.
Days 31 to 60: build the rhythm
- Start regular check-ins with a shared agenda.
- Give one piece of specific, positive feedback to each person.
- Agree one development action per person.
Days 61 to 90: review and extend
- Review goals and adjust where the context has moved.
- Gather feedback on your own leadership: ask what you could do more of.
- Choose one inclusion habit to add to team meetings, such as inviting every voice before decisions.
At day 90, compare your notes with day 1. Look for shifts in clarity, energy, quality of work and how people support each other.
FAQ
What are good ways to improve work performance?
Start with clear, agreed goals and regular conversations. Add role clarity, autonomy, support and learning opportunities. Build a culture where people feel they belong and can speak up, since that helps every other step work better.
What can an employee do to improve?
An employee can ask for clear priorities, request regular feedback and name the skills they want to build. Writing down two or three development goals and sharing them with a manager is a strong start. Reflective practice, such as a short weekly review of what went well, also builds self-awareness.
What are five areas of improvement for employees?
Common areas are communication, prioritising and time management, technical or job-specific skills, collaboration and leadership. The best choice depends on the role and the individual's goals, so agree it together in a development conversation.
Why do organisations hold performance reviews?
Reviews give both sides a structured moment to look at progress against goals, recognise achievements, agree support and plan development. They work best as part of continual dialogue through the year, as the HSE's policy describes, rather than a stand-alone event.
How can leaders support performance without adding pressure?
Focus on resources: clear roles, autonomy, supportive supervision and fair workloads. Coach behaviours and processes, and celebrate progress. People tend to give more when they feel trusted and supported.
Sources
- Advancing the understanding of employee performance (Cogent Business & Management)
- CIPD: People performance models
- CIPD: People performance, an evidence review
- ILO: Human Resource Management, a manual for employers and workers
- HSE Performance Achievement Policy and Guidance for Staff
- Irish Wheelchair Association: Performance Development Framework
- Gov.ie: Learning and development, plain text
- Gov.ie: People practice, plain text
- Giamos et al.: Development-oriented performance management
- Turn research into a competency framework