The workforce is full of different types of employees. You have the overachiever who tries to take on a variety of projects at once, the slacker who barely skates by and the average employee. The average employee does their job, maybe a little more, but is more than content to be average. Here are some ways that you, as an employer, can get the most out of your average employee and turn them into a stellar one.

Take Advantage of Strengths

An employee is only average if he is not placed where his strengths lie. Every person has strengths and weaknesses. As an employer it is your job to find your employees strengths and utilize them. Some employees may be outgoing and perform better at the front desk, while others may like to work alone and therefore processing may be their best area of strength. An employee who enjoys taking charge should be given the opportunity. Measuring your employees and utilizing the areas they perform best in will work to an employer’s advantage.

Show Appreciation

In other cases an employee may just be doing average work due to the fact that they feel unappreciated and thus are not apt to go beyond what is required. By encouraging the employee that the quality of work is good you are actually making the employee feel good. When an employee feels good about the work they do, they want to do even more. Simple words from a superior such as nice job or keep up the good work go a long way to jump starting that employee.

Appreciation is also essential in the work place. By acknowledging that an employee is doing a good job you are sending a positive message. Most people can accept that there are areas that they need to work on if they are also hearing that other areas of their work performance are terrific. You are actually motivating your employees by sending the message that they are doing a great job. Then you can add that you need them to try harder in another area. This will not be viewed by the employee as negative since you also acknowledged their strengths.

Compensation and Bonuses

Performance is important to the employer, but being compensated by your employer for a job well done is just as important to the employee. If you have an employee that you feel is capable of doing much more than they are currently doing, the problem may be that they have not been encouraged or compensated for their work. People want to know that their work is worth something.

Employers should provide goals and then once the goals are achieved a reward is given. The reward can be a group lunch on the boss or an early dismissal on Friday. If you are setting sales goals you can even offer monetary incentives. Again these bonus rewards do not have to be large or costly they should just enough to show that you appreciate the hard work and dedication that went into achieving these goals.

Chris Davis has been a management consultant for nearly 10 years and writes for dinaliC.com - a staffing and talent acquisition firm based in Philadelphia, PA.

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