The beginning of the year is the perfect time to set goals. People often think of it as a clean slate – a fresh start.
Most people set a wide range of goals at the start of the year. However, they’re not always realistic or achievable. You know the type; they’re usually shared to Instagram with a caption along the lines of “New Year New Me” and are promptly forgotten about by the second week of January.
When done properly, setting goals can be incredibly beneficial. As long as they’re achievable that is. If you’re an employer or manager, you’ll be used to setting goals for your business. But have you ever thought about encouraging your employees to set goals?
In this blog, we’re going to outline how you can encourage your employees to set goals and how it will benefit your business.
Encouraging Employees To Set Goals In Their Professional Career
Helping your employees set achievable goals within the workplace can take a lot of time and dedication – but it will be worth it.
The annual review or appraisal is a great opportunity to highlight strengths and areas for improvement of each employee. It may also be a good idea to ask your employees to conduct a self-review beforehand.
Then, working together you can come up with a couple of short-term and long-term goals that align with the objectives of the company. These goals should be job-specific yet tailored to the employee’s professional ambitions.
Remember to only set goals that are attainable. Be sure to monitor the progress of each employee and work closely with those who are struggling to achieve their goals. It may be beneficial to schedule in one-to-ones with each employee throughout the year.
Similarly, don’t forget to reward employees who achieve their goals. This demonstrates that you appreciate their hard work and value their commitment to themselves and the business.
The Benefits
There are plenty of benefits to encouraging employees to set goals at work.
- Setting goals gives you an opportunity to better understand the ambitions of your employees
- It demonstrates that you’re supportive of your employees’ career and that you value them within the company
- Goal setting is a huge motivator. It will give your employees a new clarity and focus within the workplace and will motivate them to work harder to achieve their goals
- Your employees will be more engaged and productive if they have attainable goals to work towards. This will be reflected in the quality of work.
- Setting goals enables employees to take on new responsibilities and learn new skills. This can lead to your employees successfully climbing the ladder within your company.
- Once your employees have set goals that they’re comfortable with, you may also notice a boosted workplace morale
Encouraging Employees To Set Goals For Their Health And Wellbeing
Here at Wellspace, we’re always talking about the benefits of helping your employees improve their health and wellbeing. And encouraging your employees to set goals is a great first step.
One of the best ways to encourage your employees to set health and wellbeing goals (and stick to them) is by creating a healthy workplace.
Changes such as providing healthy snacks and introducing exercise to the workplace will make a huge difference. For example, go for ‘walking meetings’, provide on-site fitness classes or sign your team up for a group charity run.
You could also break the stigma of mental health by talking openly and demonstrating that your company will support employees who are struggling. You could even offer wellbeing training, which will help your employees prioritise their health and wellbeing.
Or perhaps you could introduce a wellbeing app, which employees can use to track their health and wellbeing, set achievable goals and work towards achieving them.
The Benefits
Creating a healthy workplace will inspire your employees to shine the spotlight on their own health and wellbeing. Support from fellow colleagues will help your employees work towards their goals. The benefits of encouraging employees to set goals for their health and wellbeing include:
- Fewer health-related absences and reduced sick-pay costs
- A healthier workforce will be more engaged and productive within the workplace
- By prioritising their health, employees are less likely to struggle with stress or burnout
- Employees will feel valued if you are supporting their health and wellbeing goals and will be more committed and loyal
- Your team members are more likely to stay with your company, meaning you will be able to retain your brightest sparks
- Staff turnover won’t be as high – saving you time and money
- A healthy workforce is a happy workforce – workplace morale will likely improve
Get In Touch
If you’d like to find out more about encouraging your employees to set goals, get in touch with Wellspace. Here at Wellspace, we are experts in workplace wellness. We are aiming to revolutionise workplace wellness with our leading app, online portal and tailored wellbeing training.
