Employee Performance: How to Identify and Develop Top Talent

High performing employees make up around 21% of the workplace, according to a report by the Talent Strategy Group. A high performing employee will go above and beyond your expectations. They will digest information quickly, take ownership of their role and will strive for continuous development. This doesn’t mean they need to be the loudest voice in the room or the person that talks to their colleagues the most. A high performing employee can be someone who simply gets on with their job and does it to the very best of their ability. It is important for employers to notice high performing employees and take steps to nurture them as part of their talent management and employee development strategy.

Identifying High Performing Employees

The most important initial step is to look out for signs of high performing employees. Once you identify these, you can take the actions needed to develop them and boost workplace productivity. Some signs that an employee is high performing include:

• Hit the ground running – high performing employees will be able to get on with their jobs as soon as they have the necessary training. They won’t need continuous hand holding or someone to look over them. High performing employees will take the relevant knowledge required for the role and they will take ownership. This shows strong self-management skills and role accountability.
  
  
• Make improvements – a high performing employee won’t just do their job; they will also offer ideas on where improvements can be made to benefit the business. This proactive behaviour supports continuous improvement and innovation at work.
  
  
• Positive attitude – a strong employee will be good to be around and will bring positivity to their colleagues, contributing to higher employee engagement and a healthier workplace culture.
  
  
• Reliable and trustworthy – high performing employees will have a strong work ethic. You can rely on them to turn up for work and trust them with responsible tasks, such as opening the office in the morning. These traits are essential for team performance and leadership potential.
  
  
• Emotional maturity – a strong leader within the organisation will show emotional maturity. This includes handling feedback in a positive way and learning from it. Emotional intelligence is a key component of strong leadership skills.

How to Manage High Performing Employees

Retaining and developing high performing employees should be a priority for businesses. When a high performing employee is identified, consider the following performance management strategies:

• Pay and Benefits – make sure your high performing employees are paid the market rate and receive incremental pay rises based on their performance. Competitive rewards help with talent retention.
  
  
• Autonomy – trust is earned, and if you have a trustworthy employee, make sure you reflect this in the autonomy you offer them in their role. Empowering high performers supports stronger employee motivation. The last thing they will want is to be micro-managed.
  
  
• Set Goals – a high performing employee will start to look elsewhere if they don’t feel there is any growth within the business. Make sure you set goals with your employee and plan for their future career expectations as part of effective career development planning.

Turn Employee into High Performing Employee

Although it is important to nurture a high performing employee, this should not be to the detriment of other workers. It should be done in an inclusive manner, and used to recognise efforts rather than to punish others. Every employee should be given an equal opportunity to thrive in their role. With the right employee training, support, and development, many employees can become high performing employees over time.

At Inspired CVs, we offer workshops for employees to help them grow within their role, supporting their professional development and boosting their chances of becoming high performers. You can find out more here. We also provide professional CVs to support the needs of candidates.