Tips for Setting Effective Goals and Objectives for Employees

For them, employees' goals are not just numbers. They are something to work towards, a milestone that represents growth and achievement and motivates us. If we achieve these goals, this will of course also benefit the company.

Essentially, goals in the workplace give employees meaning and job satisfaction, and for the company they also mean results and success. Therefore, workplace goals are an essential part of an organization. There are some useful tips for managers to follow to set goals for their employees.

Personal improvement should also be a focus

As a manager, one of the main motivations for setting goals for your employees should be personal development. By default, goals for employees that help them improve and gain new skills are a good goal. Personal development is an essential part of an employee’s development. Employees cannot remain static.

Goals should be achieved through teamwork

A key to setting good employee goals is that they should be a little unattainable. However, managers should not go too far and set completely unattainable goals. If your goals result in your employees having to work countless night shifts or becoming stressed, they have completely missed their goal. You don’t want your goals to cause employees to burn out. You should aim for motivation.

Employee goals should ensure that employees do not work as lone wolves, but rather work with others to achieve goals. Goals that employees can easily achieve do not challenge them enough or motivate them. In contrast, a goal that forces an employee to step outside of their comfort zone is a goal that presents a challenge. And it's even better if the goal in question forces employees to engage with other employees.

Measure the impact of goals

By this logic, if we counted goals only in terms of numerical progress, it would be very easy to declare a goal a failure or success. When setting employee goals, you should keep one thing in mind above all: measurability. It's good if you can measure a goal in numbers, and even better if you can measure the impact of the goal. The impact of a goal is always a better indicator of success than the numerical status.

An example: An employee is given a goal where he or she must convince 50 other employees in the office to use new software. If 50 employees have downloaded this software and used it just once, the goal has been achieved. But if these 50 employees no longer use the software after a certain period of time, have the employees really achieved their goal?

Align with organizational goals

We cannot link all goals to the goals of the team and the organization, that is true. However, when setting a goal for an employee, it is important to remember that a goal should contribute as much as possible to the overall goals of the team and organization. If an employee's goals do not directly contribute to the success of the team or organization, they should at least take his or her personal development into account. If the goal doesn't even help the employee grow professionally, then the goal shouldn't be created in the first place.

Keep employee goals flexible

Ideally, you should be able to change your employees' goals over the long term. Because while achieving a goal, the employee and the manager might suddenly realize that the goal needs to be changed. Or that they have to supplement the goal with other goals.

Let employees set their own goals

Last but not least, this is one of the most important factors to consider when creating a goal. Does your goal match the employee's expectations? If yes, then you can set that goal. If not, you'll need to find a way to meet with the employee in the middle. A goal that is set for an employee without their participation is doomed to failure. If employees are not interested in or even motivated by a goal, they will not be able to pursue it.

Measure their overall influence

This is another point you need to consider. How does the goal you set for your employee affect you? Is it linked to your personal goals? And if so, how can you measure the goal? How much does the employee contribute to achieving the goal? These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself when setting goals for your employees.

Effective goal setting fuels employee growth and organizational success. Prioritize alignment, flexibility, and employee involvement. Utilize tools like IceHrm for streamlined goal management.