COPYRIGHT 1996 - 2023 BY EDUCATION WORLD, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. By taking these steps, you can help the employee turn things around and positively impact the workplace. Managers can derive both quantitative and qualitative information from this review, as well as hear the perspective of the reviewed employee and their peers. In other words, if you say that you often work too hard and put too many hours in, that is rather trite. Heres how to answer what areas need improvement? when employers ask in your interview. Now that Ive seen your draft, I better understand what we need to do to fix it all. If the issue is personal, you may need to provide additional support or time off. Read more about Martin here. does not much effort into his/her writing. Ill put that Accountant example above as the first example. While it's important to be respectful of your employees, it's also important to maintain a constructive and productive work environment. While this can be a difficult conversation, it is important to keep the following things in mind. So Im trying to go from good to great in these areas.. Management made easy. Instead of just saying that their attitude is bad, try to give examples of what you've observed that are causing problems. This could be leading meetings or projects, mentoring or training newer team members, and other tasks like that. needs to practice reading at home every day to help make him/her a stronger reader. After all, every manager knows theres a stark difference between an employee that has to go to the hospital regularly and no-call-no-shows. is not completing math work that is on grade level. Once you have identified the cause of the problem, you can begin to look for solutions. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. However, I havent had much chance to lead yet in my career, so Id say thats an area for improvement or something I could get better at.. Using this language illustrates the employee problem as a struggle, not a failure. Choosing books that he/she like and reading them with him/her at home will help build a love of reading. needs to be more respectful and courteous to his/her classmates. Regularly gives colleagues constructive feedback and shows appreciation for their work and effort. So, as an example, when youre talking about attendance, a generic performance review comment might be: Jane has used more than her allotted sick days in this review period. The distinction between the two is clear (now). Manage Settings For example, maybe youre an Accountant but someday youd like to be a Team Leader, so youd like opportunities to improve your leadership. Ill help you come up with a few solutions. It might also work as an insulting term to show that someone has handed in subpar work. This will help show that you appreciate the consistent, reliable behavior so it likely continues on. an instance of notable progress in the development of knowledge, technology, or skill, Post more words for improvement to Facebook, Share more words for improvement on Twitter. would benefit from practicing math facts at home. These questions are similar to Whats your greatest weakness? but a little more open-ended (which means you can really run into trouble if you dont know how to answer properly). Take the time to compliment your employees if they have truly excelled in a specific aspect of their role since your last employee evaluation. As a manager, you may sometimes need to tell employees that their attitude needs to improve. words. Discrimination can take many forms, including race, gender, age, religion, and sexual orientation. If you find yourself in this situation, here are a few tips on talking to an employee about their attitude. As a Staff Accountant, I dont get to lead very often, at least not formally. _______is able to complete his/her work, but spends too much time on other tasks and rarely completes his/her work. The Daily Digest for Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. Its common to hear this when handing in a piece of work that isnt quite completed or could be done differently. After reading this guide, you'll be able to start giving feedback effectively and improving your team's productivity. High performers might, at first, seem like the easiest performance management review youll conduct through this period. Learner consistently makes good choices during the school day. 'Hiemal,' 'brumation,' & other rare wintry words. Dont worry. It led to much wasted time and effort since their way wasn't the most efficient. Maintaining a positive attitude at work is essential for creating a productive and enjoyable workplace. If youve handed it in thinking its complete, they might say its a work in progress to remind you that there are some things you could improve. Accessed 4 Mar. A negative employee is more likely to be disengaged at work and is at a higher risk of quitting than someone with a more positive attitude. However, if the problem is related to their job, you may need to reassign tasks or provide additional training. You've spoken to them about it, but their attitude hasn't improved. adjectives. To avoid the passive voice, you need to give feedback by centering your employee in the language that you use. 75% of employers rate teamwork as being extremely important in the workplace, particularly as research shows that strong workplace communities have the power to reduce employee turnover and improve internal communication. While you might think that comparing your employee to a model team member or a coworker in a similar situation might be helpful, the results can harm not only productivity, but also morale, confidence, and mental health. First, try to maintain a constructive and positive tone throughout the conversation. If you want to grab the following examples and save them for later use, you can download our effective phrases for performance appraisals pdf here. He/she would benefit from extra assistance. In order to conduct an impactful performance review, managers need to strive to make feedback individualized. It is important to be specific when addressing the issue so that the employee knows what they need to improve. 1 308 other terms for improvement- words and phrases with similar meaning. "Has a positive attitude that increases morale in the workplace" "Lighthearted mood motivates others on their team" "Perseveres despite problems that may arise" "Cheerful attitude displays job satisfaction" "Kind demeanor helps coworkers trust them and feel comfortable" "Builds positive relationships with other members of their team" This sample answer is an example of naming a real weakness or something you honestly feel needs improvement which is another perfectly fine way to answer this interview question. The employer would be hoping you would work hard. You may have noticed that your employee's attitude has impacted the team or business. In addition, arrogance can lead to conflict and disharmony within a team. gets along with his/her classmates well, but is very disruptive during full group instruction. Is well-respected by their colleagues for [example]. It will help the employee understand the consequences of their behavior. This not only gives employees ample opportunity to voice their opinion on their performance and perspective, but also allows managers to review their answers and dedicate time and attention towards crafting responses. By following these tips, you can ensure that the conversation is productive and beneficial for both parties involved. To save this word, you'll need to log in. Parts of speech. As a manager or supervisor, it's important to be able to address these issues in a way that is both effective and professional. It might involve helping the employee find a new position within the company or providing them with resources to help improve their attitude. understands math concepts when using manipulatives, but is having a difficult time learning to ____ without them. As a manager, you may need to provide feedback to an employee on their attitude outside of the employee performance review process. noun bettering; something bettered synonyms for improvement Compare Synonyms advance advancement change development enhancement gain growth increase progress recovery renovation revision rise upgrade amelioration amendment augmentation betterment civilization correction cultivation elevation enrichment furtherance meliorism preferment progression While someone whos a high performer deserves praise for their achievements, theres a fine line between praising their work and reinforcing negative behaviors like cronyism, arrogance, competitiveness, or even a work obsession thats leading to burnout. In this context, it shows that you can wiggle some things around to make your project or task better than it currently is. Needs Improvement- all topics is a hard worker, but has difficulty staying on task. In addition, youre also communicating that theyre an active member of the team and not simply a cog that responds to workplace events. I think email communication is really vital in customer service because one or two wrong words can lead to the message being interpreted incorrectly. As a manager, it's important to be aware of the signs of bullying and take steps to address them. He/she does not seem to enjoy it and does not want to do it. Ill help you come up with a few solutions that could make this better for you. He has been advising job seekers since 2012 to think differently in their job search and land high-paying, competitive positions. Practicing at home would be very beneficial. Now lets look at one more example of how to answer, what areas need improvement?, In my last job, I spoke with a lot of customers on the phone and became quite good at it. If there is any truth to the rumor, you should clear it up. Be sure to check out our 125 Report Card Comments for positive comments! Communicate clearly with these helpful turns of phrase during regular employee reviews. Learn a new word every day. We all need to exercise. Employees might feel like their behaviour and personality are being put on trial. I cant stress this enough. Its estimated that office workers lose an average of 40% of their workday due to disorganization, which is why performance management reviews should address organizational skills if managers want to improve an employees productivity. However, it is important to provide specific examples of the behavior that needs to change to help employees understand what they need to work on. is very engaged during whole group math instruction, but struggles to work independently. Just make sure you always sound like you're interested in doing the day-to-day work, or core work, that the job involves. Unfortunately, bullying is all too common and can take many forms. Regardless of whether your intentions are good, you should take care to focus only on the employee whose performance youre reviewing, and not mention the performance of their colleagues. If you dont know why David is a good team player, then you cant expect David to know either. No hiring manager will be impressed with that. While it's tough to talk about the areas you need improvement in, this performance review phrase is helpful because it immediately offers a solution to the "problem." This shows your manager that you're proactive, self-aware, and driven because you're taking ownership of your weaknesses. Thats why its important to understand that these phrases and comments are a great source of inspiration, but they shouldnt replace comments that are specific to an employee. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. It can be frustrating for other employees, as it creates an environment of tension and mistrust. needs to work on his/her spelling. There are plenty of areas for continued development here. While healthy competition can help to promote productivity and even collaboration, unfairly comparing one employee to another can create rifts in teams and even promote taking shortcuts on tasks to get ahead. Welcome to Grammarhow!We are on a mission to help you become better at English. The opportunities refer to the ideas youd like them to consider that should help enhance the work theyve submitted. It can also be difficult to know what to say when you perceive that a high-achieving employee doesnt have any weaknesses or anything they need to improve upon. It can lead to s missed deadlines and general dissatisfaction with the work environment. Practicing this at home would be helpful. Check out our Needs Improvement Report Card Commentsfor even more comments! Her attitude is one which should be emulated. Theres nothing wrong with that, but I think you should re-evaluate it before you hand it in. Room for improvement highlights this, but its useful to come up with another way to say room for improvement. This article will explore the best synonyms. For example, on Monday mornings, they always come in late and spend the first hour complaining about how terrible the weekend was. There are plenty of improvements to be made. Intervention is required. is having difficulty concentrating during math lessons and is not learning the material that is being taught because of that. It can be difficult to handle, as you need to maintain a professional relationship with the employee while also ensuring that their negative attitude does not impact the rest of your team. Rudeness is one form of unhelpful employee attitude that a manager might have to deal with. Has a positive, results-driven attitude Is able to make informed decisions based on considered research Areas of improvement: Struggles to achieve set goals and reach objectives because of xx Lacks understanding of xx and could benefit from xx Makes uninformed decisions based on assumptions and needs to consider more data Offer suggestions for how the employee can be more positive. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. I was convinced that Id completed the task! Your employees look to you for direction on their performance. It's report card time and you face the prospect of writing constructive, insightful, and original comments on a couple dozen report cards or more. sentences. By taking a constructive approach, you can help the person realize that their attitude needs to change without damaging your relationship with them. To make things easier for you, this article has grouped phrases and comments for performance conversations based on the specific areas they are relevant to. However, as mentioned above, you cant always tell whats going on with your employee behind the scenes. It's important to allow your employees to explain their side of things, especially if you feel like they need to improve their attitude. Its great to use when thinking about what to say instead of room for improvement because it shows that you want to help someone develop their work into better quality. If they did not meet the standards you set, you might use this phrase to show you are disappointed in what they gave you. thesaurus. ]); Table of Contents: Introduction What is constructive criticism? In the modern workplace, managers need to take care to promote individuality and understand that each of their team members will take different paths to achieve their goals and to complete tasks. Some tips on what to say to an employee with a negative attitude during a performance review include: Discuss the specific behaviors that are causing concern. Share Improve this answer Follow answered Apr 30, 2012 at 16:29 cornbread ninja 18.1k 2 57 74 1 works well alone, but needs to learn how to work better cooperatively with peers. It might include letting them lead a project or training them on a new skill. A common mistake to make is to try and pretend that something they might consider a positive is actually a negative. When left unchecked, discrimination can create a hostile work environment that is toxic to employees and the business. By taking a firm stance, you will send a message that you are serious about your job and expect your employees to be as well. Just as you dont want to see candidates including good team player and a clear communicator on their resum, using clich phrases during your performance review tells your employee that you dont care enough about their development to spend more than a few minutes preparing for their performance review meeting. Also, dont name anything thats vital to the job. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. As always, a performance review should be a conversation between you and your employee, so its important to have documentation of any areas that need improvement in case they dont perceive their own weaknesses. Comparing employees to their colleagues also breeds unhealthy competition in the workplace. You might think that David is a good team player, but what, specifically, makes him a good team player? Only by working together can you hope to resolve the issue and get everyone back on track. You'll help employees feel motivated to improve their attitude and behavior by staying positive and constructive. Rather than just highlighting a negative, you can communicate the value you see in them by making a clear path for improvement. Thats why its good to draft these ideas first. Managers need to keep in mind that all of their employees are individuals and have different beliefs, drives, and motivations. 9 Other Ways to Say Im Good At on a Resume, 10 Polite Ways to Say No Visitors after Surgery, 11 Best Ways to Say Im Here for You to a Loved One, 10 Professional Ways to Say I Am Not Feeling Well. I know that you can do it.". The no sandwich technique in which you present a negative surrounded by two positives can work brilliantly with this method, as it will help you to highlight their strengths and make them feel more confident that they can improve on their weaknesses. As a result, businesses that fail to take steps to improve their employees' attitudes are at a significant disadvantage. Having strong communication skills is often demanded by job descriptions, but it also needs to be reviewed regularly during the performance management process to keep teams working at peak efficiency. I dont want you to hand this in until its complete. Does not get involved with the company culture, Has been caught gossiping about other employees, which has resulted in [result], Regularly ignores the companys dress code, Regularly refuses to take on more challenging tasks, Sets a positive example for other employees by [example]. To effectively manage introverted employees, it is important to understand their individual needs and how to best communicate with them. How to give constructive criticism? The best way to deal with this problem is to discuss it with the offending employees. Finally, your employee's attitude is negatively impacting productivity. I'll continue one-on-one or small group instruction support with _____ at least twice per week in (insert subject area), focusing on (insert student-targeted learning objective). Im not sure what else to do. While this can vary from business to business, the following list will help you to steer your performance review in the right direction. function preload(arrayOfImages) { The boss wasnt happy with my first draft. Finally, be sure to end on a positive note. Just make sure you always sound like youre interested in doing the day-to-day work, or core work, that the job involves. Im sure its not optimal, but I cant figure out what else to add. No thanks, I don't need to stay current on what works in education! Achievement Improved production on (x) goal set out at beginning of review period Exceeded production expectations on (x) goal set out at beginning of review period We are fortunate to have _____ on our team. Practicing these at home would be very helpful. However, when one team member has a negative attitude, it can quickly bring down morale and jeopardize the team's chances of success. This guide will go over different ways to tell employees they need to improve their attitude. First, talk to the employee privately to get a sense of what might be wrong. You can walk, run, swim, skate, or play ball games. While all these words mean "to make more acceptable or to bring nearer a standard," improve and better are general and interchangeable and apply to what can be made better whether it is good or bad. Additionally, taking credit for someone else's work can lead to errors or misjudgments, as the person responsible for the work may not be familiar with all the details. Improvement. Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improvement. or even terminate their employment if the behavior is severe enough. Learn more about us here. You should use this when you want to encourage someone to do better. Theres a lot of wiggle room here. needs enhancement. phrases. is struggling to understand new concepts in science. Meanwhile, managers might struggle to give feedback that addresses the areas in need of improvement while also balancing coming across as constructive and positive. In addition to being morally wrong, discrimination can also lead to decreased productivity, absenteeism, and even legal action. Having a tough time finding the right words to come up with "areas for improvement" comments on your students' report cards? I think you should look into the opportunities for enhancement that I provided. In the first example, youre clear that its Lea that directly saved the company money, but when you use the passive voice, youre only suggesting that Lea had some contribution to the process. Whatever skill or weakness you say youre trying to improve and whatever answer formula you follow above you should talk about what youre working on right now to improve in this area. Be honest, but keep it positive. It is characterized by a failure to admit errors or corrections. When this happens, it is important to address the issue as soon as possible. is a hard worker, but has difficulty staying on task.