Engage Employees with Metrics on Digital Signs

Money’s great – who doesn’t love money? And yet there’s another “m” that’s far more powerful – Metrics. Specifically, performance metrics. These are measurements of the activities and performance within an organization. A good idea, but only half of the companies who participated in CEB’s 2014 Global Assessment Trends Report measure ROI with talent metrics, and only 45% use objective potential measurements for devolving and guiding plans successfully. Why not show metrics on digital signs?

Your workers want to be kept in the loop and want to do their best, and today’s workers expect a certain level of transparency from the companies they work for. Digital signage can be a powerful tool in getting your employees involved in how processes are performing, and improving overall productivity. You already use your screens to show important information on employee benefits, events and opportunities, so why not share more information and turn your facility into a meritocracy where everyone is involved and engaged?

Productivity statistics are one thing you can share – display progress toward goals on a daily or weekly basis. Have teams compete against one another to see who can meet their quota first, or who can exceed quota by the greatest percentage in a given timeframe? Putting these messages into your playlist reminds everyone of what overall targets are, and lets them try their best in a friendly competitive atmosphere using principles of gamification. Just make sure that the rewards are tangible and worthwhile – you’ll have more people trying to race each other for a free half-day or $100 gift card than for a bouquet of flowers or a chocolate bar.

Short-term milestones are good to display – they let your workers think of their jobs in manageable chunks of time and create a sense of urgency. Show shipping schedules so workers on the factory floor know when they have to get things finished by. Display inventory and parts on hand so they know what’s available and what needs to be ordered.

Any KPIs you’re using in the front office can be shared with the factory floor by using easy-to-read dashboards, tying the two areas together into a cohesive whole. In manufacturing, for example, OEE and TEEP data can be displayed, so everyone is one the same page and knows how your equipment’s actual performance is measuring up to ideal performance.

Dashboards are extremely useful for any company. The information is presented visually with charts and graphs, making them easy to understand at a glance. The information can be kept up-to-the-minute fresh, and lets people see negative trends that can be immediately corrected. Displaying data on dashboards saves everyone time as well – instead of multiple reports being written, proofread, printed, copied, distributed and then perused before discussion, the information is right there, already organized for optimum review.

Many companies have incentive programs for employees who come up with innovations. Use your digital signage to remind your workers of this, and set up a simple webpage form for people to make suggestions to improve workflows. Put these messages on screens in the breakroom, and supply a short URL or QR code, so people can quickly access the URL. And if a suggestion is implemented, make sure to recognize that person on screens. This motivates others to try out their ideas as well.

Some companies are eliminating the dreaded end-of-year performance evaluation in favor of quarterly assessments. Your digital signage can display reminders of upcoming interview dates and performance metrics. Employees can also set their own metrics, and then see each quarter if those were realistic and achievable goals. They can then work with their managers to alter goals as need be. Another idea is to evaluate teams rather than individuals. When team goals are set, these can be displayed on your digital signs, letting everyone know what’s happening and maybe inspiring them to think of new heights to aim for themselves.

Of course, some employee goals may require further training – remind them of opportunities to gain new skills the company is offering. Vary what’s available. Formal training is fine, but throw in some lunch-and-learn events (advertised on your big screens), and then see how popular these events are. You might have more response from shorter, more informal training opportunities, and the ROI is built right in – just count the people in the room.

Leveraging your digital signage to keep workers engaged and motivated to constantly improve and do their best is a simple way to see real measurable results in productivity and job satisfaction. Simple tricks like these will do far more to make your employees happy than an end-of-year bonus. And, it will keep them looking at your displays every day.