You likely understand how crucial it is to set clear employee performance goals. But setting goals isn’t enough—you also need to motivate team members to achieve them. 

With the right recognition and reward strategies, you have the power to create an environment where employees feel appreciated for their efforts and inspired to reach their objectives.

This guide offers practical examples of employee performance goals and demonstrates how Awardco’s platform can help you master performance management by motivating team members to achieve those goals.

Examples of performance goals and recognition strategies

The following are five key types of goals. For each, we offer a specific example goal, the reason why that goal matters, and a recognition idea to help you achieve it. Remember, good recognition is simple, meaningful, and powerful—just like Awardco’s solution.
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1. Productivity and efficiency goals

Example goal: “Increase project completion rate by 15% over the next quarter.”

Why it matters: Productivity and efficiency are the lifeblood of any successful business. Let’s say a $60,000 salaried employee is unproductive 20% of the time. That’s $12,000 of wasted resources. Improving productivity is essential—but the strategies you use to enhance it matter just as much. 

Recognition idea: Rethink salary raises and bonuses, as they may not always be the most effective motivators. Instead, recognizing achievements through a structured system can lead to better results.

With Awardco’s automated systems, you can reward good performance instantly and keep your team fired up to keep going:

• Automatically award employees points through Awardco when they hit key goal milestones, providing immediate recognition for their efforts.
• Set up a leaderboard that showcases employees excelling in project completion, fostering healthy competition and inspiring others to reach their goals.
• Provide redeemable gift cards, company-branded swag, or other incentives aligned with employee interests to make recognition truly meaningful and memorable.
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2. Leadership and professional growth goals

Example goal: “Mentor two junior employees over the next six months.”

Why it matters: Mentoring programs have a profound impact on employee satisfaction, with 91% of employees who have a mentor reporting they’re happy at work. This happiness is a key indicator of profitability and productivity. Moreover, mentorships create a pipeline of future leaders at your organization. 

Recognition idea: By offering personalized recognition through Awardco, you can empower mentors to see their impact and stay motivated to guide others.

• Create peer-nominated recognition for outstanding mentors. Encourage mentees to highlight how their mentors have helped them grow, whether it’s through skill-building, confidence-boosting, or offering guidance during challenging projects. 

An example of positive feedback could be, “My mentor helped me develop a structured approach to project management, boosting my efficiency by 30%.” This creates a clear picture of the mentor’s impact.

• Provide VIP experiences like offering a stipend for a nice hotel or experience for their next vacation. Awardco’s partnerships with Priceline and Lazada make this option easy and accessible. 

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3. Customer satisfaction goals

Example goal: “Improve customer service rating from 4.5 to 4.8 stars in six months.”

Why it matters: Happy customers are loyal customers, and improving customer satisfaction directly impacts revenue and brand reputation. Recognizing employees for exceptional service is key to maintaining quality standards.

Recognition idea: You have the power to encourage excellent customer service with motivational reward and recognition options. Intuitive software like Awardco can help you recognize your team’s exceptional efforts instantly and meaningfully.

• Automatically award points or badges via Awardco. Users can earn points and badges based on specific actions they fulfill. In the context of customer satisfaction, you might reward team members with an Advocacy Badge if they champion a customer’s needs. 

Once they reach a certain number of points or badges, let employees redeem them for experiences (e.g., vacation activities, swag, or event tickets) or Amazon rewards—whatever people want and need.

Customer service is a tough role. Many customer service professionals are stressed and burned out, contributing to a 30–45% turnover rate. Effective recognition strategies like the following can help employees feel seen, valued, and taken care of: 

• A peer recognition program and a recognition social feed to ensure everyone has multiple ways of being seen, feeling valued, and earning rewards‍
• Lifestyle Spending Accounts where you can offer flexible cash for employees to use on well-being purchases and invest in self-care

Learn how WOW! mobile boutique™ achieved an over 30% decrease in year-over-year attrition.

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4. Innovation and problem-solving goals

Example goal: “Propose three new process improvements within the next quarter.”

Why it matters: Encouraging employees to think creatively and solve problems not only improves efficiency but also boosts morale and retention—all of which help improve performance. When employees are empowered to approach challenges with innovative solutions, they feel a stronger sense of ownership and pride in their work. 

Recognition idea: Make creative thinking feel valued and celebrated.

• Organize company-wide innovation challenges where employees propose solutions to existing problems or suggest new processes. Use Awardco to manage submissions, facilitate voting, and reward participants with points redeemable for a wide array of rewards.
• Allow peers to vote on the most impactful ideas through Awardco’s peer-to-peer recognition feature, making employees feel appreciated by their colleagues. For successful innovations, offer custom award catalogs with high-value redemption options.

5. Team collaboration goals

Example goal: “Participate in at least one cross-departmental project this year.”

Why it matters: Collaboration strengthens company culture and drives innovation. When employees feel part of something bigger, this creates a sense of community and purpose—a key factor that fuels performance. They can step outside their comfort zone and contribute in a different yet meaningful way. 

Recognition idea: Recognize cross-departmental efforts and inspire teams to achieve more together.

• Set up team-based recognition badges in the Awardco Community. Team members can earn points when they participate in discussions, complete specific tasks, or contribute ideas/solutions. The more points they accumulate, the higher they’ll move up in rank. Each rank unlocks new rewards and perks.
• Leverage Awardco’s employee incentive platform to motivate employees to take part in collaborative projects. Tie monetary or non-monetary incentives to performance metrics like revenue or customer satisfaction. Consider cross-functional project competitions with incentives for top-performing teams.

Become a recognition hero with Awardco

You have what it takes to empower your employees to reach their goals and go beyond. And with Awardco’s platform at your fingertips, making those goals meaningful and motivating has never been simpler.

Ready to become the recognition hero your team deserves? Explore our rewards and recognition platform.