Invest in Your Employees
Effective people management isn’t simply about getting employees to do what they need and expect them to do. It’s about creating a work environment that supports and brings out the best in people, which has a direct impact on the quality of their work. At the end of the day, happy employees are generally productive ones too.
Help Them Find a Good Fit
Each employee has a unique set of skills, strengths and characteristics that they bring to your business. This doesn’t only relate to how efficiently they get their work done, but also refers to how well they work with people, problem solve, manage conflict, or bring order to what would otherwise be a chaotic space.
Sophia Deering from The Undercover Recruiter says, “The key to improving employee retention is hiring individuals who fit your company culture. They could be the most qualified candidate in the running, however, if the work environment and team dynamics do not suit their personality and working style, they are unlikely to stay with the organization for long”
There are many tools that can be used to help employees discover their unique strength sets. One is the Gallup Strengths Center Clifton Strengthsfinder test. The other is the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Personality test. Each job should also have some form of entrance test that gives managers a better idea of the overall competencies of the people they’re working with.
Invest in Their Wellbeing
Just because your team is working more remotely does not mean you can forget this vital aspect of having successful employees. Current research shows that remote workers have experienced wellbeing challenges including ergonomics and lower back pain, poor mental and emotional wellbeing, less exercise, low self-care and fewer social connections. Ryan Wolf from Gallup stresses, “Zoom gatherings have been helpful in boosting team relationships because employees have an opportunity to be more vulnerable (i.e., introducing their homes, pets and children) and see their leaders in a more authentic home setting. Still, employees crave an even deeper solution. To promote social wellbeing, leaders should create a work environment that is conducive to friendship”.
Open Lines of Communication
Even though we all know how important communication is for the effective running of a business, it’s still quite easy to get it wrong. The things you need to repeatedly communicate with your employees (and allow them to communicate with you about) include:
– Feedback about their work performance.
– Discussions around what isn’t working and what can be done to improve it.
– Two-way conversations around their work goals and what can be done to achieve them.
– Updates on any new business goals or shifts in company vision they should know about.
– Catch-ups on any challenges they are facing and what you can do to help them.
