5 things you must do to get the best from your staff
Are all of your employees giving you 100% or are there a few who are coasting to pay day?
People can make or break your business, so what is the secret of keeping your staff motivated and engaged?
The climate and culture of a business is set by the owner or manager, so if you are unhappy with your team, perhaps it’s time to “change the way things are done around here”.
The tips below will give you a starting point for making those changes and ensure that everyone is performing at their best.
1. Communicate clear goals
It goes without saying that staff perform best when they know what is expected of them. Although job descriptions and annual reviews help this process, as the leader you need to continually talk to your staff about your plans and how they contribute to them.
Most staff want to feel part of something bigger than themselves. Good leaders create excitement and commitment by painting a picture of the future and expecting high standards from their people.
- Have you shared your business goals with your team and given them a part to play?
2. Motivate
Motivation is not a black art – it is simply about understanding what each employee wants out of work and life. The main pitfall business owners make is in assuming that everyone is motivated by the same things as they are. Although most employees need to earn a living, not all are driven by financial rewards. Amazingly, many people would prefer to be thanked for their hard work; others want more time off to spend with family! Some enjoy the social aspects of work and are happiest in team environments where they feel they belong.
- Do you understand what motivates your staff? The easiest way is to ask them and then treat them as individuals!
3. Ditch the blame culture and promote problem solving
Staff who are only communicated with when they make a mistake (ie shouted at!) tend to hide mistakes and blame others.
Encourage staff to come forward with problems and get them to provide solutions. As business owners or managers we tend to believe that no-one else can do it as well as us, however, this can develop a culture where staff take no responsibility and wait to be told what to do.
- What part do you play in encouraging staff initiative?
4. Monitor performance and give regular feedback
We are often asked by clients to help them deal with underperforming staff in a formal, disciplinary way. Sometimes issues have gone on for a long time without any discussion of the problem between the employer and employee.
No-one likes dealing with confrontational situations, but the earlier problems are tackled the easier they are to address informally. Nip any negative attitudes or behaviour in the bud, and prevent them spreading to the rest of the team. Don’t wait until the annual appraisal to tell your staff what you think of them!
Regular monitoring of performance against set goals will quickly pick up issues and allow you to discuss the reasons. There should be a balanced discussion of what’s working well and what is not. Be clear on the standards that are not being met, but allow the employee to explain their reasons and encourage them to come up with the solutions. This will get more commitment to making the changes than simply being told to improve.
- Are you dealing with issues as they arise or avoiding those difficult conversations?
5. Focus on what’s stopping them
Discuss the barriers to success with them – does the employee lack knowledge, skills, confidence, time, support or is your management style the problem?! Can you do anything to help them be more productive?
If it is a case of won’t do, rather than can’t do, then you can deal with this as a disciplinary matter. However, most staff start a job wanting to do their best, so ask yourself:
- What is preventing them from performing and how can we change this?
If you would like individual advice and guidance on an employee performance issue, please call Fiona Armitage on 01865-261188 for a free initial discussion on how we can help you.