Managers have a lot of things to balance on their plate. Besides making sure the daily operations proceed smoothly and with as few problems as possible, they also need to make sure that their employees are doing well. Managers need to guide, support, encourage, and nurture their employees- all while maintaining a sense of authority and strength. When done right, the people improve and remain content, while making the company grow.
The number one asset of any company or establishment is its people. It is the employees who work hard to cater to the clients’ demands after all. if they feel overwhelmed, overworked, and underappreciated, their performance will drop. This affects the company’s output as a whole, so to make a great company you need great employees.
Thankfully, great employees can be made and nurtured- it is a manager’s responsibility to take care of employees and see to it that their work environment enables them to do their best. Below are some ways you can utilize to help your employees.
Communication is Key
Many problems can easily be resolved by communication. This is true across all situations, be it family issues, personal relationships, or even in the workplace. Lack of communication easily leads to misunderstandings, and misunderstandings lead to preventable problems. Creating an atmosphere that encourages communication of ideas and issues will help your team collaborate and troubleshoot better.
However, simply talking beside each other won’t help. Communication is multi-faceted and it includes a wide variety of methods. You can utilize different types in different situations. E-mail for quick exchange of information (that can be referred to every now and then), a group chat for general discussion and announcements, and meetings for a situation that calls detailed discussion. Knowing what medium of communication you need is the key to expressing your ideas and sentiments properly.
Resolve Conflict Before it Destroys Your Team
People within a group is bound to disagree, hoping, or assuming that everyone will get along and agree with each other’s idea is simply foolish. We are all unique individuals and different people create different ideas. These ideas might clash with each other, but it doesn’t mean that one idea is necessarily wrong.
However, there will be times where workplace conflict grows to something bigger and difficult to handle. And just as professional couples therapy is necessary during moments of conflict in married life, mediating between coworkers is also necessary. The manager is often the mediator in these situations, and often HR would also have to be involved. This is the moment where you, the manager, need to be unbiased and listen to the arguments of both sides.
No matter the issue, what’s necessary is that it’s addressed and it doesn’t grow bigger- conflict should never be avoided. Resolving conflict before it explodes is one of the best ways to make sure that your company grows.
No Such Thing as Multitasking
The fastest way to overwhelm and overwork your employees is to give them a barrage of tasks with set deadlines. No matter how much we think we can multitask, the reality is that we can only focus on one thing at any given moment. Juggling multiple tasks at once often results in shoddy workmanship, and any company worth its weight knows that quality goes before quantity.
Discourage your employees to multitask, as this will spread their energies too thin. This also means that you, as a manager, have to have been careful with the tasks that you give. Don’t give a new task when the first one you’ve issued isn’t completed yet. If it’s something that truly needs to be accomplished immediately, it’s best given to those unoccupied. Be considerate of your employees’ energy and you will see an increase in high-quality work.
Reward, Validate, and Celebrate
The failure of many companies is failing to appreciate their employees’ hard work. It is a given fact that they are being paid to accomplish tasks, but receiving a cold response after a job well done is just bound to make sure that the job well done won’t be repeated. As humans, we like to feel rewarded and validate our efforts. The same thing applies to the workplace.
Make it a point to celebrate achieving goals and milestones. This tells your employees that their input is valuable and that their efforts do not go unnoticed. Rewarding them for quality work will encourage them to do better, and make it feel like work isn’t just a chore. It also promotes a culture of positivity as you are acknowledging the skills and abilities of your team.
