Managing Employees

Technology is a powerful tool that will continue to affect the working environment. The ability to stay connected no matter where the employee is located allows companies to be more flexible with their business decisions and with employees.

Most companies still operate from a physical space though they are using technology and incorporating a virtual employee model into their business. Why would virtual employees work for a company? They can have access to talent that doesn’t want to move, national sales presence with minimum overhead costs, or a benefit they can offer to high performing employees. Whatever the business reason, virtual employees are multiplying in work environments.

Congratulations on your new role. It will be an interesting and rewarding journey in your career…though to be successful in your new role, you will need to be willing to learn.

It’s normal when you step into a new role to focus on proving yourself. Your the expert in your specific business area and you may focus your time only on the business. Step out of that role and into the role of the manager as this will take a lot of your time from now on.

Have you a “high maintenance” employee….one who demands a lot of your time? Every manager usually bumps into this type of employee.

The first basic question to ask as you evaluate this person…..are they a high or a low performer? You may react differently given their performance levels. High performers you may be afraid to lose. Don’t be afraid of losing an employee if their behavior is not acceptable for the well-being of your team.

If you jump in early with coaching, you will have a great chance of helping the employee change their behavior.

A manager doesn’t always get a lot of recognition in a company for what they bring to the business. Partly because businesses are streamlining resources and believe the manager is not critical. More important is that managers have to learn how to manage. Like any role, it takes skills, knowledge and a desire to bring out the best in you.

Over the years, I go back to books I’ve read previously to refresh my memory of the pearls of wisdom they have shared. I love the title of this book and it’s been around since 1999…..still applies today.

You have an employee who performs well in most of their responsibilities, yet has one area they seem to avoid or perform below par. A classic example is the sales person. Successful sales people have strong communication skills and know how to engage a prospect or client. They are highly motivated by the sale’s process. They meet their quota or exceed and you are a happy manager. You certainly don’t want to change their performance in this area.