Managing Employees

I know that people learn through different modalities.  I’ve been writing about coaching and counseling of employees and helping managers handle the day-to-day operations of working with team members.  I thought I would try a different venue to share information around managing employees.

I found this video on UTube that offers guidance on the basic issues that supervisors/managers face in managing employees.  Though the title focuses on the new supervisor, it covers a lot of material that is great for a more seasoned manager.

The video covers S.M.A.R.T goals, coaching and counseling employees, new managers, motivating employees and other thoughts on managing employees.  

If you want a pulse on what is happening with your staff, walk around, talk to them and connect with each one.   You don’t need to speak to every person when you take a break and stroll around, yet it’s good to check in regularly with each person.    To manage employees effectively, it’s important to build a relationship with them.

What can you accomplish by walking around? 

• You are sending a message to your employees that you are interested in them.   In managing people, your interest in their wellbeing will increase their motivation immensely. 

Work-life balance has been a theme in the workplace for over twenty years now.  What is your team’s stress index?   Are your employees reacting to constant change in business priorities, long hours or 24/7 mentality?  Do you support and incorporate the employee’s right to create balance in their lives?

Work-life balance is defined as a balance between one’s work and personal life.  Technology has increased the discussions and concerns around this issue.  If an employee feels out of balance, either with their work or with personal life, it influences their ability to perform.  In managing employees, their problems are the problems of the organization.

Have you heard of this statement “hire slow, fire fast?”  It’s a good school of thought to follow when managing employees.  A bad hire decreases the productivity of everyone on your team.   Yet…you still need a process in place to deal with employee issues and termination.

New Employees

What does firing fast mean?   It doesn’t mean the first time an employee’s performance is below satisfactory you terminate them.   What it does mean is that you are coaching, counseling and tracking the performance of your new hires.  If you see that an employee is not able to perform the essential functions of their position, you need to intervene quickly out of respect for them, you and the rest of your team.