Employee Management: How to get the most out of your staff

Sometimes employees don’t truly understand why you are meeting with them, and misunderstanding arises surrounding their job expectations. Maybe they didn’t even know there was an issue? Highlight your main concerns with them, explain why they are a problem, and ask them if they understand and if they have any questions. .

Just like you don’t hire an employee hoping they will fail, an employee doesn’t take a job hoping to be a bad employee. While many business owners and employees believe that work and personal life should be kept separate, the reality is that we are human, and one will inevitably impact the other. Sometimes, employees have a ‘good’ reason’. However, if we don’t ask, we’ll never know.

When employees are consulted on how to improve, not only their own performance but sometimes even the performance of the business, they buy-in at a much greater level. For instance, if you have an employee who constantly shows up 30 to 45 minutes late every day, perhaps starting their shift an hour later will remedy that issue. Is an employee frequently sick, or does an employee suffer from stress, anxiety, etc., from the hustle and bustle of the workplace? Maybe they can do their job from a home office. Creative solutions like these can increase both employee performance and happiness

Discuss with your employee how you will implement these changes, and make a plan that all parties both understand and agree to. Remember, make this plan SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timeline).

Set an actual date to follow up with your employee, to check on how the changes are helping them improve. At this time you can also ask for feedback and change their performance plan if necessary. It is at this time that you can go back to step one and work your way through again. It may take a couple tries to get this right.