Effective staff management plays an important role in any organization – big or small. The employees are what keeps the organization up and running. All roles are vital for the organization to run smoothly and effectively. Without the staff, essential work remains undone and business operations will be put on hold.
Before we go into a few details and tips on how to effectively manage your staff, we should be aware of the aspects of employee management in the organization.
Recruitment. An organization starts to get employees by recruiting and hiring the right people. It may be a very tedious process to go through resumés and credentials of potential candidates, interviewing them, doing background checks, among other things. But this step is crucial because if you do not get the right people for the jobs that are available it will cost the organization time, money, and effort. You would not want a high employee turnover rate especially for a job that is crucial to the operations of the business. More so, if you are going to hire a manager, these candidates should have work values and ethics that are aligned with the mission and vision of the hiring company.
Measurement. Organizations have set standards with the way that they do their business. The jobs of the employees also have standards which are set to be followed and done in order to meet the goals and targets for their respective departments and the organization as a whole.
Monitoring. Employee management entails constant monitoring of the staff and overseeing their work performance on a daily basis. This is another important aspect because you would need to ensure that your staff is doing their assigned jobs and duties right and as a manager, you will be there to guide them in making sure that the work targets are met.
Interaction. There should be constant and regular interaction between the staff and their manager as this is integral in making sure that there is an open line of communication within the department and organization.
Rewards and Recognition. Rewarding and recognizing employees who excel in their jobs is a definite morale booster. Management should never fail to recognize and reward deserving people in the organization for jobs that are well done. Appreciation of employee efforts will always be regarded as taking care of the people who are helping you stay in business.
Discipline. As it is best to recognize and reward those who are doing great in their respective jobs, it is also integral to have rules and regulations to follow and to instill discipline in the whole organization. It would be an effort in futility to run an organization without rules. Employees are still expected to exhibit excellent work ethics and keep a high moral ground wherever they may be in the organization.
With all the above aspects being discussed, here are a few tips on how to bring about effective staff management into your organization.
1. Communication is key.
An open line of communication between employees and their managers is essential to maintain effective staff management within the organization. It is vital in the passing of the right information and to ensure that the right directives are being passed on in order to meet the set goals and targets. Effective communication is not only about having a platform for your employees to discuss their ideas, thoughts, and even their complaints. This should be used to also get to know your staff on a more personal level to help the manager understand their individual needs. In turn, employees feel valued, and they feel that they are a significant part of the organization.
An open line of communication is also needed to be able to resolve conflicts and foster a more conducive and conflict-free environment for the staff to work in.
2. There is no clear-cut management style that will fit everyone in the team.
All managers and leaders have different management styles that they know will work for their respective departments and for the organization in general. However, there is no one-management-style-fits-all concept in a team with different backgrounds, beliefs, work ethics, and opinions. As there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to managing people, the manager should be able to adjust to the needs of his or her team when it comes to addressing concerns about their work. Each person has their own and unique way of doing their jobs, so it is the responsibility of the manager to make sure that they all meet halfway in getting a certain job done. There may be staff members that would require more training, others can work entirely with minimal supervision. Effective staff management requires sensitivity to the needs of the staff and making sure that everyone in the team would be comfortable working with each other.
3. Understand the organization’s financial aspects.
As much as managers must know how to manage people, managers should also know the financial aspects of the organization. The company hires the right people for the right jobs within the organization primarily because they need to earn and be profitable. They can pay their employees well because the company has more than enough financial resources to do so. Knowledge about the financial aspects of the business contribute to effective staff management by allowing managers to be able to set and align work targets and goals for their staff to contribute to the organization’s profitability and income.
4. Proper delegation of work as part of effective staff management.
We know that every department in an organization has several job functions and objectives with that one target of meeting the expectations set by the company. Managers hire the right people for the job and when there are other work-related projects that need to be accomplished, delegating people who are right for certain tasks is part of effective staff management. As a manager, he or she should know the capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses of each of his staff members so he or she would be able to give them the right assignments or tasks to get the job needed to be done on time and correctly.
5. Create a positive environment for your staff.
With all the pressures that work can bring about in the workplace, it is inevitable for people to become irritable or even get grumpy in between work. There are also certain instances when your staff can bring personal issues and concerns to the workplace that can impair their productivity during work hours. It is necessary for the manager to help create a positive environment for their staff to increase their productivity and ensure that they can do their jobs despite life’s moments outside of work. Positivity helps ensure that the employees are happy with their work and passes on a positive morale to the team to work towards achieving goals and reaching their targets.
6. Lay down clear objectives and goals to your staff.
As part of the open communication process, managers should be able to lay down clear objectives and goals to their staff. It is in this manner that the team will be able to plan and strategize the moves and work needed to be done in order to reach the goals and objectives of the team. It is essential for the manager to clearly explain to the staff what is needed from them so that if there will be any questions or clarifications, these will be addressed at the onset and the team will be able to work smoothly on the required job or project.
7. Support your staff’s career development.
Upon hiring, we all have that kind of expectation that we will be able to go up the career ladder and achieve a certain career development path. Most of us aim to be managers with hopes of getting a better pay, greater benefits, and other wonderful perks that may come with a higher responsibility in the organization. A true leader with effective staff management skills will help make those career goals of his staff happen for them. A good manager should be able to see the potentials of each of his staff members, hone these potentials to prepare them for bigger responsibilities, and hopefully get them promoted to their dream jobs. A leader who knows how to boost the morale of his staff by supporting their goals and dreams shows effective staff management in that way.
8. Feedback is important.
As part of effective staff management, employees would need to hear feedback just as managers would also need feedback from their superiors as well when it comes to doing their respective jobs. Providing balanced feedback will allow individuals to know where they are good at, what needs to be improved and addressed, and how they are doing within the organization. Individual coaching sessions are great avenues by which the feedback can be relayed. While feedback should always be constructive, negative feedback must also be addressed as well. In this way, room for improvement will always be available and both the manager and his staff will be able to work harmoniously together to meet their goals and objectives. It is important to note that the manager should be able to properly express and explain the feedback needed by the staff so as not to encourage bad vibes and negativity among themselves. There is always a better way to say things that would not sound too condescending and may offend other people. Again, an open mind and line of communication is integral in this process.
9. Set and lead by example.
Managers are looked up to by their staff so one should always set the bar and lead by example. This builds trust and confidence between the staff and the manager knowing that they are looking up to someone who has credibility and integrity. How can one demand timeliness from the staff if the manager is not meeting deadlines himself? How can one demand punctuality if the manager is always late for work? How can one implement rules and regulations to the staff if the manager does not follow them? How can you tell your staff not to bully others at work if you do it just the same? How can you demand good work ethics from your staff if you do not practice them yourself? These may be small things to others but the impact to the credibility and trust level to the manager is great. Just as parents are our role models at home, the manager should be the role model in the organization. A manager who leads by example is emulated and in turn, trust and respect are accorded to each other appropriately from within the organization.
10. Know how to manage conflict.
In as much as we always try to avoid conflicts within a team, there will always be a time that they would need to be addressed. A good manager and leader will never instigate a conflict. Effective staff management entails resolving conflicts from within the team. They should always hear all sides to a story, be respectful in hearing out the parties involved, have empathy and be understanding to all the statements behind the conflict. Resolving conflicts mean giving out fair decisions and maybe even to personally call out the individual who may be responsible for the conflict. No one should be put in an embarrassing situation just because of a conflict. The manager should be able to be an arbiter to the parties involved and do what is best to resolve the conflicts he or she is facing. At the end of the day, a fair handling of conflicts by the manager will put to rest issues among the team so they could work together efficiently and effectively, and with no personal grudges coming in between.
11. Monitor and appraise your staff’s performance on a regular basis.
Part of a manager’s job is to ensure that he or she is constantly monitoring the performance and progress of his or her staff on a regular basis. Performance monitoring and appraisal comes with parameters and key performance indicators for each individual member of the staff to know whether the employee is doing well with his or her job or otherwise. By consistently monitoring the staff’s work and performance, the manager will be able to gauge how well his or her team is doing. The manager will be able to see who is performing well, who deserves to be given tasks with greater responsibilities, see those who can help others from within the team reach targets, among other things. Through monitoring, the manager will also be able to see areas of concern that needs to be addressed, put in place performance improvement plans, when necessary, and maybe carry out alternative methods to reach key performance indicators as deemed fit. Individual coaching sessions must be done on a regular basis as part of effective staff management to make sure that the staff is still working towards one common goal from within the organization – that is, to get the jobs done properly and to meet or exceed expectations from them.
12. Know how to acknowledge good work done by your staff.
A leader who acknowledges the good work of his staff provides them a sense of value within the organization. It is especially important to acknowledge excellence and hard work put into the organization because this drives the staff to do their jobs better with the vision of not just meeting expectations but exceeding them. This will positively reflect not just on the manager but to the whole team as well.
13. Recognize and reward your staff.
Every employee in a company works hard so that they can support and fend for themselves or their families. And every employee deserves to be recognized for a job well done. When an employee exceeds what is expected of them, it is because they worked hard to achieve those goals and targets. Being recognized and rewarded for an excellent job performance gives the employee the morale booster that he or she needs to keep going to work and to contribute to the organization’s future. This also encourages and inspires other employees to work harder for themselves and for the benefit of the organization.
14. Celebrate your staff’s success.
Whether a project has been completed or maybe someone in the team is celebrating an important life event, managers must celebrate every success that his or her team has brought to themselves because the success of one is the success of everyone in the team. Knowing how to celebrate milestones is a way to keep your staff inspired to do more of their work.
15. Empower your staff.
How great it would be to know that your manager knows how to empower his staff to do things for the benefit of their team. When the manager acknowledges and recognizes the staff’s individual abilities and strengths, when the staff can make decisions for the team, the staff feels empowered and valued. This encourages the team to do better and meet all the expectations that are set for them.
Effective staff management requires a great deal of technical and financial knowledge, sensitivity to the needs of the individuals within the staff, and positive human interaction in order to ensure that the team will be able to have a harmonious and productive working relationship with each other within the organization.
NEED FUNDING FOR YOUR BUSINESS? GET A FREE QUOTE TODAY AND GET FUNDED!
CLICK HERE TO GET A FREE QUOTE
Share this article
