Responsible for the day-to-day operations, employees are one of the strongest assets of your business. However, when not managed well, they can also contribute to why a business fails. Strong employee management will not only allow you as a business owner to retain top talent, but recruit new talent and provide career growth for your employees. Every company wants to increase business productivity and employee satisfaction, but what should they be looking at to change?
The following are my top four tips to help your business develop strong employee management skills to position you and your business for long-term success.
- Engage in two-way communication. Setting communication as the foundation of all business practices is essential for strong employee management. As your business continues to grow, you will need to hire more employees and undergo changes to increase overall activity. To ensure this process is as seamless as possible, is it important to use strong communication to achieve harmony and meet business goals. Employees should know that their opinions, suggestions and concerns are valued and that they have a voice that is heard by their leadership team. It is also important to solicit feedback from your employees to make sure you communicating effectively.
- Reward strong performance. Understanding incentives and what drives your employees is crucial to achieving optimum performance. If you choose to utilize incentives to increase production, it is important that you also follow through with them. When designing an incentive program, you need a strong sense of success. Done correctly, an incentive plan can lead to new actions taken, new sales results, new levels of engagement and creativity from your employees and, ultimately, higher levels of production.
- Promote work/life balance. As an employer, it is important to recognize that your employees have a life after they leave the office at the end of the day. As you design your paid time off policies, be sure to allot discretionary time that employees can use to manage personal issues. If possible, allow employees to work from home if one of their children gets sick or they are not able to make it into the office. This flexibility allows employees to feel like their careers are not dictating their lives, and empowered in their day to day work.
- Understand the value of leadership. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to not only have a strong leadership team, but demonstrate leadership on a daily basis. In other words, leading by example is one of the most effective ways to create a positive work environment. By emphasizing a team-driven approach with consistent policies and procedures, you are setting the foundation for your employees to have the same attitude and outlook.
Ultimately, it is a positive work culture that promotes strong employee morale and high levels of production. By utilizing these tactics, you are taking steps to ensure that you and your business are practicing strong employee management skills. QCBN
David Dinerman is the Senior Business Relationship Manager with Wells Fargo’s Business Banking team in Prescott.
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