Being in charge of a team carries a certain degree of responsibility. Not only is it about making the people under you as productive and efficient as possible, it is also about instilling a sense of pride in their work, which will ultimately make them happier in their job. Employee wages are often one of the largest outgoings of any business and their input can spell the difference between success and failure.
Modern-day managers now recognize that in the current climate of job-hopping – in which employees between the ages of 25-32 stay in a job no longer than 3 years on average – they face an even greater challenge of extracting the highest value from their workers while they can. While there is no guaranteed way of doing this, the following tips will certainly help improve the attitude of your employees, putting a foot in the right direction towards a more efficient and willing workforce.
Set clear goals
Expecting your employees to consistently be on the same page as you and know exactly what to do is hopelessly unrealistic. While you should expect a certain degree of intuition, making equivocal demands and proceeding to get frustrated when tasks are not carried out in precisely the way you imagined is no way to run a team. Instead, it is far better to set measurable goals that limit the risk of confusion and disappointment further down the line. Setting achievable goals with a clear end will not only improve the happiness of your employees when they complete it, it will also relieve some weight from your own shoulders.
Give feedback
Although there is not always time to comment on every single piece of work your employees produce, continually neglecting to provide feedback will ultimately leave them in the dark wondering whether the work they have done is to a satisfactory degree. Providing relevant feedback creates a culture of transparency within companies, allowing workers to build on projects and improve. Do not be scared of giving bad feedback either; people appreciate it in the long-term, even if they feel offended and defensive in the immediate aftermath.
Promote engagement
Naturally, workers who are emotionally invested in a business and genuinely care about its success are more productive than those who only turn up every day for the money. Engaging in a company can take various forms, whether its an open-door policy for staff to make suggestions, or providing a survey for workers to leave their thoughts on different aspects of the work. Companies like Inpulse.com present managers with the ability to use the feedback they receive from surveys to improve the workplace and create a more engaging environment for staff.
Allow freedom
Adopting a micromanagement style is widely considered one of the most detrimental ways of running a business. It implies a lack of freedom in the workplace and can leave employees feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated. Instead, providing your staff with a level of autonomy will transform their attitude and increase general happiness within their work.
