Opening a small business can lead to great rewards as well as the occasional obstacles. When you are the sole owner and employee, you have clear objectives on how you want the business to operate. Yet the time may come when you begin hiring employees to handle the mounting business operations. Now, you have to trust that your employees will do the quality work that you would personally perform and set the best image about the company.
So when productivity lags, it falls onto your shoulders to get employees back on track. Yet what can you do to better manage your employees? Here are 5 management tips to use on your staff to spur positive productivity.
1. Set clear expectations and obtainable benchmarks
For an employee to achieve the objectives of the business, your policies and goals must be known by everyone. Gather your employees together and tell them about your expectations concerning operations and each individual’s role in the company. Set realistic benchmarks that your employees can strive for as they can keep track of their progress.
2. Obtain leadership training
Not every small business owner is a natural born leader. You, and your management staff, requires comprehensive leadership training from the moment you decide to take on employees. With this training, you will be better prepared to manage employees and lessen staff issues. You can select the training that fits best into your work schedule such as academic programmes, seminars, articles, white papers and online podcasts.
3. Provide constant feedback
Employees will have no idea whether they are meeting or exceeding expectations without constant feedback. While the yearly evaluation can pinpoint good and bad aspects of their work productivity, employees respond positively to recognition of their hard work when the advice is given on a regular basis. They can also respond more efficiently to smaller problems in productivity before these problems become bigger issues.
4. Offer additional resources to employees
Staff issues may not be the fault of the employee. The problem may lie with ineffective equipment or obsolete software that is slowing down their jobs. Sit down with your struggling staff and find out if there are any limitations concerning their jobs. Ask for suggestions on how to make the processes more streamlined and efficient, then evaluate options that fit into the business budget. You may find the answer is as simple as upgrading accounting software or purchasing new tools for the grateful employee.
5. Respect all employees equally
While you may have a favorite employee on staff, or one that makes you want to pull out your hair in frustration occasionally, you need to keep in mind that every worker deserves equal respect from their boss. It can become a balancing act between praise and constructive criticism. Yet if you show the individual respect as well as respect for the role that they play in the company, you can spur their motivation to succeed at their job.
Whether you are a new small business owner or one who is steadily growing your company, you can take the necessary steps and take on board the 5 tips to better manage your staff. There is always something new to learn and improve upon in your leadership techniques. Find the right way to manage your employees as you can create the ideal working environment that is beneficial to your operations.
Don’t forget to check out our free HR Guide.
