Joe manages a small team and he’s not too good at it. His team members always show up late. They have stopped turning in their sales reports. And, they are equally tardy in reporting sales numbers. Joe’s management style does not seem to have an impact on them. He’s lost control. He’s considered firing them and starting over, but he can’t afford the cost of finding and training new employees.
Fortunately for Joe, it’s never too late to regain control of your team as a manager. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we’ll share practical management advice from blogger David Galic.
Start During the Hiring Process. Set expectations at the beginning of your relationship with employees. The hiring process should be used to not only identify the right people for your business in terms of skills and culture but to set goals and objectives for them right away.
Be open and clear with every new employee about what is expected and what type of company culture you want to promote. To make sure that you are onboarding new team members the right way, it’s not enough to tell them what tasks you expect them to perform. You need to let them know right away what type of behavior you want to see and what type of actions will not be tolerated.
Be sure to speak openly with new employees about their jobs, how they fit into the team and what their specific roles will be. Make sure to set goals and provide them with a roadmap that highlight this, and clearly state what is expected of them, both as a worker and as a teammate.
Establish Clear Procedures, Rules and Boundaries. No matter how “cool” your business is, rules and regulations need to exist. Even the most relaxed startup or small business needs to have clearly defined behavioral boundaries in order to succeed.
Make sure that you have created a document or training program that clearly defines not only your workplace’s rules but the consequences that can result from breaking them. Simply having rules will not help you maintain control of your workforce if you are not enforcing them and holding employees accountable for violating them.
Many new business owners will do everything they can to avoid being the bad guy in the eyes of their employees. This type of approach is inherently self-defeating. If your only goal as a manager is to avoid stepping on employees’ toes, then you’re never going to be seen as an authority figure, no matter how many rules you set.
When the time comes to reprimand an employee, this needs to be done in a professional manner as well. If your staff members are coming to work late on a regular basis, displaying behavior that isn’t acceptable for work or breaking any other company rules, set up a time to speak to them privately and let them know that this behavior won’t be tolerated and that there will be consequences.
Don’t Ignore Troublesome Employees. Small business managers are sometimes hesitant to let go of employees who are unruly and underperforming, simply because they don’t want to deal with the process of having to find replacements. Sometimes managers tend to try and wait it out in the hope that these employees will make a turnaround on their own, but that rarely ever happens.
There are times when letting go of troublesome employees right away is the best thing to do. But if you are looking to give them a second chance to prove they want to keep their job, you need to stop ignoring the negative influence they are having on your workplace and speak to them about it.
If the employee simply lacks direction and motivation, then make sure you are clearly defining, communicating and enforcing the rules you have established. If the problems persist, you’re going to have to cut ties with that employee and search for a replacement.
The time and money you spend finding a good employee to replace a bad one might be significant, but it will look like pocket change compared to the money you’ll waste by keeping a poor employee on board for a prolonged period of time.
Source: David Galic is a business blogger for Humanity, a workforce management software company.