In the new economy, employers have high expectations of their employees. No longer can employees get away with sitting idly on the job, coasting, or counting down the hours till the day is over – lest that person find him or herself replaced by a more passionate worker.
At the same time, employees are also expecting more from their employers. Most people are no longer spending 10 or 20 years working for the same company or staying in the same role their entire lives. They’re discovering that if their work doesn’t satisfy them, they can find something else. The internet has opened up a world of start-up opportunities that just didn’t exist before.
The lightning-fast changes occurring today are inspiring a whole new way of working – one that enables people to try out different tasks, learn new skills, and adapt their work to their own preferences and lifestyles as they evolve.
Are you providing an inspiring work environment for the people who serve you? Are you giving your contractors or employees a good reason to stay with you?
Here are 5 tips for managing an A+ team:
1) Use an objective assessment during the interview process. Since many people either don’t see their weaknesses, or don’t want to share them honestly, an objective tool is invaluable. The right assessment will provide you with unbiased information about the follow-through abilities of your employee (a critical skill your business needs), along with other pertinent data.
2) Match up the right person to the right task. Your employees will excel when they work in their unique abilities – that intersection of what they are good at and what they enjoy. Discover these abilities during the interview process and, if the person is already hired, move them around if they are not working in their unique abilities.
3) Provide incentive to your team members to encourage greater productivity, innovation, and creativity. Reward them above and beyond their normal salary for selling a certain number of products, coming up with creative solutions, or exceeding performance expectations. Rewards can come in the form of time off, money, promotions, or something else that is valuable to your team.
4) Regularly update your operations manual. Your operations manual needs to include step-by-step procedures for all the systems in your business. Make sure it provides pertinent and relevant information that empowers your team members to do their jobs well. Nothing is more frustrating to a team member than not having the right guidance at their fingertips.
5) Ask for input. Your employees want to feel important in your business. Get into the habit of asking for feedback from all of your team members on how to improve operations, what resources are needed to do better work, and how to enhance the overall work environment – both for customers and for employees. You don’t have to implement all their requests, but asking and implementing some of them goes a long way towards employee and customer retention and satisfaction.
By implementing these suggestions, you’ll see higher productivity and greater enthusiasm among your team members. This shift translates into a more enjoyable and profitable work environment for all.