Most employees improve gradually on their assigned duties as time goes by. What to do at every stage of their growth, how to do it, and feedback on how well they are doing is usually necessary to monitor the staff’s growth. As a manager, how you go about these things with your subordinates goes a long way in making sure they are organized and productive at their desks. The staff makes the company, so it is important to note that your company’s success depends largely on how well you relate with your employees.
Be aware of the differences
Not all employees keep to the company’s code of conduct and work ethics while at work. For example, you have a team of three staff members. One of them who is hardworking and diligent makes it a habit of coming late to the office. Another employee in the team who comes early may be turning in jobs with terrible mistakes because he doesn’t attend to details. The third employee comes early, does his work very well but prefers to work alone. Technically, if he was a good team player with the other two in the team, they may have been able to self-fix their different work-related issues. A manager can get things wrong, like the employees. It is not only a non-performing staff that needs feedback. To maintain your good staff, you should provide them with feedback also.
Seek help from PEO services
Other official matters aside from staff management, keep most managers busy and could deprive them ample time to check on their employees’ progress. It could be recruitment or payroll management, amongst others. Partnering with PEO services can help reduce this burden and so the manager can have more time to monitor the welfare of his existing staff. For example, a manager who wants to expand his business might consider Singapore. This country offers convenient policies for entrepreneurs looking to spread their businesses to other countries. This is because trading in Singapore is convenient.
Setting up there would involve frequent visits and remote recruitments. To lighten his duties, he can outsource his Singapore business visa application and the new office’s remote recruitment to the PEO. A manager who has partnered with a PEO service will have enough time available to him to take on other duties especially regarding his staff. So, what is the manager’s guide to giving gentle feedback to his employees effectively?
Scheduling a one-on-one feedback session
Correcting an employee openly in the presence of the employee’s colleagues has a way it demoralizes that staff. As a manager, you need to understand that it is only an erring staff that can make corrections to his errors. The other members of staff listening to the call-out cannot do that for him. It takes away the feeling of confidentiality, and it could make the staff less confident of his or her abilities. Imagine coming to work the next day after the public scolding and wondering what the other staff members think of you whenever you cross their paths. The scenario will keep playing in their heads, and it is never suitable for a staff looking to grow. To build the staff’s confidence, you can ask for a meeting to discuss their progress. The manager should put it in a way that doesn’t get the staff nervous. This meeting can be in your office with no one else around or in an empty meeting room.
Talk to your employee using a positive tone and do not overwhelm him
During the feedback session, start with something the staff is doing well and how their contribution helps the company. The confidence will set the right mood for the other things the staff isn’t doing right. It eases the employee and makes him ready to find out ways in which he can improve. In passing across what he is not doing well, make it look like things he can do to make the company more productive.
For example, if the resumption time is 9 am, and he always comes late, tell him some important things he can do at his desk between 9 am and when he usually resumes, that can help the organization improve. That way, he gets the message that he needs to be resuming early. There may be several things, such as outsource product development, the employee is not doing right. You can take it one at a time so you don’t overwhelm him. Naturally, the staff could make amends to the other areas you didn’t touch because he likes your approach and is willing to improve to make his boss happier.
Talk about finding a solution together and do a proper follow-up after the meeting
As a manager, you need to remember that you are giving your perspective on your employee’s performance. So, you need to allow them to give their opinion about what you have said. Get key points and note their challenges. For instance, if they suggest that the office needs tools such as
simultaneous translation equipment or perhaps a new computer, listen to them and take these thoughts into consideration. Once you have both reached an agreement, you can let them know that you are ready to help them always in any way possible. The manager should be able to do a proper follow-up after these meetings. Give the employee some time to implement by stepping back to observe. As you notice improvements, be sure to acknowledge them to the staff. It is usually a morale booster.
Final thoughts
The secret to a great working environment for both employees and managers is not far-fetched. A free flow of information from top to bottom makes the office a conducive environment to bud. Every employee wants a Manager to call a friend because of how the latter relates with him on work issues. So as a manager, practice these methods and be sure to always satisfy your employees and make them grow.
Martha Payne is a Personal Growth Coach with 10 years of experience working as a business development professional. She is truly passionate about nurturing talent and ideas that evoke transformative change in individuals, teams, and organizations. Her focus is to help organizations develop leaders for the future – unleashing the full talent, passion, and potential of individuals (in particular Millennials) through tailored leadership development and coaching programs.
