It’s not enough to simply have employees; you need to ensure that they’re able to work to the best of their ability. All too often, a company can have a large team of staff, yet they’re nowhere close to meeting their potential. That’s because the systems in place at the business aren’t geared towards bringing out the best of the workers. To take the company to the next level, it’s important that the employees are liberated, that they can deliver work to the highest of standards. As the business owner, it’s up to you to make this happen. Below, we take a look at a few tried and tested methods for ensuring your staff reaches the heights they know they’re capable of.
Hire the Person, Not For the Task
It all begins with who’s on the team. Some bosses have an outdated approach when it comes to their hiring process. They look at the task that they need completing, and hire a person who can fulfill that task. In reality, it’s much better to hire the person for their overall talents and how in sync with your company culture they are. It’s a bit like the old saying: “give a man a fish, and he’ll be fed for the day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll be fed for a lifetime.” By hiring a talented person, you won’t just get one fish — you’ll have someone who can deliver on a variety of projects and tasks. Reaching this stage will all come back to your hiring process. Take the time to get it right!
Free of Micromanagement
If there’s one thing that employees hate — and that wastes your time — it’s micromanagement. If you’ve hired the right person, then you shouldn’t look over their shoulder, and try to involve yourself in every step of the process. You should just leave them to get on with the work. They’ll be able to do the task much better than you can, but only if they have the freedom to do it. If you’re inserting yourself into every task, then all you’ll be doing is making it difficult for them to do their job well. If you’re one of those bosses, then work on reducing your controlling ways. It’ll be what’s right for your business.
Where Do They Work Well?
The regular office environment is seen as, well, regular, but it’s possible that it works against your company. There’s little suggestion that workers deliver their best work when they’re sat in front of a computer all day. Instead of subjecting your workers to this type of arrangement, take a look at mixing things up. It might be considered a bold move, but there’s a lot of value in asking your employees where they want to work. If there’s an employee who finds it easier to get into the groove of working when they’re at home, then let them work from home. The history of working is one where the employers tell the employees where and when to work, but studies are beginning to show that giving the workers greater control might be a better approach.
Their Own Device
How many hours of productivity are lost each year, all because one of your employees is trying to figure out the device they’ve been assigned. Because they only use it for work, they know the technology much less intimately that they do their own devices, which is almost an extension of their arm. Studies have shown that not only do employees work better when they’re using their own devices, but they also prefer it. To initiate this system at your work, you’ll need to a Mobile Device Management system in place, which you’ll have if you use Electric to manage your organization’s IT needs. Productivity will increase, and the frustrations that your workers feel when using an alien device will reduce. It’s a win-win situation.
Space for Projects
You might have the most supremely talented team of staff in the world, but if they’re using up all their energy and time just completing tasks that you give them, then you’re not going to be making the most of their talents. To do that, you’ll need to give them time and space to work on their own projects. It’s too much to ask for them to work on their passion projects outside of their regular working hours. A better policy is to have an open door process, by which workers can approach you about working on a project. If you like the sound of it, then give it the green light, and provide the space and resources they need to bring it to life. Some of the best ideas from the world’s leading companies happen because one of their workers was allowed to work on a project. Who knows what your team might come up with?
Bringing the Happiness
If there’s one thing you should strive for, it’s making your employees happy. Aside from the fact that it’s simply the right thing to do, there are plenty of advantages that’ll ultimately benefit you and your employees. For example, it’ll make them more willing to deliver their best work. There’s a huge difference in the output between a happy and unhappy worker. An unhappy worker does the bare minimum. A happy worker goes above and beyond. It really doesn’t take all that much to make an employee happy — a few simple worker programs will do it.
Provide Training
You can’t expect too much from your staff if you’re not actively pushing them to be better. If you’ve got a talented team, then it’s up to you, as the leader, to sculpt that talent into something that works for your business. Whatever industry you’re in, there will be developments and new ways of working that requires training. Invest the money needed to give your team this training, and your company will reap the benefits.
Don’t keep your staff in second gear. Take the tips above, and release their talent.
