MightyRecruiterA major part of any supervisor’s duties in the workplace involves managing employees. Although team members are the most important part of creating a successful business, it also can be challenging to deal with all the issues employees bring to your attention. Every supervisor has a different style and likely has learned some best practices during their years in management. Still, here are some guidelines for wrangling employees on an everyday basis.
Get Comfortable With Employment Law
No one expects every supervisor to be an expert when it comes to employment law, but still, some regulations are crucial to know. Otherwise, you risk making a legal faux pas during the hiring process or after the worker has become an official employee. Good managers know what kinds of questions they can ask and what to avoid. They learn how to accommodate special accommodations within a reasonable set of guidelines. Supervisors should award raises and promotions in a non-discriminatory manner and know the employee handbook inside and out.
Put Value on Performance Appraisals
In an employee is struggling, lesser managers might be reluctant to confront him or her about the problem. They might expect a brief discussion about performance issues to suffice instead of sitting down for a bigger conversation. Seasoned managers know a casual discussion will reflect on them poorly if the worker ends up getting fired. Performance reviews make workplace feedback, both good and bad, more official while demonstrating to workers that the company is dedicated to helping them improve. Plus, a paper trail that indicates strong work performances will be vital in providing raises or other perks down the road.
Set Path for Employees to Succeed
In workplaces of the past, the path toward advancement has been opaque. It may have been difficult for workers to tell whether they were succeeding on the job or whether they were just treading water. When it comes to managing employees, supervisors can get more value from their workers if they work with them to chart a clear path toward advancement. This plan might include additional training opportunities, trial team leadership or specific sales goals. Good managers will check in with workers periodically to gauge their level of success and offer feedback on potential changes. An added bonus here is that workplace morale can get a significant boost from this approach as other workers notice what is going on.
Require Fairness
Treating employees with fairness from a legal and personal standpoint is one of the best management strategies a supervisor can employ. Workers will be more productive in an environment that doesn’t tolerate discrimination or harassment of any sort. People doing the same job should get the same pay. Those who do the best work should be rewarded publically, and those who are struggling should get the assistance they need from managers in order to improve. Long-term achievement should yield a promotion, and workers not performing to their potential might need to be shown the door if they don’t seem to be getting better. Again, knowing the employee handbook from cover to cover can help supervisors take fair action on a daily basis.
Outside the Box
Today’s workplaces are slowly evolving to be more employee-centric than the usual top-down hierarchy. Supervisors who consider some new approaches to managing employees can reap rewards. For example, your employees might benefit from flexible work schedules as long as they meet production goals and fit the legal requirement. Or, you might rewrite job descriptions to increase fairness and workload balance for positions that can use an overhaul. Maybe you alter the rules about Internet usage during work hours or let your younger workers rock the social media world on your company’s behalf if that’s something they are interested in.
Legal Disclaimer
The content on our website is only meant to provide general information and is not legal advice. We make our best efforts to make sure the information is accurate, but we cannot guarantee it. Do not rely on the content as legal advice. For assistance with legal problems or for a legal inquiry please contact you attorney.