making the most of your staff

8/14/2019 Making the Most of Your Staff

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Making the Most of Your Staff

How do I manage a

new employee?

They say first impressions count and this couldn't be truerthan when you're helping a new employee integrate intoyour team.

There's a mixture of excitement and nervous energy as the newemployee tries to establish themselves in their new surroundingsand the existing employees suss out the new member of the group.It's your job to make sure this process runs smoothly.

Showing them the basicsAfter greeting them to the premises and showing them to where theywill be working, you should take them through the basic setup ofyour office and give them the grand tour.

Show them all important aspects of daily workplace life (from coffeepreparation to car space)

Always try and take your new recruit out to lunch on their first daywith a few colleagues so you can get to know them in a moreinformal environment.

Don't be tempted to bring too many people as you don't want to overintimidate them on their first day. If possible, assign them a mentorwho does a similar job to them who they can learn from when you'renot available


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Learning the ropesYou then need to slowly start providing them with a drip feed ofinformation that will help them do the job that they've been employedto do.

As well as organising a formal training programme, aim to schedulein some time for them to get to know the job and the systems ontheir own. Sometimes there's nothing like digging around to seewhat you can uncover yourself.

You should schedule regular meetings throughout the duration of the

probation period with clear goals for the new recruit to meet at eachstage. This will give them something to focus on and you somethingto judge them by.

Getting knownOver the first week or so you should encourage your new employeeto set up meetings with all the people they will be working with on aday-to-day basis. Rather than setting up the meetings for them, it'sbetter to suggest they make approaches themselves as it will helpthem get to know names, responsibilities, meeting room protocol,etc.

Introduce them to internal and external personnel who they will bemeeting regularly, such as suppliers, IT teams and the person fromfinance who will sign off their expenses.

Handling a new employee with care can have an extremely

beneficial pay off in the long run for both parties involved.

Needle in a Haystack eBooks


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How can I measureemployee loyalty and

satisfaction?

Finding out if your employees are happy is a vital part in

improving productivity and reducing staff turnover.You're never going to get a good idea of what your employees thinkif you don't ask them. Employees are often scared of telling youexactly what they think. There are various open and anonymousmethods you can use to canvas your employees:

Suggestion box - the simplest form of getting employee opinions, butone that is difficult to get any real insight from. Suggestions are open

to interpretation and can often be vague.

Online comments - If your company has an intranet,launching a forum monitored by HR can create a discussionwith feedback from both employer and employee.

Questionnaires -these can be conducted at regular intervalsand follow roughly the same format so you can get an idea of

how your employee satisfaction fluctuates over time.

Employee committees - Every company should aim to have agroup of employees that represent the various parts of the


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business who meet regularly to discuss major issues.

Q&A - The most natural form of canvassing opinion, but not

always the most effective. Putting your managers up in front ofemployees and getting them to answer questions gives themvery little time to research answers, even if some of thequestions have been planned.

As well as getting opinion of your employees as a group, you needto focus on individuals and their specific needs.

1-2-1 discussions should take place with their direct line manager,but you should also look to have a process where all employees canapproach other people within the business to discuss issues theydont feel they can raise with their usual boss.

Always try and investigate if your employees need extra training.Often people become dissatisfied in their job because they feel theyhave nothing left to learn. Giving them a new skill to develop couldbe the motivation they are looking for.

Take noticeThere's no point conducting these surveys if you do nothing with theresults. After collating and analysing the results of whateversurveying methods you decide upon, communicate with youremployees (either as a group or individually) on what you plan to do.

Your employees need to know that there isn't a bottomless pit of

funds to run the business but dont dismiss suggestions withoutconsideration. Nothing gets solved by bottling things up, so makeyour business an open environment where issues get discussed,and changes actually happen.



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How can I introduce flexibleworking arrangements?

With options including combinations of compressed hours,job sharing and shift work, its an area that requires deepconsideration for every company.

Retaining and keeping staff motivated pays real dividends to anybusiness.

More and more organizations are also looking to reduce costs andbecome more effective with the resources they have, and thegovernment is continually trying to promote more flexible workinghours.

The business benefits of flexible workingSupporters of flexible working claim that, even in a downturn,businesses adopting flexible working practices might find that it isnot a mere compromise strategy.

In fact, it may bring improved staff motivation, recruitment andretention, greater customer satisfaction, increased productivity,reduced sickness, and greater cost-effectiveness.

The considerations of flexible workingDespite its apparent advantages, flexible working is not somethingto be rushed into. A carefully considered approach will pay dividendsin ensuring a smooth and positive transition.


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These considerations include estimating in advance:

How will your quality of service be affected? What will be the impact on service delivery? What core hours do you want employees to work? What success measurements can you put in place? What equipment will distance workers require? What will be the benefits to your clients and customers?

Implementing flexible working

Once you have answered these questions, there are a few hurdlesyou will need to overcome before implementing the new procedure:

Board buy-in - Step one is to have an agreement and supportat the highest levels.

Staff buy-in - This is by no means automatic. Take the time tofind out exactly what your employees want.

Start with a pilot scheme - Fine-tune your policy over the firstthree to six months, encouraging feedback.

Introduce guidelines Detail what you have learnt over thecourse of the pilot period to prevent problems from arising.

Review regularly - Review progress against your goals andmake any necessary tweaks.

If it all sounds like a lot of hard work for questionable rewards,remember that well implemented flexible working might not onlypassively help your company ride out the recession - it might alsoactively enhance its performance.



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How can I reduce

staff turnover?

You've put a lot of effort into getting the right people in yourbusiness and the last thing you want them to do is leave.

Spotting the trends of when employees leave your company will help

you understand why they leave and make efforts to prevent ithappening in future

Seasonal turnover- This is often connected to employeeswho have salaries that are mainly commission based as theywill look to follow environments and markets where they canmaintain money making opportunities.

Responsibility turnover- Sometimes you can get into an

employment cycle where once employees have establishedthemselves in their job, they decide it's time to move on asthere is no next step for them to take in the organisation.

Mass exodus - The worst case scenario for a business, whena large number of employees decide to hand in their notice atthe same time. This could be down to a new manager that theteam doesn't get on with, a dispute on wages with a union, or

stories in the media about potential financial trouble in yourindustry.


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Minimising exitsMany of these factors are out of your control, but there are certainpractices you can put in place to try and minimise staff turnover.

Improving recruitment - Look to employ people who areflexible who can meet the changing needs of the business.

Communicating with employees - Be open with youremployees, share your vision of the future and let them knowhow they fit into the overall goals.

Listening to employees - You won't be able to take on alltheir suggestions, but it's important to at least give them yourfull consideration.

Increasing benefits - Other than salary try and relate these tothe issues you think your company may have; for example, anextra day of annual leave can help the work-life balance.

Offering praise - Regularly let your employees know they are

valued members of the organisation. Be careful to spread thispraise around equally.

Staff training and development - Continuous developmentplans show your employees that you are thinking about theirfuture.

Occasionally unexpected resignations can rock the business. This iswhere your negotiation skills come into play.

Recruiting is generally an expensive and time consuming process sothe more you can do to keep the staff you have, the better.



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Why do good

employees leave?

Every company has their golden apples, but often these arethe employees who are most likely to move on.

If you've got your recruitment process right, you should have some

great employees within your organisation. People, who aregenuinely good at their jobs, are creative, hard working, forwardthinking, flexible and ambitious.

The need to succeed'Ambitious' is the key word here and it's up to you to ensure yourbest employees can achieve what they want within your company.

Power- This can be translated as responsibility and if you

want to ensure your best employees stay, you need to showthem exactly how you see their progression through thebusiness

Honour & Fame - On top of their regular reward for doing theirjob (their salary) it's always good to give regular praise to yourtop employees. Having their name up in lights gives mostambitious the necessary ego boost to continue as before.

Wealth - This doesn't mean you should be throwing money atyour good employees left, right and centre, but your bestemployees should be able to see exactly what they need to doto achieve it.


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Fighting off the competitionEvery company is after the best talent and good people are quicklyrecognised in the industry. There are various ways your bestemployees can become known:

CV databases - Even though they aren't actually looking for anew job, many people have their details on job sites to stayupdated on the kind of jobs that are out there.

Recruitment agents - Effectively talent touts, if they get holdof a good CV they will instantly let their clients know that this

individual is on the market.

Head-hunters - Scouring the business world to find themovers and shakers that will help them earn big placementcommissions. Being head hunted is a great ego boost foranyone and it's an experience that only the best employees gothrough.

The catch 22 is that the more you praise your employees and hold

them up as a vital part of your company, the more they will becomeknown and will be in the crosshairs of other businesses.

The ego has landedWhen somebody knows they are good, there is potential for them tobecome too big for their own good and start taking their job,responsibilities, position and colleagues for granted.

Whilst praising your best employees, always steer their thoughtsback to how much you have helped them reach where they aretoday. Ask them to help other employees reach the level ofexcellence that they have and show that the best way to progress isto lead with dignity.



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How do I manage an

employee departure?

Whatever the reason for a departure, good preparation willmean an easy transition period and a smooth bedding in'period for the replacement.

Employees move on to pastures new for a whole host of reasons,including promotion, a new job, retirement, redundancy anddismissal.

Whatever the reason for their departure, good preparation will meanan easy transition period and a smooth bedding in' period for theirreplacement.

If you're dismissing someone at very short notice, it's not

always possible to get the pre-departure preparationcompleted. However, you should look to get as many of thefollowing actions completed as soon as possible.

Understand precisely what the departing employee does. Inaddition to what is stated in the job description, ask theemployee to list the tasks they perform, and the people andprocedures involved.

Create a plan for handling their workload. Start this process asearly as possible so co-workers are up to speed in advance oftheir departure.


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Remind them of confidentiality. When employees leave, theyknow a lot about your business. If they signed a confidentialityagreement, review it with them to make sure it's clear.

Communicate with affected staff. A co-worker's departure canbe traumatic for the colleagues, so call a meeting to reassurethem. If the departure also results in a promotion opportunity,be sure to point this out as a positive opportunity.

Schedule an exit interview. There are many insights that yourcompany can gain by conducting an exit interview with the

departing employee - even the ones you are glad to see go.

On the day they're leaving, retrieve company laptops, PDAs,mobile phones, USB keys, company-related keys, pass cards,and ID cards. Change access codes where necessary.

Leaving drinks are the traditional way of waving an employeegoodbye. These could be a few short words in the office or afull blown party with an open bar.

Delete his name from company literature including letterheads,websites and company brochures, as well as any internalorganisation charts or telephone lists.

Take security precautions. Deactivate all network andworkstation passwords, all company email accounts and anyremote access accounts.

Remember - the more constructively you view and handle thisprocess of change, the more positive and less traumatic thetransition will be, for everyone concerned.



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Finding the perfect employee is never easy, but if you usethe right tactics, pulling the needle from the haystack needntbe an impossible task. Our series of eBooks brings togetherexpert advice to help you improve your hiring processes.

For more useful tools and tips, visit hiring.monster.co.uk

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