It happens in every business, in every office, to every team. Sometimes you just seem to hit a wall. Production is down, complaints are up and things just don’t seem to be in sync. As a manager, it is your job to find a fix, but you are not even sure what is broken, much less what should be done to change it. Don’t panic; every manager in every industry goes through this cycle from time to time. It has a variety of causes, and with just a few helpful tools, you can find the problem, implement a solution and get things back on track in no time.
Start by doing what any good doctor would do. When you go in for treatment for some complaint, your doctor begins by asking diagnostic questions: Where does it hurt? Does it hurt when I do this? You know the drill. So, start with the same approach. Sit down with your team, first individually and then as a group if appropriate, and ask them things like:
? How do you feel our team is doing at reaching our goals? Why?
? Are there things you think we could do to improve performance? What and why?
? How do you feel you are doing individually when it comes to meeting your goals? Why do you say that?
? As a manager, what could I do that could help you and our team the most? Why do you say that?
If you assure your people that they can be candid with you, then you should get a lot of very interesting information. Don’t be defensive or argumentative. After all, you asked for it. Take good notes, be sure to thank them for their input, and don’t form any opinions until you have collected all the information you can.
Most of the answers you receive can be reduced to one of a handful of categories:
1. Burnout and stress. Most organizations these days are trying to do more with less, and that puts a lot of pressure on workers. Increased pressure and reduced resources causes more mistakes, more resentment and frustration, and more critical attitudes – all of which reduces efficiency and lowers production. People invest too much energy in counterproductive emotions and activities.
2. Problems with the pay scale. People view their salary as an indication of how much the company values them. If the salary scale is low, or if there are few options for earning raises, people quit caring about the product, because they assume you don’t care about them.
3. Poor communication and lack of positive feedback from management and supervisors. This goes along with #2 above. Employees don’t need you to be their best friend, but they do need to have a sense that you recognize them as persons with feeling and value. Withholding important information about the office, especially information that affects them, is a sign of disrespect. Failing to provide regular, positive feedback will always lead employees to wonder if their position with you is secure. If they spend too much time worrying about their future with the company, they have less time and energy to spend on work.
4. Lack of leadership from management and supervisors. As a rule, rank and file employees are the first ones to notice problems with protocols, processes and personnel. They will find a way to express their concerns, and then they wait expectantly for the needs to be addressed. When supervisors sit back and do nothing, allowing the problematic conditions to continue, that is very discouraging to employees. They often quit trying as hard. After all, if management doesn’t care, why should they?
5. Strife and poor relationships between co-workers. This is a much bigger problem than many managers realize. Co-workers who don’t get along create an atmosphere that not only affects them; it also has an impact on everyone around them who has to listen to it all day. This saps energy and positive motivation from everybody in the office.
6. Feeling poorly trained or unprepared for the job. Many companies are too busy and understaffed to invest in good training anymore. The “learn by watching, learn by doing” approach is the training program of choice far too often. In many companies, this simply is not sufficient to adequately prepare new employees to meet the challenges of their job. They live with a high fear of failure, they make mistakes, and they pass on their ignorance to the next new hire.
7. Personal problems. Employees can’t be expected to ignore a sick child, a financial crisis or a broken marriage when they come to work. These problems hover over them, distracting them, even when they are trying to do their best for you.
Employee teams function like one big, networked organism. For that reason, you are very likely to hear similar reactions from every one you interview. After all, they spend eight hours together every day, and they spend a lot of it talking to each other about what is wrong at work and what somebody (you) ought to do about it. They may not always be objective, but don’t be surprised if they are consistent. The good news is that it makes the fix a little easier to find. If they have been talking about the “problem,” they have probably also talked about some solutions that would really help them. These will also be consistent!
The first step toward a cure is to zero in on that last question: What could I do right now that would help the most? Take the answers seriously. Implement any reasonable request you can; it shows you are listening and you value them as employees and people. For the suggestions that can’t be easily implemented, try to come as close as you can. Maybe assembling working groups with both employees and supervisors represented could help work out compromise solutions. Salary structures are the hardest to deal with. However, in my experience, salary is not always the main issue. If your team feels valued, respected, and supported in other ways, that is worth more to them than another 25 cents an hour.
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December Management Quick Tip of the Month – Take the Doom out of Reviews
Performance reviews are one of the necessary evils of corporate life. They always feel a little awkward for both the supervisor and the employee, both of whom dread the experience. One good way to take the cloud off of the experience is to avoid using employee reviews as gripe sessions where the employee is called on the carpet regarding areas that need improvement. If an employee is failing to meet a company standard, it is in the best interest of both the employee and the company for that issue to be addressed separately and immediately, as soon as it presents itself. If you provide employees with regular, helpful feedback whenever it is needed, problems can be addressed sooner and more effectively. What about those “official reviews” then? With the fear of being blind-sided by a list of complaints and criticisms out of the way, turn them into brainstorming sessions for both you and your employee to discuss ways to make the job go even better.
