20/01/2017
- Speak to your staff and listen to them
Staff who feel engaged with management are more likely to be happy and perform well. If they have ideas, take time to genuinely consider them and provide feedback.
- Set targets and provide rewards
People work better when they know what is required of them and are incentivised when meeting or exceeding those expectations. Be sure to monitor any targets and praise those who meet them. It can be worse to meet your target and not receive any acknowledgement than if no targets are set at all.
The rewards offered don’t need to be big like a pay rise or a bonus but something to recognise the achievement, for example, an extra day of leave or use of a parking space outside the office for a week. These small things will help your staff remain happy and feel appreciated for their hard work.
- Deal with issues straight away
If there are any staff issues such as attendance, timekeeping or performance, deal with them straight away and don’t let them fester. Letting issues build-up without dealing with them can lead to employers jumping to dismissal for a small offence due to a number of other issues which were never dealt with. Such a dismissal is likely to be unfair where the main offence which resulted in dismissal was a minor one.
- Follow your own rules
Why have policies if you’re not going to follow them? When employers have good policies in place which are followed correctly, employees know where they stand and this can reduce the risk of conflicts. If employees are well informed they can understand their rights much earlier and could possibly avoid the need to speak to management or raise a grievance.
Overall, prevention is better than a cure. So keep your employees happy, stay consistent and 2017 will run smoothly and may well be your best yet.
If you need advice on how best to deal with your policies or on any employment-related issues please contact Laura Franklin at Beswicks Legal on 01782 205000 or laura.franklin@beswicks.com.
