“We are a bit behind, we need to catch up first”
“We are short of people again, first let's roll production and then we will focus on personnel”
“There are so many work, we should finish that first”
“Today again people who do not show up or have reported sick, now for sure we do not have time to train the new staff”
Do you recognise these arguments?
It is completely understandable that you focus on your core business, and that you want to achieve your goals.
But if your goal is achieved with the help of staff, how can they be secondary?
On short term, you may see more profit on the business account if you keep your eyes only on production. Of course, guiding people properly takes time, energy and also money. Quite right. But in the long run it is always a good investment. Motivated and satisfied employees are more likely to become loyal and committed, which means they keep working longer and harder. Rather, they tend to devote extra effort or time to the common goal. They do not call in sick unnecessarily and enjoy their work more. This ultimately makes customers more satisfied. Which in turn generates more profit, especially if the customer keeps returning as a result. If all performance conditions are in place, you will have less problems with staff turnover, which will also save you money, time and energy and also save costs on recruitment, selection and onboarding processes.
What are the performance conditions? What must be fulfilled in practice?
1. Performance context: Knowledge (in the form of training, good onboarding, and refresher courses to keep staff knowledge up-to-date, feedback – they are aware of how they perform), information (access to a necessary database, for example), tools (from office supplies or good software to professional tools), autonomy (ability, freedom to make choices – their work is not slowed down by slow decision making or poor internal communication).
2. Motivation: They are challenged, but not overloaded. They do have short, medium and long term goals within the organization. The vision, mission and values are clear and have also been communicated – the individual goals go well with the “Why?” of the company. They are motivated on a personalised way. (Career, responsibility, bonuses, recognition, etc.)
3. Competence: The employee has the necessary skills, or is willing and able to develop them. Has knowledge, expertise. Competent to successfully fill the position.
Then you can ask:
Are people well trained? Is the onboarding process effective, inspiring? Does it pass on all the knowledge that is necessary? Does the new employee learn what sets you apart from the rest? Does the new colleague feel part of the team? Does she/he feel safe and valued?
Do people get feedback? Is their work measured, corrected, recognised? Do you take care of their development if something goes wrong or if the desired level is not reached? Do you treat everyone equally?
Do people have the necessary tools, resources? Access to information? Do they have autonomy?
Are they motivated? Do you make sure they have short, medium and long term goals?
What is the internal culture like at your organization? How is the internal communication? How do the managers interact with the team members? Is there trust? Is there recognition provided? Are the employees seen as a person or as a number? How is the staff turnover?
It is never too late to implement changes. First, think for a moment: Why would a customer make a purchase from you? Why would anyone want to work for you? Why did you start your business in the beginning? - If you have an answer to these questions, that is already a success.
Furthermore, you can work out and coordinate everything from A to Z, develop management. Delegate tasks, but keep an eye on whether everything is going according to plan.
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