The key to effective leadership and human resource management is motivating your team to consistently perform well and instilling in them a desire to constantly improve. Staff should be managed in a manner that encourages their output and makes them feel satisfied and comfortable as a member of your team. Although we recommend hiring a HR expert for your HR needs (such as recruiting, safety, employee training), here are some tips for what you can do to foster an effective body of staff.

What you can do to ensure the happiness and effectiveness of your staff

Communicate Effectively

Communication is essential to effective human resource management. Take the time to learn how to communicate effectively with all of your employees, and make sure that they feel comfortable communicating with you. Open communication is a major factor of employee satisfaction. Some employees may require firm but respectful directions, while other will respond best to a soft tone and a congenial attitude. Barking orders at your staff and instilling them with fear will only antagonise and un-motivate your employees. When it comes to communication with your staff, honesty is key. Don’t beat around the bush or tiptoe around important issues. A great manager invites and gives suggestions and constructive criticism.  Workers should be openly appreciated when appropriate and constructively corrected, in private, when necessary. Problem solving is a mutual effort. A supportive boss has compassion and empathy for their employees.

Build Relationships

Great employee relationships are driven by respect, trust, honesty, support and attention. The more supportive the environment, the more motivated and comfortable your employees will feel when it comes to their output. A great boss has a genuine interest in their employees as individuals. They take the time to get to know each employee’s personality, needs and goals and learns something about the employee’s personal life. Bosses who show care and interest to their staff get the most optimal performance and generate high productivity and loyalty – they make their staff feel important and personally significant.

Encourage Growth

A great boss encourages their employees to reach their full potential. When employees are encouraged to learn, their independence, skills and responsibilities are expanded and their creativity is stimulated. Extra learning and training should be facilitated and encouraged whenever possible, even if this training takes place during work hours.

Foster Teamwork

Encourage your employees to work together and share ideas. When workers feel comfortable to express themselves and have their ideas recognised, they become more productive, more effective and more motivated to contribute to the work environment.

Recognise and Encourage

When successes happen, acknowledge and encourage everyone who had a hand in this success. Create an environment that supports and acknowledges employees for their work – it will encourage them to strive for constant improvement. Nothing motivates people, inspires loyalty and drives momentum like praise and rewards.

Accept Responsibility

Never blame your employees for something that was your error. This will only promote disdain, lack of trust and decrease your credibility. Instead, if you make a mistake, own up to it. When you take responsibility for your mistakes you encourage your staff to respect and support you, and you inspire them to be honest and courageous when it comes to their own mistakes. Once you have acknowledged your mistake, proactively address its correction to make sure it never happens again.

Don’t Shy Away from Confrontation

In order to maintain a harmonious working environment, any workplace issues (such as lags in performance or inter-office disputes) need to be dealt with directly and effectively. Some issue can be very sensitive in nature, so this is not always easy.

For the most effective human resource management, it is encouraged that you enlist the help of an experienced HR professional. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like to know more about effective HR management or how our team could increase the success of your business.