People Management Archives - Page 2 of 12

At Leaders in Heels, we’ve operated our team remotely since our inception almost a decade ago. Our staff, partnerships and suppliers work in different cities, countries and timezones. Needless to say, we’ve found our groove and how to best operate for productivity AND, more importantly, in a way that fosters provocative work too!

Continue reading →

There are many warning signs to look out for when it comes to an ineffective team, and they should never be ignored. After all, the efficiency of your team determines the volume of your work output, the quality of that work, whether or not deadlines are achieved, and whether or not project goals are accomplished and key performance metrics met.

Continue reading →

Do you regularly encourage your employees? Boosting team morale can be a tall order. And yet, it’s a regular practice that leaders and managers must, by all means, master in the workplace. After all, employees are the building blocks of your business. The stronger the team you’ve assembled, the more robust that business will be.

Continue reading →

When thinking about hiring mums, I often reflect on years ago when I used to manage recruitment for a large online business. Whenever I’d get an application from an entrepreneur I’d immediately turn them down because I thought their skills wouldn’t be a good fit, they didn’t fit the brief and they wouldn’t want to work for someone else for too long.

Wrong. In fact, my mantra now is “Always hire the entrepreneurs!”. The skills, resilience and work ethic needed to be an entrepreneur means there’s a high chance they’ll be successful anywhere.

Now my new hiring tip is mums. Why? Well, let’s look at the skills you want in an employee.

Time management

If you’re anything like me, chances are you get way more done on the last day before you head off on a holiday because you know exactly what you need to get done before you go and you have a hard deadline. This is how mums approach Every. Single. Day. They just don’t have time to muck around.

Resilience

One thing you can be sure of in business that things will get hard on a regular basis. You want employees who can rise above the stress and keep a clear head. Being a mum dramatically changed my definition of stressful. Give me a tough day at work over dealing with a screaming, wriggling child whose nappy hasn’t been able to contain a truly astounding amount of explosive poo on less than four hours sleep over the past three days combined. Hiring mums cannot builds resilience in your team.

Flexibility

Things don’t always go to plan and the ability to be flexible and find a way around problems rather than grinding to a halt at the first sign of difficulty is a crucial skill. This pretty much describes every day of my life since becoming a mum. I feel like Macgyver half the time, using whatever is at hand to get the job done and changing plans at the last second to accommodate my daughter Izzy is the norm.

Empathy

In any team you need people with empathy, especially in your leaders. Empathy is the grease that keeps a team working well together, and customers happy. Needing to learn how to provide for a small human who can’t talk is a great lesson in empathy. And when they can talk, they’re still learning to control their emotions and feelings which can challenge and grow those empathy muscles in a big way.

Hiring mums is great for your leadership team

In my experience, mums tend to make strong leaders. Just like each child is different, with different needs and wants, the same is true of adults too and parents seem to intuitively get this with those they manage. It’s also pretty hard to get kids to do anything you want and you quickly develop mastery of creating a compelling vision and getting everyone on the same bus to get there as a team.

Ego

This is probably the most important one for me. Having Izzy quickly realigned what’s actually important in my life. So many things I used to feel were important suddenly didn’t feel all that important anymore. This has translated directly into business for me, I find it much easier to let things go and find myself asking questions like “is this the best for the business, or am I doing it for me?”. This is a trait I really look for in my team – the ability to check your ego at the door.

About Libby Babet

Libby is co-founder of upcoming immersive business and wellness retreat for women hosted, Nurture Her, hosted 18-22 October in Fiji, which has attracted fantastic speakers including Julie Bishop. A wellness guru who has appeared as a trainer on The Biggest Loser: Transformed, Libby also owns several fitness studios and a healthy snack business with two brands, Chief Bar and Beauty Food.

Employee satisfaction is an important factor in the success of a business. When staff are satisfied with their salary, management and work-life balance, it positively impacts the overall performance of the business itself.

There are many aspects that affect employee satisfaction. It is critical for employers to recognise the primary concerns employees face, in order to help them mitigate these issues. These include:

1. An unfavourable workplace environment

Employees spend most of their time inside the office. It is no surprise then that being in a space that is less than favourable can affect the way they work.

These include cramped spaces, poor ventilation/heating/cooling and messy, cluttered workstations. Aside from the office interiors, the safety of the workplace is also a consideration. Is the office located in a safe neighbourhood? Are there any safety hazards in the building? Are the furnishings, machines and equipment well-maintained?

When employees do not feel comfortable or secure, the tendency is to develop resentment and lose the excitement which can cause a high rate of tardiness and absenteeism in the workplace.

2. Rigid schedules

Employees increasingly value the importance of having a great work-life balance. For many, being successful does not only equate to having a good job but also being able to balance this with a fulfilled personal life. Many employees may favour a job offer with a flexible working schedule than one with a fixed time.

This allows employees the flexibility to adjust the time that they get to work and not follow a 9 to 5 routine. Employees do not have to choose between missing something important and getting penalised for being late to work.

Many companies may think that giving employees the flexibility with coffee breaks is a productivity killer but some experts suggest that allowing employees frequent micro-breaks actually increase productivity rather than curtail it.

3. Lack of recognition (yes, it can decrease employee satisfaction)

When employees feel that their hard work is not appreciated by management it can lead to a feeling of demotivation. Instead of being driven to work harder, employees who lack motivation tend to only go through the motions of their work and not contribute valuable inputs.

When an employee achieves something monumental, sometimes saying ‘Great job’ is not enough and employment perks should be considered. According to one study, more than 50% of employees in the UK would leave their current job if they are offered another job with more perks*. However, it has to be something the staff will actually appreciate and use. Many companies have used Leaders in Heels planners as corporate gifts and incentives.

4. No clear career growth

When employees feel that their career is going nowhere, this can be a real satisfaction buster. To retain their best employees, companies must keep employees engaged and allow them opportunities to grow. This does not only refer to the monetary compensation, but also to how an employee’s career could evolve over time.

These plans must be communicated early and clearly as a lack of communication makes employees is demotivating. To avoid this, managers can utilise annual performance reviews to convey the importance of career development. Performance reviews are also a venue to mentor employees and set measurable goals that they need to achieve to grow their careers.

5. Unbearable workload

Companies to want to be productive and get the best out of their employees. Maximise their resources, including their staff, is vital to success. However, it is not unusual to hear of employees doing the job of two or more people all by themselves. While some business owners may think that this practice saves them money, this can make companies lose more.

Stressed and overworked employees are hardly productive in the company. They tend to make more mistakes, cause tension and ultimately resign.

Employers must make sure their workers have clear job descriptions and expected results are well communicated early on, to avoid any misunderstandings in the future. If there are additional tasks, consider outsourcing these rather than burdening employees.

About the author
Nathan Sharpe has been a self-employed business advisor for a number of years, identifying ways businesses can grow and evolve. He has a wide knowledge base to share with business owners and leaders alike, which you can read about at www.biznas.co.uk