Finding and Retaining Good
Staff
By Cath Nicholson HR Central
We get a lot of calls from business owner/operators about how to keep their employees either engaged and productive or ensure that they are not going to lose their good ones. Unfortunately, there is no book that can miraculously solve this issue but, there are certain approaches, mindset and methods, that can ensure you do the best to be a business that attracts great talent and fosters a positive environment that leads to a productive and happy team. When employees are engaged, they are more likely to be loyal, work harder and tell their friends and families that your business/organisation is a great place to work.
Barry and Gail run an insurance business with a small team of 4. Two of the team members have been employed for over 10 years and it is presumed by Barry and Gail that they will see the remainder of their working days out in the business. These two employees are quiet, come to work on time and leave on time. Their work deliverables are adequate, and because they are not disruptive, they are just “there”. The business is busy and growing, and there is a requirement for recruiting two additional teams members. However, this has been delayed as they are having “issues” with the other two, rather “tricky” employees and they don’t want to bring new people in to the business until this gets sorted.
Barry and Gail are decent employers who want to do the right thing by their people, but being so busy they are finding it exhausting managing all aspects of the business, including the two employees who are causing problems. So infact, things are just chugging along and nothing is being done at all to increase productivity and healthy outcomes.
What is our recommendation at HR Central to resolve these issues and support Barry and Gail to be more proactive in their leadership and management of their team?
Finding and Retaining Good
Staff
By Cath Nicholson HR Central
We get a lot of calls from business owner/operators about how to keep their employees either engaged and productive or ensure that they are not going to lose their good ones. Unfortunately, there is no book that can miraculously solve this issue but, there are certain approaches, mindset and methods, that can ensure you do the best to be a business that attracts great talent and fosters a positive environment that leads to a productive and happy team. When employees are engaged, they are more likely to be loyal, work harder and tell their friends and families that your business/organisation is a great place to work.
Barry and Gail run an insurance business with a small team of 4. Two of the team members have been employed for over 10 years and it is presumed by Barry and Gail that they will see the remainder of their working days out in the business. These two employees are quiet, come to work on time and leave on time. Their work deliverables are adequate, and because they are not disruptive, they are just “there”. The business is busy and growing, and there is a requirement for recruiting two additional teams members. However, this has been delayed as they are having “issues” with the other two, rather “tricky” employees and they don’t want to bring new people in to the business until this gets sorted.
Barry and Gail are decent employers who want to do the right thing by their people, but being so busy they are finding it exhausting managing all aspects of the business, including the two employees who are causing problems. So infact, things are just chugging along and nothing is being done at all to increase productivity and healthy outcomes.
What is our recommendation at HR Central to resolve these issues and support Barry and Gail to be more proactive in their leadership and management of their team?
Weed out the bad behaviour immediately
Have a discussion as soon as possible, with the employees that are disengaged and arguing between themselves. This includes providing examples of occasions where behaviour is disruptive as well as having open two sided conversations to see if employees are aware of the impact of their actions and what are the issues in the workplace that could be contributing to negative behaviour. We provide scripts and notes on sticking to the issue at hand, not making any personal comments and reiterating what the business expectations were of employees.
Listen to the feedback. Example: one of the employees admitted to feeling burnt out and was struggling to manage work and life balance. This pressure was brought in to the workplace and causing friction with her colleague. She was very stressed and felt very isolated in balancing all that was required of her.
The other “tricky” employee admitted to being bored in her role and taken for granted, she worked permanent part time but wanted more.
Incorporate Policies and Procedures
Barry and Gail have very little policy around code of conduct. We offer a tailored policy suite to the business indicating rules around clear codes of behaviour and expectations, plus procedures on how to follow these rules, giving clear understanding to each employee. Of key note it is essential to have recorded somewhere that each policy has been read and agreed to.
Embrace the way of working in 2024!
Experienced business operators who had been in the workforce for a long time, can sometimes be stuck in the past ways of 9 – 5 and just doing what the boss says. The our way or the highway approach. As an employer it is essential that you welcome the way the business world operates today and that employees have more of a voice and a contribution to how they manage their role in your business. Whilst this can be a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, it is essential to get your head around the various ways that employees expect to be managed and contribute to their work environment today.
Flexible working conditions
If an employee requests a flexible working arrangement, you need to hear them out and where possible, accommodate their request. For example addressing the “exhausted” employee, and working with them to change their work hours so they could, as example, assist with taking care of home life duties such as collecting their children from school.
Make sure if this is agreed, that the employee has equipment, access to files, etc, at home, so that when their children are home and settled work can be done if need be. This will help to ensure tasks can still be done in a timely manner. And that’s a win for you!
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📞1300 717 721 or 📧Cath.Nicholson@hrcentral.com.au