5 More Areas of Improvement for Employees
In the last post we talked about areas your employees could work on. Today, we’re going to talk about a few more. Again, you might consider including these areas of improvement for employees as part of your quarterly or annual evaluations.
Adjusting to Change
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not fond of most changes, particularly changes I didn’t personally initiate. However, the workplace is ever-changing. Oftentimes those changes are beyond the control of most employees. Still, employees need to be adaptable to the continuously changes they may face. Those changes can be in a variety of areas. For example, most businesses have some sort of staff turnover. As employees come and go, not only will the remaining staff find the need to adjust to new work styles, but they’ll also have to adjust to new personalities. Other changes may include the implementation of new and/or unfamiliar technological innovation.
Examples of what and how to measure. As in the last post, I’ll give you some examples for each area. From time to time, you might come across an employee who has a knack for understanding technology. That individual may be in charge of finding new technology that might save the company time and money. Those lesser skilled with new technology might be tasked to use a system before the next evaluation period.
Teamwork
In an earlier post, I talked about the benefits of teamwork. Even though some employees flourish in teams, others may prefer to operate independently and find teamwork to be a hassle. Regardless of our preferences, there are times when teamwork can benefit the workplace. For example, collaboration can be key to finding solutions to tough problems. Teamwork can spur innovation to help your organization keep up and even beat the competition. Though teamwork doesn’t have to be used in every scenario, it’s important to have a group of employees who know how to work together effectively.
Examples of what and how to measure. Team projects come and go, while some companies require more collaboration than others. When it comes to teamwork, I recommend peer evaluations. Once the initial evaluation is completed, future evaluations can be used to compare and contrast.
Work Ethics
When I was younger (maybe in my teens or early twenties), someone talked to me about work ethic. In a nutshell, the individual (I can’t even remember if it was a woman or man) said something on the lines that not giving a company what it’s due is like stealing. It can be in the form of slacking on the job, taking longer breaks than allotted, taking company supplies for personal use, etc. Those thoughts have stuck with me my entire work life and has made me cautious in terms of being respectful to my employers’ time and resources. Sometimes I feel it’s a bit old school and tyrant-like, but it’s been ingrained in me. Though thoughts on a company’s time and resources vary, employees should maintain an ethical standard in line with policies, if nothing else.
Examples of what and how to measure. Measuring ethics in the workplace starts with having ethics policies. One method to ensure employees are aware of policies related to ethics is to require each employee read and sign the policies on an annual basis.
Technology
Technology isn’t going anywhere; it only gets more advanced. Employees who fail to keep up with technology can become a burden to others. Rather than being self-sufficient, employees who fall behind or don’t take the time use the technology in the office may rely on words similar to “I don’t know how to do this. Will you handle it?” or “Ask Bob how. He’s the one who knows how to use all the gadgets.” As a result, some employees may find themselves pulled away from important task to handle situations everyone in the office should be able to accomplish. Keep in mind, you hire employees for certain tasks. If the individual wasn’t specifically hired to be the go-to for technology, s/he is being pulled away from their real job duties. In the end, inefficient businesses cost more to run than those which operate at a higher efficiency.
Examples of what and how to measure. Business owners may want to consider putting goals in place that require employees to learn technology that’s frequently used in the office. If you do have an individual who is tech savvy, that individual may have goals set to provide group training. Though it may take time to provide the group training, it may relieve the overall burden of being the go-to tech person.
Leadership
I take the stance that a company full of leaders is a strong company. Keep in mind, being a leader doesn’t equate to having the loudest voice or forcing reluctant individuals into situations they don’t want to be. Rather leadership is about having willing followers and building a passion within them, so they want to accomplish the goals you’ve set. Sometimes you’ll hire natural leaders. Other times, those leadership skills need to be cultivated. The culture you set and your leadership style acts as a model to the types of leadership you want to encourage within your organization.
Examples of what and how to measure. Learning is a lifelong journey. I often talk about training employees. Goals related to attending leadership courses may be an excellent way to help employees gain techniques in leadership. You may put those who possess the leadership skills you desire on supervisory tracks to encourage and reward their abilities.
Final Thoughts
Few people want to work in a dead-end job. Having goals and even rewarding accomplishments can give employees a reason to strive. Goals also help mark progress and show employees their importance within an organization.
Thanks for the wonderful article Renee..
I’m a small business owner and I’ve had both good and bad employees.
At first, I think some of the bad attitudes were my fault because I was just starting to learn leadership skills. I’ve been at it for 20+ years now and I’ve developed a better management style during that time.
I’m going to send my employees a link to this article because you’ve summed up the responsibilities of everyone ( workers, management) rather nicely — better than I could. Plus, all of my employees can use a refresher on maintaining a proper work ethic.
Thanks again..
Thanks for visiting, David. It’s tough being in a leadership role. My husband recently received a promotion to a supervisory role and struggles with it. Simply doing your daily tasks and being knowledgeable in your duties is one thing. Having to be a leader to employees takes an entirely different set of skills. Instead of being responsible just for oneself and a personal job well done, leaders now have others looking to them for guidance, direction, and problem solving. Like you said, if one takes the time to learn, he/she will develop a better management style, as you did. One has to understand there is room for improvement though.
Hi Renee! This is a great post! You got some very good information here. I think work ethics are a very important part for employees. Also teaching leadership skills to employees is a great idea. I completely agree with an employee having goals can help them to view the job in a different light rather than thinking that the job is dead end. You got some awesome info here. Thank you so much!
Thanks for stopping by, Jeanette. I read somewhere that being in one company for longer than 6 years is career suicide, particularly if you don’t receive a recognized promotion with a change of job title and duty. However, there are individuals who absolutely love their job and don’t want to move into another position or to another company. Perhaps there are no opportunities to advance at Awesome Company X. I think it can cause a bit of dissonance. The grass may not be greener at another company but not many want a dead end job either. Evaluations with goals can show progressive growth.