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Want to solve your staff problems?
An enormous number of business owners say they have staff issues: “can’t get good ones, can’t get rid of the bad ones…” But there is often more to this problem that meets the eye.
The symptoms and their impact are real enough. Finding good staff is difficult, especially if experienced and skilled staff are required. Good staff do leave businesses despite the owners’ best efforts. And when a staff member is unproductive or causing problems in the team it can be a long and tortuous road to remove them.
The costs can be clear in dollar terms as a team fail to deliver expected output. Added to that is the time taken making up for this lack of effort, and of course the stress inflicted on the owner as deadlines are not met and tensions in the team build.
But staff problems can be a symptom of far deeper issues. In a volcano, the spectacular pyrotechnics of the explosions and lava flows are only the visible sign of deep shifts in the earths crust below. In the same way, the right staff not wanting to work in your business can be a sign of much deeper and more serious friction.
Know what you want
It is useful to summarise the traits an employer would want in any employee. Apart from any technical skills which may be deemed important, what attitudes and abilities would be important in making an employee productive? The best employees want to be productive as individuals and when working with others.
They will work at the same high level whether their manager is present or not, and will lead others in achieving that level when necessary. They may not have all the required technical skills at the offset, but they will be willing and able to learn what is needed.
Where are these people, and how do we find them?
They are certainly out there, in the workforce or ready to join it. We might stumble across them when we go to a petrol station and get great attention from a forecourt attendant, or when we phone a call centre about an incorrect account and receive really helpful service.
They may be working for your suppliers, competitors or customers, or in an associated industry. They may be working for you, but have not had a chance to show their skills. The real question is: how do you talk to them, and why would they want to work for you?
When you find them why will they stay with you?
In recent research, the number one reason that people leave is because of the relationship with their boss, number two is the working conditions. Pay is no.6 on list.
So in order for people to be attracted to the workplace there needs to be a rapport built at the interview stage. You want them to say” I want to work with those guys”
The key message is that people work for people, they don’t work for a company.
The question then arises how can we form good working relationships with our valued employees. Is our behaviour supportive and encouraging? This effectively is called leadership.
Good people will not stay in a place where their tasks are ill-defined so they do not know what they are required to do. They will seek a business where they are given the tools that they need to do a good job. They will be frustrated by being dragged off jobs before they get to finish them to a high standard, or if they are forced to do rework through incorrect instructions or management.
They want to know what is happening in the business and with the jobs they work on. Being rewarded for their effort is important, but more important is being acknowledged. Other less productive workers being rewarded, or even tolerated, will drive these individuals away in frustration.
What needs to happen in your business to attract and retain these desirable people?
Recruitment processes
Finding the right staff means knowing what you want, looking in the right places, and telling the candidates the right information about the job. The interview process should be structured and planned, so all candidates are asked the same types of questions and are measured on the same skills and attitudes. Poor questions and lack of process at this stage will have decent candidates running for the hills.
Quality processes
If people do not know what the standards of work are, the result will be a significant variation of the quality of work. Setting standards does not mean yelling at a team after it’s all turned to custard! A sound set of expectations for everyday tasks should be available to all staff, and should be the first measure of work quality. This can be altered and added to as events change, but communication of the standards must be clear.
HR Management processes
When the people are in place and the standards of work are set, it is a matter of measurement. People who fail to meet the standard need to be managed to either perform or be disciplined. Good people will feel valued, and will stay.
Once a business gets to a certain size the owner is totally dependant on his team to achieve his goals. When a team is failing to deliver in quality, quantity or just in the behaviours that are required, it is worth looking below the surface for the underlying tensions and friction that is causing the problems. Any other solution will be like cooling a volcano with a garden hose.
Action points - What to do next
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