How to Use a Proactive Approach in Educating Staff
The tension of an unhappy workplace and the high costs of turnover are negative effects of one essential problem: a lack of communication and education. The most successful companies and organizations are ones where management and human resources take proactive steps to identify and solve potential problems before they even arise. Alternatively, many companies still only react to an employee's poor performance; those companies often find themselves in the same situation time and time again, never fulfilling their true potential for success.
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Instructions
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Make a list of current issues and problems you observe in the workplace. The issues that arise most frequently (and therefore not because of a particular person or two) are really the ones you want to focus on.
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Make a list of areas that have potential for conflicts or problems to arise. When doing this, consider the staff you have in place, potential issues should you acquire new staff, and areas of potential confusion or frustration with any current or upcoming projects or assignments.
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Make a master list of potential or current issues, identifying the underlying problems (such as lack of staff training, lack of clear expectations and job duties, and lack of communication). Anticipate your staff's needs by truly imagining yourself in their shoes. Consider not only work quality, but also their home-life quality and their job satisfaction. Educating your staff on the entire company's workings and responsibilities can go a long way in helping them to understand their own role in that machination.
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Brainstorm with other managers, human resources staff, or even the employees you anticipate educating. Work until you have a minimum of three solid, realistic goals or solutions for each major problem. For communication issues (for example), that may include an office newsletter, a written outline of each major assignment, and a biweekly short staff meeting in each department. Get creative, but be mindful of choosing solutions that are realistic.
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Implement your changes and train your staff. Communicate with them the reasons for decisions that are made. Let them understand that you are training them with the purpose of providing them with better information and support rather than sending the message that they have been insufficient or inept in their job performance.
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Tips & Warnings
Although being professional means not sharing everything with your staff, err on the side of more information (as long as it is appropriate) rather than less. This level of trust and communication assuages their concerns at being pawns in a game where they have no control. Ownership of decisions can go a very long way.
Do not dismay if you continue to have problems that you think you have prevented. Some employees are resistant and may even need to no longer be part of the team. If you continue to reevaluate the anticipated issues and address them in a proactive manner, your staff will become more efficient and effective.
References
- Photo Credit business colleagues preparing for business meeting image by Vladimir Melnik from Fotolia.com
