6 Employee

Management Tips

Employee management is, for all intents and purposes, the day-to-day engagement of employer-employee relationships on a professional, work-related level. To manage your employees well, remember they are the people who your business' success possible.

Successful Leaders Are Skilled At Effective Employee Management

In the past, employee management was often a more rigid experience. These days, successful businesses find that adding a little finesse to their management practices is much more effective. To that end, here are six tips to get you started down the path to becoming a stronger leader.

Click here to watch a video of Steve Jobs on managing people.      

Tip #1: Establish An Open Line Of Communication

The first step of great employee management is to establish a line of open, honest and comfortable communication between employees, leaders and managers. The more uncomfortable an employee is with his/her employer, the less likely the two will be on the same page. Comfortable communication comes from familiarity, so get to know your team. This will make working together feel much less like pulling teeth later down the road.

Tip #2: Focus On Strengths, Not Weaknesses

Every employee has individual strengths and weaknesses. It stands to reason that you hired your employees for whatever their strengths may be. That's why spending more time correcting their weaknesses or shortcomings is a waste of time and energy. Focus on actively fostering the growth and development of their strengths.

Tip #3: Be Reasonable With Your Expectations

Part of being a leader at your business is being a visionary -- someone with big goals and big ideas. Unfortunately, it is easy to forget how much time, effort and energy goes into executing a new initiative or project, which can cause leaders to unintentionally overwhelm or overload employees with too many expectations. This, in turn, can cause undue stress and frustration for employees, negatively affecting your ability to manage them.

Tip #4: Plan Accordingly When Expanding Roles

The business world is still in a state of financial flux. With companies regularly downsizing, many employees are required to pick up the extra workload. The trick to effectively managing the assignment of additional responsibilities is to plan accordingly, so your employees don't feel that they have been thrown head-first into the water. Allow your employee time to become acclimated to his/her new role and responsibilities.

Tip #5: Be Consistent And Reliable

As a leader or manager of your business, you have a lot on your plate -- no one questions that. But, in spite of your own heavy workload, it is imperative that you be consistent and reliable when interacting with your employees. It may prove difficult, even stressful, but it is crucial that employees feel that they can rely on you.

Tip #6: Invest In Employee Training

Providing opportunities for employees to improve and strengthen their skills shows your genuine interest in investing in their growth. Naturally, any employee who feels valued is likely to reciprocate respect when being managed. Paying for employees to attend skill-strengthening classes reinforces the idea that you are invested in them as a component in your business' continued success.

Executive Summary: Employee management takes hard work and concentrated effort on the part of leaders and managers. But, as with all things that come as a challenge, the end results of your labor will significantly strengthen your company. Good employee-employer relationships promote communication, which, in turn, allows for more fluid, dynamic management.