Too many times I see and hear employees complaining about their working conditions, their inability to complete tasks, their lack of recognition, struggling with mental health, not feeling valued, and so much more.
Unfortunately, they tell the wrong people, their co-workers!
It astounds me that managers and leaders are surprised when someone resigns, and they feel completely ‘blind-sided’.
You shouldn’t be.
Check out some of these stats:
· 12% of employees leave for more money
· 75% of employees leave because of their line manager
· 47% of employees feel disengaged in their workplace
· 40% of employees know their company’s goals and strategies
How do we address this?
Firstly, you need to have a vision, some values, and behaviours that clearly outline your expectations.
Job descriptions and Performance Reviews only do so much – you need to discuss them and not let them gather dust in the drawer or in your online folder.
I recommend 2 meetings with direct reports per month:
1) A Personal Check In
How are you going?
What is happening?
How were your holidays?
What do you need help with?
How are you feeling?
If conducted correctly, where you do most of the listening and less of the talking, your employees (provided you have an open communication culture), will advise you of internal conflict, issues between managers and employees, working conditions and so forth.
I am reminded of a situation where I facilitated the conversation and the employee advised us that the issue was the manager that was the problem – and she was sitting right there! She took it on the chin and without missing a beat asked what she could do different to ensure that the employee was happier. A solution was advised by the employee, and both agreed that this would work. The manager changed her behaviour that day.
If you were this employee, how amazing would you feel?
· Listened to
· Valued
· Heard (yes, that is different to being listened to!)
· Part of a team
· Able to provide input
· Better state of mental health
2) A Performance Check In
Are you on track to achieve your work goals?
What else could you do?
How can I assist you?
What resources do you need?
What can you start with?
When can you start?
How are you feeling about this?
This is a great opportunity to discuss the Vision, Values, Behaviours, and Company Goals.
It is a time set aside to go through parts of the Performance Review. Once the employee is competent in the understanding of the document, they can drive the conversation by advising the manager where they are struggling and require assistance, and where they are nailing it.
The purpose of the conversation is to:
· Ensure there are no surprises at the annual Performance Review
· Keeps the employee on track
· Ability to correct performance early
· Ability to praise and reward the employee for exemplary performance
· Provides a forum for both parties to agree on performance to date
· Discuss progress against objectives
In my business I get several objections:
I don’t have time for this
This is an investment in your employees as well as your business.
Did you know that in Australia it can cost over $10,000 to replace an employee and over $20k for a manager? Better to focus on the people you have!
Even if I do all this, they may still leave.
Yes, you are correct, but they are less likely to do so.
87% of employees that are highly engaged are less likely to leave your business.
What are the benefits?
Increased Revenue
Increased Performance
A better customer experience
Less Employees leaving the business
Employer of Choice
You are in this together.
Start with having a Chat today!