Employees are expensive. Keeping an office open on Christmas Eve when your net sales are less than $500 is not smart when you are paying over $1000 in utilities and employee salaries. So when the boss sees an employee being less than productive, dollar signs run across their mind. Then again, spending money to terminate and rehire is probably not the most cost-effective plan either. So how can you tackle the problem of unproductive employees in the workplace? Here are a few suggestions from our friends at @Glassdoor for Employers.
1. Don’t be his or her friend. Bosses and employees should not be friends. The situation gets messy, feelings get hurt, and productivity goes down the tubes. In doing so, you give up your position of authority and they feel more comfortable not completing projects on time. Definitely a lose-lose for everyone involved.
2. Do not wait for them to figure it out on their own! Some people don’t have innate pressure from themselves to succeed. A few of your employees may not really care if they are viewed as productive. So as the boss, you need to
inspire them to be productive. You need to encourage and push them to succeed. Leadership skills are a critical piece of the boss-lady puzzle!
3. Think about how you are perceived by your employees. Do not take your anger out on the employees. Do not throw your weight or “power” around. Nobody likes a mean boss. Don’t be that guy just for the sake of intimidation factors and scare tactics. People want to work for and with other people that they admire. Be that guy instead!
4. Don’t be gullible. You need to be able to recognize a situation for what it is and apply the right approach to handling each scenario appropriately. Again, leadership skills are so important! Have you attended a leadership skills seminar or offered managerial training for your supervisors? If not, now is as good a time as any. Even the best leaders can learn a thing or two!
5. Recognize that not all progress is equal…or sustainable. Watch your employees and pay attention to who is stepping up their game for the short term until you stop watching, and who is actually making sustainable changes.
6. Make sure it isn’t your fault. As the boss, it’s your job to assess the situation and play everyone to their strengths. Don’t put someone who isn’t comfortable with numbers as the team leader for your annual budget proposal. Leadership skills. We can’t stress it enough!
By making your current employees more productive, you’ll be boosting team morale, making a name for yourself as an effective leader, and saving the company money on new recruiting efforts. Now that is a win-win!