October 19, 2016

HR Tips

Written by Peter Lynn

HR Tips
Know Your People:
Good managers know what is going on in the lives of their employees. If the employee is having a tough time personally, it may impact on their work performance and you should acknowledge the difficulty while holding them accountable.  Building solid work relationships, the kind that make people want to go the extra mile for you, requires investment in individuals.
Work-Life Balance:
You need to acknowledge that a person who does not reply to emails outside of working hours or someone who finishes at 5pm each day but gets his or her job done is not demonstrating a lack of commitment.
When you promote a work-life balance you will have the commitment of your employees when that critical project requires extra time and effort.
Give Clear Direction:
This starts with a clear Vision/Mission/Values statement from top leadership.  If that is lacking then you should create these statements for your department.  Individual and department objectives can then be linked to the vision/mission and employees will understand why they are being asked to do what they are.
Hold People Accountable:
It’s been said, “you get what you measure.”  This may mean having some difficult discussions with employees who aren’t making the grade, but from an engagement and retention perspective, your best employees will see that their performance matters. Nothing demotivates more than having poor performing employees “freeload.”  This makes the job of those that do perform more difficult and needs to be addressed.
Reward Your People:
When employees do well, reward them but remember, this doesn’t have to be cash. For many people, cash has limited motivational impact so consider things like public recognition, time off, gift certificates and the like.  For rewards to be truly meaningful it should demonstrate the fact that you know your people and what motivates them.
If you wish to discuss any HR or Employment Law matters or require HR advice and guidance, contact the specialists at Peter Lynn and Partners for a free initial consultation [email protected]