According to a study carried out by Professor Andrew Oswald of Warwick Business School, happy workers are 12 percent more productive as compared to unhappy workers, who are typically more detrimental to your company. With this in mind, every business should ensure that their employees are happy when they get to work as well as when they leave work. This duty falls on managers as they are responsible for the supervision and leadership of the business. It is important to know that whether you are running a small or large business, efficiency and achievement usually manifest themselves in the form of tangible results and so is the reward to employees. With less productive input and low efficiency, the business will be affected and it will jeopardize its sustainability and survival.
Below are management techniques to boost employee effectiveness:
Respect and Treat Employees as Individuals
The one thing that construction management should know is that respect is a two way street. When managers respect their employees, the employees will treat them with the same respect. While managers may view respect as simple, it can be a powerful motivator when propelled in the right direction. When construction employees feel genuine respect from their managers, they will likely go the extra mile in helping the company to succeed. Remember, your employees need to work in order to earn their wages and salaries, but they are not tied to your business. They can leave at any moment, especially if they feel the working environment is hostile. This means your business could be at risk to lose human capital.
Open Up Communication Channels
Some managers are known to lock themselves in their offices, and to make matters worse, they use their assistants to handle the day-to-day conversations with employees. At the same time, managers put up “virtual walls” effectively creating separation between them and the employees. Having such a habit in any construction business can lead to its downfall. It is important to open up communication channels, as this will allow you as the manager to gain further insight into your business. For example, ways of enhancing and encouraging communication include using suggestion boxes and regular team meetings. It is important to be open minded as well as encourage your employees to express themselves. Always address their concerns the best way you can.
Offer Training Opportunities
Research shows that majority of employees leave a company due to lack of development opportunities. Providing training opportunities to your employees will not only improve their morale and employee satisfaction, but also increase the likelihood of them staying with your company for a long period of time. Start by partnering seasoned employees with new ones. You can also bring in experts for training sessions, along with encouraging employees to attend local trade conferences.
Conduct Team Building Exercises
Any business that does not encourage teamwork is bound to fail. Teamwork is one of the best ways of increasing productivity in the workplace. This is due to the fact that there are generally greater levels of input and more ideas as a result of working together. When you promote individualism in the workplace, it will create a hostile working environment for everyone. Encourage team building by allowing your employees to take part in team building exercises. You can host team building activities away from the office environment, giving your employees an opportunity of getting to know one another.
Break the Monotony
The one thing that reduces an employee’s morale is working on the same mundane tasks, each and every day, over an extended period of time. Although managers assign employees tasks that they are competent in, it is wise to limit the monotonous work by rotating your employees for example. The best employee management tactic involves assigning construction employee’s a new task that will challenge them and vacate them from their comfort zone. This allows your employees to learn new skills, while also giving them a more holistic view of the business.
Provide the Right Equipment
For any construction business, it is important to ensure the right equipment is available and that the equipment is safe to operate. A situation may rise where a machine requires repair, but the tools needed to complete the repairs are not available, or worse, the employee attempts to use the broken machine to maintain schedule. This is not only dangerous for the employee, but potentially hazardous for other employees as well. By ensuring the right equipment is available and properly maintained, employees will be able to perform their jobs safely and effectively.
Always Provide Meaningful Feedback
What many construction employers fail to realize is that feedback forms the foundation of any growing construction business. It offers the ability to provide regular, helpful responses to the employees in a manner that helps to encourage, rather than discourage them. Feedback should also be framed in a positive and constructive manner, so the employee can understand specific areas where they can improve.
Delegate Responsibilities
As a manager, you have the role of leading and supervising your employees. When you take it upon yourself to always complete every single task, it takes away the power and ability from your employees. In order to expand your managerial control, it is wise to delegate tasks to your employees. This will offer them growth opportunities, and it will demonstrate your trust in them to complete the job correctly as well as increasing their ownership of the task.
Original Article: http://www.constructionworld.org/management-techniques-boost-employee-effectiveness/
