Managing Employees

Employing people brings a whole new dimension to running a business.  There are things that you need to consider which are both informal and pretty much common sense (managing people) and formal (legal requirement).

Managing your employees can be challenging but some fairly straight forward steps can ensure you get the best from your workforce and you create a positive and productive work environment and culture.

Some examples of best practice where it comes to managing your team would include –

• Fairness and Consistency – always be firm but fair and ensure consistency when dealing with employees.  You have a business to run but that shouldn’t be at the expense of not seeing things from all sides.
• Motivate – leading by example.  Never ask employees to undertake tasks that you wouldn’t be willing to do yourself and don’t be afraid to muck in.
• Respect – To gain respect you need to give it, empower your team to share ideas and make decisions, and support them if work/decisions don’t go as planned.
• Value – showing that you value and appreciate your employees can go a long way and ensure you get the best from your team.
• Flexibility – you always have to assess things against business needs but allowing staff some headroom to manage personal circumstances can pay dividends.
• Communication – clear communication is a must.  Not just getting your message across but listening makes a big difference.
• Evaluate – having regular assessments of employee performance can be very useful to identify any issues they may have but also for you to give feedback to develop them or reward them.
• Environment – provide a good working environment.  Keep premises clean, tidy and comfortable and encourage employees to take pride in their workplace.
• Inclusion – offer your team the opportunity to get involved in decision making (where feasible) and encourage input and suggestions for improvements.
• Discipline – always remain professional but don’t let employees take unacceptable liberties.  Tackle any issues quickly so they don’t fester and grow.
• Humour – you can remain professional and still laugh.  A happy working environment is always the most positive and productive.
• Incentivise – always good to motivate employees.  Not just financial but creating opportunities for promotion or training to up-skill or gain new skills for example.
• Behaviour – lead by example but any form of discrimination or bullying cannot be tolerated.  Employes need to fully understand the minimum standard of acceptable behaviour that has to be maintained at all times.

More formal procedures for managing employees come in the form of Health & Safety and Employment Legislation (including HMRC).  Essential information gathering in this respect is vital and always remember that as well as protection for your employees, the rules and regulations are there to protect employers as well.  For the main sources of additional information regarding managing employees, visit the following websites:

HMRC

Health & Safety Executive

ACAS

Have you any questions?

Here at Yorkshire Powerhouse, we’re happy to help as much as possible – is there anything else we can do to help you, do you have any further questions or can we help introduce you to an expert – please let us know: