February 23, 2012

Improve staff performance

In order to get the most from your staff, you need to encourage them to perform well. One important part of improving staff performance is through good communication.  It’s important to remember that in order for the business to succeed, staff need to feel valued and motivated.

Communicating well can mean avoiding misunderstandings – this is vital to avoid mistakes being made, or perhaps sales being lost. Misunderstandings can cause problems – whether it’s a simple mistake with an order or results in someone being offended by another person’s choice of words, which may lead to the loss of a valued customer.

There are some fundamental principles to remember for good communications within a company.

An honest approach

When talking to your staff and customers, be direct and say what you mean. It’s important to be able to deliver on the promises you make.  Otherwise people will lose their trust in you. It’s far better to give a realistic deadline that you can meet than promise an earlier date and then fail to meet it.

Appraisals

Staff work better if their managers recognise the effort they have put in and acknowledge it in some way.  Arranging regular appraisals to assess how a staff member is getting on is a great idea as it gives a specific time allocated to discussing their progress, and also a time for them to air any grievances or discuss particular challenges. A good appraisal session is one where the staff member feels free to speak their mind, without fear of negative consequences.

Communications beyond

Of course, as well as working with internal communications, it’s also vital to have good communications with the outside world. Check how customers want to be contacted, and how regularly. Some customers might appreciate a regular call or update from you, others might find it too much and want less frequent communications. Treat each client as an individual and respect their way of working.

You may also have to deal with the press on occasion. Here again, an upfront approach is best. Even when his property Lightstone faced testing times, property developer David Lichtenstein was always ready to be interviewed by the media. His approach was to deal with criticism head on and give Lightstone’s point of view, which is far better than adopting a ‘no comment’ tactic.

 

Work Experience Works

Office work experience can often be the thing on your CV which separates you from all the other applicants with the same educational qualifications. There is no substitute for real life experience so even if you are not getting paid make sure you give it your best shot and keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Here is a list of menial tasks which you may be asked to perform on work experience. Positive attitudes go a very long way, so if you don’t want to see your CV disappearing into the office shredders do them willingly and with a smile on your face! Remember: if you can’t get these easy things done efficiently and correctly then no-one is going to ask you to do anything more interesting!!

  1. Making tea and coffee. Don’t wait to be asked, put the kettle on and go round making sure everyone who wants a hot drink has got one.

  2. Taking the post. Going to the post office is a great way to help out your colleagues and is an important supportive role.

  3. Running errands. It might be buying sandwiches or picking up dry cleaning, these tasks are typical and not beneath you!
  4. Phoning for a courier. Helping to ensure smooth delivery of products or communication with clients is essential.

  5. Emptying the UK shredders. Taking out rubbish, emptying bins and processing recycling will keep the office tidy.

  6. Filing. This can get quite dull if there is a lot of it but make sure you stay focussed and get it right.

  7. Answering the phone. Be polite and speak clearly in your best voice! First impressions count and if you can’t help the caller offer to take a number and call back with the answer.

  8. Welcoming visitors. Escorting clients to a meeting and helping them with any needs such as drinks, photocopying etc will make you a valuable asset.

Your Staff Rule The World

If I were to ask any business owner what their greatest asset was, I would be very disappointed if they told me it was their wife/Bentley/amazing golf swing because the answer I am always looking for is ‘my staff’. Any company is only as good as the people working within it, and that doesn’t just mean the boss at the top of the tree, that means every single person who contributes to the success of the venture at every level.

Staff should be treasured, nurtured, developed and above all made to feel valued. There are many ways to do this – and some of them are very small and cost very little or nothing at all. ‘Thank you’ is an under-utilised phrase for example, start wheeling it out a bit more often and watch the people around you blossom. Take time to fix the small things which niggle as well, it is amazing how broken paper shredders or missing light bulbs can affect the morale of a workforce. If you show you care then they will care more about the work they do for you.

One of the things which business owners tend to do a lot is to make assumptions about how people who work for them feel about things, and what it is they want from their careers. Take the time to ask those questions and where possible act on the information you have gathered. If the depth of feeling about that paper shredder has reached an alarming scale then make it a priority, you will become the resident office hero.

It doesn’t take much to make sure there is a stash of biscuits in the staff canteen, a reward scheme for excellent performance and genuine recognition of a job well done. Have a look at your business with fresh eyes right now and be honest with yourself: are your staff happy or could you be looking after them better? With Christmas fast approaching – now’s your chance!

Work Etiquette

Work etiquette is a sequence of rules created to help work-mates have interaction with one another in the absolute best way. While many have a second-sense as regards what is regarded as good work etiquette, others may need tips that direct them in ways which guarantee they’re using good behaviour towards their bosses and work mates. Tips may include being more pro and kind when responding to the telephone and e-mailing, both for work-related issues and private issues. Other tips ,eg cognizance of powerful odours, may help folks handle their work-mates in enclosed spaces or common areas , for example a work kitchen or lunch room. In spite of how routine it may appear, there are work etiquette tips that can be employed when using the telefone for work-related issues. As an example, it is far better to answer the telephone by the 3rd ring.

Additionally, smiling before responding to the telefone may make one’s voice appear more professional and friendlier. It’s best not to read mails or work on other projects when on the phone for work-related business. Also, dental gum, eating food, or drinking should be steered clear of while taking a work-related telephone call. If the fone rings at work and it’s a private call, work etiquette tips could be pertinent also. For instance, the conversation shouldn’t make other work mates, who can likely overhear the conversation, uncomfortable. Conditions and private issues , for example marriage disputes and uncontrolled youngsters, should be debated privately. Additionally, the volume of these talks should be observed so other work-mates aren’t troubled.

Many workplaces use e-mail as a first type of communication. There are some great work etiquette tips that could be utilized for work-related mails.

These tips may alter a little, dependent on the kind of business, but there are some general pointers that might be helpful in most companies. For instance, the topic line should be detailed. Using all caps must be avoided in the text or the topic line of the e-mail. Additionally, exclamation points or question marks should be used parsimoniously. One of the main problems that frustrates folk in an office ,eg an office, are robust odours. These odours may come from food, scent, cologne, or lotion. What smells superb to one work-mate may smell rotten to another. As a consequence, one of the best and most helpful tips is to avoid using products like robust scent or eating food like tuna that have robust odours at work. Another point of contention in numerous work places is centered on the utilization of common areas ,eg kitchens, meeting rooms, or lunch rooms. A work etiquette tip that may keep most work mates and companies satisfied is that the areas should be cleaned after they get utilised. Not that many people need to sit at a table with food morsels and creamy smears on it from the prior person. Using the office loo also has 1 or 2 tips for work etiquette that might be useful to many workers. For instance, it’s best not to bring reading material, mobiles, or other items into the rest room.

Additionally, even the automated flushing toilets can be defective. As a consequence, check to be certain the can flushes before exiting the stall. Ultimately , a tip that everybody can appreciate is to wash up hands to stop the dissemination of sickness and illness to other work-mates.