Set Aside Regular Meetings To Discuss Issues
One of the most frustrating things as a manager is dealing with issues that arise but aren’t necessarily related to your direct reports. You want to be able to give your team members guidance and direction, while also allowing them to think for themselves and address problems on their own.
Regular meetings can be a great way of doing this. Whether it’s a one-on-one meeting or an all-hands meeting, setting aside some time for your team to come together and communicate can resolve a host of issues.
This doesn’t mean that all team management meetings will be worthwhile. Sometimes, issues that arise between team members need to be addressed directly (e.g., a conflict of interest). In other cases, it might just be good to have some fun and relaxed conversation about what’s going on in the world outside of work.
Use Technology To Its Full Potential
These days, many businesses have adopted a work-from-home culture. This means that employees can work remotely, which has a host of advantages. Remote work can reduce workplace conflicts, allow for more flexibility, and improve productivity. It also cuts down on the travel costs and environmental impacts of commuting to work.
While traveling is often necessary for your job, there are ways that you can make the most of your meetings without leaving the confines of your home. For example, webinars and virtual meetings are becoming more common, as they allow for participants from all over the world to engage with one another while maintaining a high degree of face-to-face contact.
They also allow for more interaction between employees and bosses, meaning that your input and direction can be given more consistently while also creating a closer connection between coworkers.
If you have employees who are tech-savvy and have a good understanding of technology, then this can also be an avenue for increasing workplace productivity.
You can set up a Google Hangouts or Zoom call for your entire team so that they can get some work done while also having some casual conversation about the news of the day or what’s trending on social media. This can be a real boost to employee engagement and productivity, especially if you do it on a regular basis.
Give Good Feedback And Praise When Needed
As a manager, it’s your job to provide your team with the skills they need to succeed in their roles. An important part of this role is being able to give them feedback on their actions and performance. This feedback should be given in a way that is constructive so that the employee has the opportunity to improve.
Good feedback will be specific and objective, and it should be tailored to the employee’s abilities and weaknesses. For example, if you feel that an employee has a weakness in areas where they are lacking in confidence, then you can help them by praising them for the effort they put in when they achieve a big outcome. This can boost their self-esteem and allow them to grow in their roles.
Constructive feedback should always be given in a caring and non-judgmental manner, whether the employee is new or experienced. This means that even if an employee is in the wrong, it’s your job to be able to see it from their perspective and help them to correct their actions.
Sometimes, this can mean simply showing them the outcome of their efforts and letting them know that you are aware of and appreciative of their hard work. Other times, it can mean pointing out their specific weaknesses and helping them to improve. Either way, giving good feedback isn’t easy, but it’s an essential part of being a successful manager.
Another important part of being a good manager is recognizing and acknowledging your team members for their efforts. This doesn’t just mean giving them a pat on the back when they do something right, though that’s certainly part of it. Instead, it’s a continuous process of praising and recognizing your team members for the big and small things they do daily.
Some of the more subtle ways you can show your team member appreciation is by including them in important decisions that affect the business, by teaching them new things, or by acknowledging their past achievements. Doing these things shows that you value your team members, and it will make them feel valued and motivated to continue performing at a high level.
Encouraging your employees to take a less traditional route to career advancement and flexibility can be a real source of pride for you and your business. This might mean looking for applicants who didn’t necessarily meet the requirements for the role, but who you feel will prove to be valuable contributors to the team. Alternatively, it could mean allowing for more job change or flexitime as part of your employee engagement strategy.
Whatever the case may be, as long as you are looking for ways to enhance your employees’ experience while also making the company more efficient, then progress is nearly guaranteed to occur.
How To Encourage Teamwork?
There are times when a group of people come together to work on a common goal, and yet they don’t work well together. Although they may all share the same enthusiasm for the project, they don’t necessarily see things the same way. This can make things difficult when trying to coordinate their efforts. This article will discuss some ways that you can encourage teamwork within your organization.
Be Present
Being physically present is one of the best ways to encourage teamwork. Even if you are not the type of person who enjoys being around other people, you should make an effort to be in the office every day. This will help establish a physical presence that allows the team to feel that they can reach you whenever they need to.
It also means that when they do encounter problems, you can step in and help out without having to ask anyone for help. If possible, try to get to know your team members by name, which will help encourage good chemistry between the two of you.
Set Regular Meetings
Establishing regular meetings has several advantages. Not only will they allow you to stay in touch with your team, but they can also help keep you aware of any progress that is being made.
It is always beneficial to have some kind of review session at the end of each week so that everyone can see how much they have accomplished. This will help create a sense of community within your team, which will in turn inspire them to want to continue working hard.
Reward The Team Management
One way to encourage teamwork is to reward it. Everyone on your team will feel appreciated for their efforts if they know that their work is being recognized and appreciated.
You can do this in a number of ways, such as by giving them a small bonus for completing a task or project, or you can create a team award for the most productive person (individually or as a group). This can be something as simple as a trophy or a plaque to give to the member, to create a sense of collaboration and accomplishment among your team.
Create Joint Accounts
If your team members have access to different areas of your organization, you can encourage them to work together by setting up joint accounts. This will make it much easier for them to move around and access the resources that they need to complete their responsibilities.
It is common for account managers to have a separate account for each department or area that they manage, so that they can keep track of the money that is spent in each area.
When creating a joint account, make sure that the administration areas, such as accounts payable and receivable, have all the necessary access that they need to the joint account so that it can be monitored and properly maintained.
Give Everyone A Voice
Giving everyone a voice not only encourages teamwork, but it can also help improve the way that tasks are handled. Even if you are the only person who has direct access to the project, by giving everyone a chance to speak their minds, you can ensure that all the necessary information is being considered and that no one has any doubts or confusion regarding what is going on.
Giving everyone a say in the decision-making process, or letting them know that their opinions are valued, can also increase the chance of a project going smoothly.
On the flip side, if you don’t include everyone and keep some information to yourself, it can make things more difficult when decisions need to be made. It is always a good idea to collect as much opinion as possible before making any kind of important decision.
Use Technology
Although technology can be a great tool for improving the way that work is done in an organization, it can also become a way for individuals to work against each other.
If you are using Slack or similar communication tools, make sure that all the team members are on the same page regarding the ways that the tool is being used. Establishing a culture of openness and honesty regarding the purpose of these tools is essential in order to maintain efficiency and productivity within your organization.
How To Engage Government (or Civil Service) Employees
In the past, government employees either actively avoided social media or used it as a temporary break from their work day. These days, social media is an essential part of the job for many. In fact, a recent Accenture report found that nearly 90% of employees use social media to some degree in their everyday work. So it’s not surprising that the topics trending at GWEF18 were heavily focused around this theme.
What is trending doesn’t always equal what is important, but in this case, it’s fair to say that social media is changing how the public—and the private sector—views government employees. And that’s a good thing.
In the past, if someone wanted to show an employee some support, they would send them a handwritten letter, maybe throw in some cookies, and maybe even set up a weekly radio show to keep in touch. Now, they might just tweet something supportive or connect with them on LinkedIn.
The point is that, as a government employee, you can no longer shield yourself from the digital society that is erupting around you. Your personal life and professional life are intertwined, and you must learn to navigate this new digital landscape in a constructive way.
It Starts At The Top
More and more, the responsibility for shaping an employee’s engagement with their work starts at the top. Employees should feel supported and valued enough to want to be engaged in their work, but they shouldn’t feel overworked or undervalued. These are the two sides of the same coin, and it’s the responsibility of the manager to keep things in balance when looking holistically at government employee engagement policies.
While it’s ultimately the employee’s responsibility to be engaged at work, you as a manager can encourage and support these good feelings by taking a few simple steps.
First, establish a policy. Does it actively discourage employees from connecting with family and friends on social media? Does it restrict how they use their personal devices at work? Does it mandate that they utilize a certain number of vacation days per year?
The point is that your policy should match the standards you—as a manager—set for your employees. If you want them to be engaged and productive, then you must equip them with the necessary tools to do their job effectively.
The Whole Package
When a government employee is considering a move to a new city or state, one of the things they’ll look for is the quality of the education system. In California, for example, job seekers ranked schools based on a variety of factors, with affordability coming in at number four. Similarly, in Utah, the cost of living was the number-one consideration for employees moving out of state. So if you’re an HR professional, you might want to consider specializing in compensation and benefits or job training and education.
These fields require a lot of knowledge and education, but many employers offer wonderful opportunities for growth. For example, within COBRA Life Inc., the HR organization, there is currently a 24% vacancy rate. Those interested in compensation and benefits can find careers in insurance, legal, and financial consulting. Job seekers who prefer a more traditional approach can enter the education field and teach preschool or elementary school children.
Managers also need to create an environment where employees can thrive and feel empowered to achieve excellence. One way to do this is to provide adequate resources and training, as well as a clear and attainable path for career advancement. If employees feel empowered and confident enough to raise their profile on social media, they’ll be that much more engaged and productive at work.
Let’s say you’re an HR professional and your boss has just appointed you to a new position requiring you to be based in a different city. To ensure you have everything you need, the HR department has coordinated with the local school system to ensure there are no language barriers. You then set up a meet and greet with the Mayor, inviting city officials and others from the community to come and visit, as well as show them how much the city—and its people—are valued. You also begin a LinkedIn group for the school system’s staff, connecting them with other educators and administrators in the area, as well as inviting them to join the group so they can stay in touch with each other.
With your new position comes new responsibilities. In addition to creating an encouraging work environment, you’ll be responsible for the recruitment and retention of top talent. To attract top talent and encourage them to stay, you need to make sure your perks and benefits package is enticing. Does the city offer a great public transportation system? Does the school system provide support for students from low-income families? Does the state provide plentiful job opportunities in your chosen field?
When a top-notch academic institution is located in a city with a dynamic culture and an attractive quality of life, it’s no wonder so many millennials are choosing to settle there. The city’s business leaders may also appreciate the fact that highly-educated employees are more likely to be effective in the workplace, boosting productivity and increasing revenue. So keep those advantages in mind as you develop your recruiting strategy, knowing that cost of living is—and will always be—a consideration for anyone looking to relocate.
From the moment you start your new job, you’ll be expected to contribute to the community. Whether it’s through social media or other platforms, you’ll need to engage with your audience, sharing news and information that is relevant to your professional network. But you should also ensure you’re contributing in a positive and engaging way; your contributions will be used in combination with your name and title to form an overall brand identity for the organization.
Conclusion
While it’s important to be mindful of your employer’s policies and procedures, you must also remember that government employees are people, with hopes, dreams, and feelings. When you display an unbecoming attitude or manner, you risk alienating those around you and undermining your effectiveness in your position. This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, but it does mean you must guard against the occasional thoughtless or hurtful remark.
It is not enough to simply follow the rules and meet the demands of your position. You must strive to be the best possible version of yourself, both at work and in your social life. To do this, it helps to develop a positive mindset. Begin by remembering why you are there and what you hope to gain from your experience. Then, take some time to reflect on the good things your employer is providing. Are you receiving professional training that will improve your career? Does your work environment encourage creativity and productivity? Are you given the resources you need to succeed in your position?
If you can answer “yes” to these questions, then it’s time to celebrate. But if you feel like you’re struggling or if you’ve been met with disapproval, it might be time to reevaluate your approach and find a way to change things for the better.
In some cases, this can mean taking a few steps back. If you feel like you’re not being given the opportunity to grow and develop your career, it might be time to look for a new job or switch industries. On the other hand, if you feel like you’re being positively reinforced for the work you’re doing, it’s time to embrace your role as an active participant in the social media revolution and continue to contribute in a positive way.
