Tag Archive for: team management

How to Handle Difficult Conversations in the Workplace

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At some point, most managers will need to have a difficult conversation with an employee.

Whether it’s discussing performance concerns, attendance, conduct or behaviour, these conversations can feel uncomfortable. It’s natural to worry about saying the wrong thing or making the situation worse.

However, avoiding a difficult conversation rarely solves the problem. In many cases, addressing concerns early and constructively can prevent them from escalating into more serious issues.

Prepare Before You Meet

Preparation is key to a productive conversation.

Before sitting down with an employee, take time to:

  • Gather the relevant facts
  • Review any company policies or procedures that may apply
  • Consider what outcome you’re hoping to achieve
  • Think about any support or adjustments that may be appropriate

Going into a meeting with a clear understanding of the situation helps ensure the conversation remains focused and constructive.

Create The Right Environment

Choose a private location where you won’t be interrupted and allow enough time for the discussion.

Difficult conversations should never feel rushed or take place where others can overhear. Creating a calm and respectful environment encourages open communication and helps employees feel comfortable sharing their perspective.

Listen As Well As Talk

It’s easy to focus on what you need to say but listening is just as important!

Give the employee an opportunity to explain their point of view and ask open questions to better understand the situation.

There may be underlying factors affecting their behaviour or performance that weren’t immediately obvious.

Approaching the conversation with empathy doesn’t mean lowering standards. It means ensuring decisions are based on a full understanding of the circumstances.

Keep A Clear Record

Even informal conversations should be documented.

Making a note of what was discussed, any agreed actions and timescales provide clarity for both the employee and the employer.

If further action becomes necessary, accurate records can also demonstrate that concerns have been managed fairly and consistently from the outset.

Know When To Seek Support

Not every difficult conversation will lead to formal action but some situations require additional guidance.

If concerns continue, or the matter could result in disciplinary action, dismissal or another formal process, seeking HR advice early can help ensure you follow the correct procedures and reduce the risk of unnecessary complications.

If you’re unsure how to approach a difficult conversation or need support managing a sensitive employee matter, Consult HR is here to help.

5 Ways to Improve Team Management Skills

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Now’s the perfect time to assess your team management skills, as you continue to prepare for the year ahead. This is particularly important, as we leave behind a year which stretched our business and management skills like no other.

With a COVID-19 vaccine currently being rolled out, we can begin to hope to return to some normality in 2021. However, the pandemic has exposed huge weaknesses in team management.

City & Guilds surveyed 3,500 UK workers about this issue. Almost two-thirds felt that their company’s leadership had been lacking during the stress and change, of 2020. (You can read more here about this survey).

1. Delegation for Good Team Management

As a manager, you must lead. Yet, it is important to have a staff structure which allows for delegation, and trust. If staff are given responsibilities and autonomy, this eases up the workload of a manager. But – just as importantly – it also encourages a culture of autonomy.

If employees do not feel they are developing in their jobs, there is likely to be higher turnover of staff. This costs a company more, and makes a team more fractured, and less efficient.

2. Empathy

Many managers underestimate the power of empathy, in fact, many don’t see the value in this management skill at all.

Empathy is crucial during times of crisis when so many people are struggling and has been the saving grace for many businesses during the Coronavirus.

Getting this right creates connections with your staff, it creates an innovative, loyal workforce.

How Do You Show Empathy?

  • Listen to people—without interrupting.  And while you’re listening, pay attention—without distractions like looking at your phone or looking at your watch.
  • Talk to people – be genuinely interested, ask them about their interests, pay attention to what they’re doing and praise them for what they’re doing well, and encourage them to speak up with their own ideas.

Not only does it create a stronger workforce but improves the overall business performance, a study from Harvard Business Review found that empathetic companies outperform their more callous counterparts by 20%.

3. Provide Feedback to Your Team

Millennials now make up a high percentage of most businesses, it is imperative managers tailor their management style to suit the workforce.

Generation Y Millennials (aged 24 to 38) prefer to receive on the spot recognition.  They also crave recognition, career progression and want to learn and develop.

However irrespective of the demographics of the workforce, successful performance of your team is achieved by being clear on the expectations of each team member, providing regular feedback on performance and giving staff accountability for their own performance by setting targets.

However research would suggest if you want to hold on to your top performers  one of the main retention strategies is recognition, 25% of people said they left their jobs due to lack of recognition in their employment.

4. Communicate With Your Team

Team managers should seek to create a sense of parity. Rather than being distant in an office, a team manager should hold regular team meetings.

These meetings are an opportunity to update staff on changes within the organisation. They also allow for hearing the views and experiences of staff, and welcoming new team members.

Team meetings also allow a manager to build on their active listening skills. A manager should not assume because they lead, or have many years’ experience, that they always know best.  They may be pleasantly surprised and the company may benefit from the skills, experience and input of newer and younger staff.

With many staff working remotely, this brings it’s own challenges but also makes the regular communication more important now that ever.  Communicating with remote teams will ensure the workforce stay connected and up to date with what is happening within the business.

5. Manage Discipline Fairly

A manager should strictly follow best practice, as outlined by Labour Relations Agency.  Managers should be aware, that a one size fits all approach, however, could be discrimination. Particular attention should be given, to protected characteristics under the remit of the Disability Discrimination Act. If not, a manager could well have a tribunal to answer to.

A practical step to take, is to ensure policies in relation to discipline and equality, are in place. Management need to ensure they are followed across the company and amended over time.

For example, a decade ago there was little discussion of gender identity beyond male and female. Earlier this month, a tribunal claim brought against Jaguar Land Rover, broke new ground in protection for gender-fluid staff. (Read details here).

Consult HR Help for Team Management Skills

There’s a lot for a management team to think about, when it comes to efficient management skills. The best option is to seek professional guidance. Consult HR can provide the management support and training your company needs.

 

For bespoke management training and support, contact Julie Pollock on 07858089006 or email julie@consulthr.co.uk

Visit our website here: consulthr.co.uk