If you are a manager, your job is to recruit, train, motivate and retain your workers so that you and the workers for whom you are responsible can enjoy being productive in your respective jobs. Why? Gallup found that 70% of workers are motivated by their manager. The Corporation on Leadership found that 87% of workers are less likely to quit if they are motivated to work successfully by their manager. And the University of California at Berkeley found that motivated employees are 31% more productive, 37% have higher sales and that motivated employees are 3 times more creative than demotivated employees.
If you are a manager, know that most people don’t leave their jobs…most people leave their managers.
If you are a manager, here are some of the worst mistakes you can make with your employees. Know that if you keep making these mistakes, your workers will leave.
- Don’t overwork your employees. Sure, it’s natural to want your best workers to do more but employees who are overworked feel as though they’re being punished for doing a good job. And besides, research at Stanford University indicates that productivity declines substantially when the work week exceeds 50 hours. Instead, increase the status of top performers by giving them perks such as promotions, raises, title changes.
- Don’t fail to recognize an employee’s contributions. Everyone likes a pat on the back once in a while, right? Even you.
- Don’t fail to develop an employee’s skills. Keep finding ways and/or areas for your employees to develop and expand their skills.
- Don’t fail to recognize an employee as a human being. Find a way to balance being a professional and being a human being towards your employees. 50% of employees quit because of their relationship, or lack thereof, with their boss.
- Don’t neglect to honor commitments. When you don’t do what you say you’re going to do, you come across as an uncaring, untrustworthy manager. Even though actions speak louder than words, do what you say you’re going to do.
- Don’t hire and promote the wrong people. It’s insulting and demotivating to the team when the wrong people are hired and promoted. Hard working employees want to work with likeminded professionals.
- Don’t stifle people from pursuing their passions. Talented employees are passionate employees. Recognize their passions and let them pursue those passions. Those who do will experience what is known as “being in the zone” or “flowing”. Those in the zone are 5 times more productive than those who are not.
- Failing to engage creativity inhibits both the employee and the manager. If you’re only interested in the status quo and having things done in the same old way, the talented employee who wants to improve everything he/she touches will be touching things at some other place of employment.
- Failing to intellectually challenge employees. When employees are bored, they leave. Rather, seek lofty goals and help your employees achieve those goals.
Hardworking, talented, productive employees have an abundance of options work-wise. If you are a manager, do your best to make such employees want to work for you.
