As a manager, you want to encourage you employees to be productive and work to their full potential. But are your methods actually making them feel underappreciated or overworked? If you’re pushing your employees past their breaking point, you could find yourself with bigger problems to contend with, like high turnover, a bad reputation, and poor candidate quality. Here are some warning signs to watch out for and correct.

Hire Right the First Time.

Before you can think about the ways your team is working to their potential, you need to consider the makeup of your team all together. Employees who are not the right fit for the job will not model behavior you want to see, and they may even create tension or dissatisfaction by top contributors. Start by hiring the best, most effective employees in each role.

Lead by Example

You are the manager, and more than that, you are the leader. You need to demonstrate positive behavior for others to follow. If you’re overwhelmed, that could easily rub off on your team. Don’t ask someone to do something you wouldn’t consider. And, be willing to pitch in when things are most critical.

Recognize Accomplishments

Are you grateful for the work your employees do? Even if they aren’t disgruntled, they notice that their not appreciated. Praise an employee’s significant accomplishment and encourage others to show their gratitude. People respond to this in a positive way and are willing to pay it forward.

Provide Timely Feedback

Waiting to counsel an employee on their behavior or performance is never productive. Don’t call them out publically, but tell them right away. This is the best change you have of them correcting the problem. If you wait too long or if you embarrass them in the office, they are likely to become more despondent and aggravated. Also, if there is an issue don’t present in a passive aggressive way by making it a problem for the entire team.

Empathy and Support

Empathy is the ability to see a situation from another’s perspective. Often, we get so caught up in what we believe is the one true way that we forget the feelings and considerations of others. You need to be supportive of your employees when they come to you with problem or concerns. Show them that you’re a manager who really cares about your staff as individuals.

About StaffEx

As a small, locally owned Tampa Bay-area firm, we focus on administrative, light industrial and skilled trades, providing temporary, temp-to-hire staffing and direct hire recruiting. We also offer strategic staffing and payrolling solutions to simplify your staffing function and reduce the time you spend on administrative tasks. If you’re looking to expand your workforce in 2016, trust the experts and contact StaffEx.