As a manager, understanding your employees' behaviour is crucial to ensure that you can provide them with the support and guidance they need to perform their roles effectively. In this article, we explore three simple and practical ways you can get to know your employees better.
Why Knowing Your Employees is Important
Just like in society, we naturally tend to segregate personalities in the workplace. We consciously and subconsciously divide people into different categories based on several factors such as departmental activities, obligations, seniority, and responsibilities. However, as a manager, it is essential to bridge these gaps to build a strong relationship with your employees and gain insight into their capabilities and competencies.
Keeping an Open-Door Policy
One of the most common phrases in management is "Open Door Policy." It is vital to ensure that you are accessible to your employees, and you must be willing to keep your doors open all the time, especially when dealing with critical issues. This brings great confidence to your employees as they can comfortably bring up challenging issues, tricky situations, and new ideas to your attention.
However, just having an open-door policy is not enough. You need to show your employees that you are accessible, and this is a process of interaction and problem-solving. Your actions must demonstrate that you are willing to communicate and listen to their concerns and ideas.
Do the Work Your Employees Do
Understanding the nature of your employees' jobs is crucial to set realistic expectations. Your expectations about your employees are based on what you believe they should achieve, but what your employees can deliver or the results they can provide is the outcome product of reality. As a manager, understanding the ground realities regarding the task being set will increase your significance in front of your employees and provide you with confidence while executing the job.
Have a One-on-One with Them
Having one-on-one conversations with your employees is one of the best ways to understand them better. Interacting with your employees, communicating their experiences, and having regular conversations give you a unique opportunity to build a strong relationship with them. You can start with something as simple as asking them what they are working on and how you can support them in the challenges they may be experiencing.
By implementing these three simple and practical ways, any manager can get to know their employees better, bridge the gaps, and build strong relationships. It's not about being a perfect manager, but it's about being a manager who cares about their employees and provides them with the support they need to achieve their goals.