Employee Retention and Effective Management:
I know this term scares the hell out of management. Everyone wants to have a great understanding with their staff and want to balance culture and work strictness to make correct motivation. Unfortunately the biggest motivation factor, companies boast about is high package and so called good working environment. Today I am trying to give my opinion and my experience with you all. This article is mainly focused on people who are in a management role though people in the individual role might also like it.
Very important fact is put aside your ego. People aren’t working for you. They as well as you are working for the organization. Now you all might be guessing that this was always the case and you understand that they work for you. But this should not come from understanding, it comes from believing. Anytime even when you are alone, watch yourself as you talk about someone and believe that they are doing well for the organization. Once I was taking an interview and I rejected the person for the management role, because he said, his team used to work for him.
This brings me to a very important second point. The people around you in your organization are your colleague/associate, end of the story. Stop using the word like “Employee” and “Staff”. I used this word before just to set the context for all readers. Let me tell you a story once a friend of mine visited our organization and I discussed my terminology with him. He liked it and used it back in his organization, but, unfortunately, his “boss” did not like it.
You have to be sure every moment of your life. You have left behind the moment when your decisions and your convictions do not mean anything (this is especially true for people who manage the organization). Remember that your each and every point of view and thought is no longer individual and should be socially and logically correct. Be sure you are not part of some fake fact on social media.
Do not proactively add/follow your colleagues on informal social sites like Facebook. Respect their privacy.
Your colleagues are generally younger than you. They might be more aware than you on some topics. If it's a work topic be sure to be on top of the game. Do your homework first. Don’t go in any discussion blank. If you have no idea of the topic/area be frank about, and make sure to add it to your information set next time.
Unfortunately, your colleagues are sometimes living away from their families, and they might be struggling with finding homes etc. Do ask them if you can help. Call them for a movie, dinner sometimes if possible, but always make that as an option, not a thing they need to follow.
I assuming you must have read Mark Zuckerberg’s hyperbole where he said, "I would only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person”. I assume that will always only work with a big organization like Facebook, but in normal cases you have hired people for your organization who will be a value add for your company. So once we are agreeing to this modest definition, lets starting believing on our co-workers. Treat them as friends, let them know of the output you want, and let them decide how they want to do it. Give them freedom.
Make sure your colleagues keep on getting challenging work. If there is a boring work they to automate it, such that the work is always challenging.
Learn to be stoic. Ask for feedbacks, and learn to listen to criticism. Your co-workers will judge you from more angles than you have judged your managers, or thought of accessing your team. Hear them out, give it fair thought and make decisions later.
Share news: Whenever you take a decision, that is either a premonition or reaction to a news. Share the news and then let them know why you make the crucial decision. If you can’t share the news, ask them to believe their captain. They already believed you when they joined the organization. Don’t break their confidence.
Not tho' the soldier knew Someone had blunder'd: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, - Tennyson.