Half of the people who quit their job decide to do so because of the management issues, even if they are fully satisfied with their salary and love the job they are doing.
Just how widespread this problem is can be acknowledged from a recent Gallups survey, claiming that companies fail to choose the right candidate for the management role in 82 percent of the time, causing great financial loses as well as much higher employee turnover rates.
One in ten employees has the talent to lead, but most often, it is not the manager. Poor management does not meet the engagement needs of employees and causes great damage to the company performance, as well as the performance of internal teams and each and every employee.
The only way to prevent such failures is by actually listening to what the employees have to say. And implementing their needs and expectation into your own company’s manager selection procedures.
So what are the expectations most people have of their managers?
8 Things Every Employee Expects From the Management
1. Cultivate good communication
Communication is a two-way street, even when it comes to management, and when the road is rocky, damages occur.
On the other hand, when built on mutual respect and trust, good communication is in any given context a firm foundation of a meaningful relationship.
So what can managers do to make communication with their employees better?
Stop talking and listen to them. Many managers tend to do monologues and the endless talking at, instead of with, their employees.
Employees want to be given a chance to give their input or feedback, as they feel more involved. They crave collaboration, and if they are being shut out, they will become disengaged, dissatisfied, and leave.
Be open. Employees need to feel safe to address you with the problems they are facing and ask you whatever.
Give information. Give your employees timely information on what’s going on in the company.
2. Praise not a raise
According to Entrepreneur, 65 percent of employees would be happier at work if their manager gave them recognition for their work. As only 35 percent would opt for a raise instead.
Praise and recognition are indeed one of the most important motivators and determinators of employees’ engagement.
Instead of giving feedback only to criticize, to make your employees happy at work, and thus more motivated, you need to acknowledge their work efforts and achievements whenever you can, and to do so in team meetings.
3. Focus on strengths
Best employees want their managers to be able to be their mentors and give them some additional support, as well as help them in reaching their career goals.
They want to be able to grow, and the only way to do so is if their individuality is appreciated. Thus making focusing on employees’ strengths and not their weaknesses one of the main characteristics of good management.
Being able to develop our strengths – inborn patterns of behavior, feeling, and thinking is crucial for both our personal and professional growth and productivity.
Further, developing what your employees do best, and encouraging them to use their talent to achieve a goal, improves their individual engagement from 9 to 15 percent, thus improving the overall performance of your team and company.
Knowing the strengths of employees makes delegating tasks much easier, boosting both efficiency and satisfaction.
4. Value work-life balance
Apart from valuing their work performance, employees want their managers to value their life, and support them in maintaining their work-life balance.
To be able to do so, managers need to be able to understand that there must be a balance between the company’s needs and the needs of employees and support their workers in their efforts to achieve it.
The best way to do it is by setting a good example, taking good care of their own well-being, and leaving enough of their time and energy for other things that matter.
5. Be determined
Although employees want to be able to express their professional opinions and provide input, they want their management to be decisive and have authority when a crucial decision needs to be made.
On the other hand, when decisions have a direct impact on the life of your employees. Like whether they should receive a salary in cash or by using personalized payroll cards, their opinion and choice must be taken into consideration and valued.
6. Don’t ignore conflicts
Conflicts are a part of our workplace reality, and when they happen, the worst thing a manager can do is simply ignore them.
Existing conflict not only influences involved parties, but it also creates a negative atmosphere in the office, causing your other employees to suffer too.
As effects on human relations and productivity of the team are significant, employees expect their managers to actively take part in finding a solution before the conflict builds and takes its toll.
7. Don’t micromanage
Employees need a certain level of decision-making authority, as well as their autonomy to choose how and when they will work on their tasks.
They hate being micromanaged, as this style of management implies a lot of things. Such as the possibility that their manager doesn’t have faith in employees, doesn’t trust them, or craves control. This is a message no one wants to receive.
In the atmosphere where every step and every idea is being scrutinized, and every decision has to involve the manager, overstressed employees simply disengage, while creativity and innovation are being put on hold.
8. Accept the failure
For their creativity and productivity to grow, employees need to feel safe to make mistakes and sometimes even fail.
In fear of not being supported and given constructive feedback or even losing their job, employees don’t want to take risks and don’t search for new and better solutions.
Creating a culture that accepts failures and mistakes of employees in order to best achieve the company’s goals is another task for the management.
Even in companies where open channels of communication between employees and management exist, which is rare, employees most often fear to articulate these needs and wants because of possible repercussions.
So, it is up to the managers to make the first move towards creating a better working environment.
Keith Coppersmith is a business and marketing expert who has experienced both the rise and fall of many businesses. He enjoys writing and providing insight based on both practice and theory.
