Employees who take more days off than their peers can cause real problems for you. Morale, productivity and profits can be affected, and can irritate you more than than anything else, as you have to make swift arrangements to cover for the absent person, or simply lose the value of their contribution for the time they are off.

What can you do to deal with this ever-increasing problem?

Ensure team members rely on each other
They are less likely to take time off if they know their team mates will be affected by their actions. So, use work teams to get employees involved with each other. Let them work on projects or activities where they rely on each other’s input. Build trust within the team by opening the lines of communication in team meetings.

Look for warning signs
Keeping regular contact with each employee you are responsible for may nip potential problems in the bud. If people take time off because they are bored or don’t find the job challenging, you will pick this up in your regular 1-2-1 chats with them.

Watch for patterns
If the employee regularly takes time off that coincides with major events or happens to be a certain day of the week, keeping tabs on this may highlight a particular problem.

Maintain an evidence record
If you’re suspicious about a person’s absentee record, you need to keep evidence in writing, so you can manage the situation properly, if it comes down to it.

On their return, review the situation
The employee needs to know that you take it seriously, so a quick meeting on their return can un-earth specific problems they may be encountering.

Support legitimate personal problems
All sorts of problems may cause a person to take time off, and if family problems, low self-esteem, genuine illness or lack of motivation at work are seen as root causes, you need to approach these situation empathetically. Could the company offer help by way of training, extra holidays to deal with crises, counselling or something similar?

Make firm decisions if necessary
With a written record of the situation,you have strong grounds to approach the person with evidence and the need for explanations. Whatever the cause is, take firm action to deal with the problem. The longer it goes on, the more frustrated you will become with them, and that is not good for your employee relationships.

If counselling is required, arrange it. If discipline is needed, take it swiftly. If a warning or stronger is warranted, notify them in writing, and have the m sign the documents. The employee needs to know where they stand, and you need to set the standard for the team you lead.

Here are some tips in setting standards with a team of people:

Reward good performance that can only be attained by excellent attendance
Consider flexible working hours, child-care facilities and fitness programmes
Have policies to deal with legitimate employee absence. Keep in touch with absent colleagues by phone to check their illness
Look closely at the specific reasons why staff choose to be absent. If it’s regular, it may have more to do with the type of work that they are doing than any outside influence.

Dealing with absenteeism is a frustrating and sometimes annoying aspect of your job, but by analysing and recording the reasons, you give yourself a good chance of dealing with it it effectively.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Motivation. What is it? A motive is a thing – or an idea – that gives person incentive to move forward. Motivation can come in the form of a personal objective or a work-related goal. Whatever the reason for the motivation, it allows a person to continue to progress in life.

If this is true, your employees are constantly searching for some sort of motivation while at work. Motivation comes in many forms but the truth is that if they aren’t motivated they won’t be nearly as productive as you wish them to be. Here are a few things you can do to ensure your team stays motivated.

Consider Each Employee Individually

You can’t look at a group and make a plan to keep the “group” motivated. Each person on your team is an individual with his own goals. The new 20-something sales representative may have huge plans for promotion while your seasoned 60-something customer service representative may simply want to plan for retirement. The things you do to motivate each of these individuals will be completely different.

Consider the Culture of Your Organisation

No two organisations are alike and, as such, neither are two groups of employees. Let’s say, for example, you’re working with a group of highly-educated engineers. For them, motivation may be the opportunity to work on a high-end project. Your young salesperson, on the other hand, is probably more motivated by the opportunity to earn an extra bonus for a job well done.

Talk to Your Employees

The best way to find out what motivates your employees is to ask them – but make sure you ask specific questions. Say your engineer wants to work on a prestigious project but finds out once he’s there that it’s not as exciting (or, to him, motivating) as he thought it would be? Perhaps you need to focus on his memories of a project he really enjoyed and find out if you can find something similar to put him back on track.

You can’t simply look at your employees and determine whether or not they’re motivated. You may see a group of happy faces but, in the end, are they really happy to be working for you – or to be moving along the career paths you’ve set? Ask them and find out. You may be surprised to find you need to make some changes!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Leadership Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

Has your team been having a difficult time lately? Were you extra busy, short staffed, or otherwise strained? As a manager, it’s your job to make sure your team feels motivated and has a positive attitude towards their daily tasks. It’s your job to boost employee morale.

Unfortunately, boosting employee morale isn’t always easy. There’s always someone complaining about something but, in the end, the majority of your team member will appreciate your efforts to be involved in their lives and keep them happy. Here are a few tips for boosting employee morale.

Be Human

You are, first and foremost, a human being. Act like one. Have a little fun, crack a joke, laugh, smile, and let your team members know you are one of them. They’ll like you better for it.

Encourage Input

Do you have a suggestion box where your employees can share creative ideas? If so, do you actually use it or acknowledge submissions? If not, give it a whirl. Let your employees know that you appreciate their ideas, whether you incorporate them into your daily routines or not.  You might even offer a small monthly prize for participating and offering suggestions.

Treat Each Employee as an Individual

Your employees will have better morale, individually, if they feel as though they have a personal career path to follow when they come to work each day. Why not use your next coaching session to help each employee set his or her own long and short term goals and then help them find a way to take the first steps towards meeting them. They’ll feel as though they have a purpose aside from trudging through their 9-5 jobs every day.

Encouragement with Incentives

Offer incentives or goals to your employees each week or month. They don’t have to be elaborate. Have bagels for breakfast on Friday mornings or encourage a group luncheon once a month. Offer a prize for the employee with the highest level or production. Something, anything, they can look forward to will boost morale.

Remember – happy employees are productive employees. What will you do to make their days a little brighter?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Leadership Development

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

One of the best ways to motive your employees is to make them feel good about the jobs they’ve completed. This means offering thoughtful and genuine praise on a regular basis. The trick to extending praise, however, is to make sure your employees or team members recognize it as authentic as opposed to something you’re offering simply to make them feel better.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. When praising an employee for a job well done, make sure you specify exactly what it is they did that you liked or appreciated. Be as specific as possible so that they can identify the task and not only feel good about it but use it as a margin for future performances.
2. Make sure you praise your employee directly. Don’t send an email or mention it to another employee so that he can extend the praise on your behalf. Meet face to face or mention it in a group setting where the employee will feel appreciated.
3. Don’t wait for your employees or team members to ask you if you received their projects or have any critique. Extend your praise before they prompt you. Your willingness to stay on top of the game will show that you really did appreciate and care for the work they’ve done.
4. It may feel awkward, but make sure you praise your employees regularly. You may have an employee you don’t particularly care for on a personal level, but he deserves praise for a job well done as well. Get over your feelings of insecurity and do your job!

It’s important to make sure you are offering genuine praise as opposed to simply patronising your employees to make them feel better about their jobs. Don’t offer praise where it isn’t warranted – but offer it often when it is!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

Employees who feel appreciated are more likely to stay motivated and productive than those who feel neglected and unhappy. Motivating your employees by throwing in a few incentives doesn’t have to cost a fortune and can actually be fun. Here are a few things to consider:

Flexibility

Reward your employees for their hard work and dedication by giving them extra time off, flexible schedules, or part-time hours on certain days. This type of time-based incentive works well for your most mature employees because they’ve worked hard for years and may be looking to make changes. Being flexible will allow you to keep a great employee while motivating him to stay loyal and remain in the workforce as opposed to retiring early.

Flex time during the holiday season is another great incentive. Allowing your employees to flex their schedules a little will have a significant impact on the number of last-minute callouts you experience as people become stressed over shopping and holiday preparations.

Understanding

One of the biggest complaints I hear from employees is that their managers simply don’t understand how hard they have to work. Encourage your managers to give their team members a break by taking over their desks for an hour, half day, or even a full day. Your employees will feel appreciated and your managers will get a better understanding of how their employees feel as they work through their day to day tasks.

Take a Field Trip

Every once in a while, whether it’s once per quarter or twice per year, shut down for a half day and take your employees out to lunch, to see a movie, or even to the local arcade or bowling ally. Doing so will prove to your employees that you value their hard work and effort while at the same time promoting an enjoyable work atmosphere that your employees will look forward to each day. Some employees would rather earn a little less to work in a fun environment than take higher pay to work in a miserable place. Take advantage of your ability to promote a positive work environment.

All of these motivational techniques will keep your employees happy without you having to fork over cash in bonuses or extra pay. Your team members will appreciate your efforts and as they become happier with their jobs you’ll notice an increase in productivity – guaranteed!

Thanks again,

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”