Human Resources: How to Fine-Tune Management of your Staff

To achieve higher profits, you can become more strategic about managing your marketplace challenges. But the marketplace only represents 50 percent of an entrepreneur’s headaches.

Internal factors within your company also contribute to entrepreneur insomnia. Such factors include dilemmas over how to control costs, performance and quality.

Here are 17 strategies:

1.  Have a job description for every position, no matter how little skill is needed. Regularly appraise workers. Keep your most promising workers. If the others can’t improve then replace them.

2.  Keep in mind what every employee is entitled to know the answers to their three questions

• What’s expected of me?
• How am I doing?
• What’s in it for me?

3.  Constantly network to find the best employees. Ask your best workers for employee referrals, use trade publications, and advertise in economical local newspapers. Although tempting, free online ads won’t generate the most productive workers. Check references thoroughly using open-ended questions for comprehensive answers.

4.  Screen for common sense, creativity and education. Einstein’s theory about imagination being more important than knowledge often works in HR.

5.  Target employees who possess the three A’s: Attitude, appearance, and ability.

6.  Note the priority of attributes. Attitude is everything in showing empathy to other employees and customers. Both you and your customers will be pleased. While job knowledge or hard skills are important, so are soft skills in communication and teamwork. Coachable workers who aren’t afraid to work on their strengths and weaknesses, and set goals will make you money.

7.  Family and friends will work fine as workers in tight economic times. Don’t forget temporary help firms for short-term projects or for hiring on a temp-to-perm basis.

8.  Create a favorable first impression with a gracious welcome of new workers and encourage a buddy system.

9.  Improve morale by developing an inspiring communications program. Whether or not your company is undergoing dramatic change, communication is key. Use formal and informal ways to dialogue with workers about priorities, celebrate success stories and encourage feedback. Survey your workers about their priorities. Accommodate employees when feasible.

10. Don’t cut corners in training and development. Encourage continuous self-improvement. Invest in training, mentoring and education.

11. Treat workers equally and regularly enforce your company’s procedures. Make certain everyone knows sexual harassment is taboo. (I’ve had unsolicited calls from law firms seeking court-ordered training for their clients who were sued in federal courts. I appreciated the business but it was preventable from the perspective of the companies.)

12. Focus on succession planning. Retain and attract leaders for your firm, and develop a strategy to help your most talented employees ascend to senior levels.

13. In talent development, help your managers to evaluate your company’s HR strengths and weaknesses. Eliminate any gaps in your workforce and establish a harmonious environment for company growth.

14. Promote diversity. It’s good business to consider and implement policies to recruit workers who are from other cultures. Add disabled applicants, and part-timers – such as stay-at-home parents and retirement-age workers.

15. In compensation and benefits, no boss wants to over-pay employees, but if you do your best to provide for employees, they’ll deliver stronger performances and take better care of your company’s assets.

16. Encourage exercise and recreation.

17. Use exit interviews as opportunities for growth and to learn from mistakes. The good workers might return or refer outstanding candidates to you, if you’re seen as a caring employer.

If these tips are properly implemented, you’ll see strong results.

From the Coach’s Corner, here’s a footnote on getting more productivity:

If any employees seem to be chronically tired, sleep apnea could be the culprit. Encourage your workers to participate in a sleep study.

The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/index.htm, reported 12 to 18 million people have life-threatening sleep apnea. That’s a condition where people stop breathing several times each hour and they don’t even know it.