Every employer has to deal with certain employees who are difficult to treat. Certain employees just don’t perform their work well up to the mark and don’t fulfill the commitments they are supposed to.
All the managers have to face such a situation daily where they have to deal with such employees. Here we are going to discuss few employee motivation and engagement strategies.
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So, here are certain ways in which an employer can make his employees listen to him.
Employee Motivation and Engagement Strategies:
1. Effective listening in the workplace:
Normally, an employer does not pay attention to the employee who is difficult to deal with. Employer tends to shift their focus to other things either by dividing the duties or by changing the criteria of judgment.
An employer shall listen to what the employee has to say and also, respect their point of view on the same. This makes employees feel free to express their opinion on each and everything they are supposed to.
2. Give understandable opinions to the employee:
Most of the time the managers find it easier to point out the mistakes done by the employees, but they fail to make them understand the reasons for the same.
An employer shall always give clear and to the point of opinion to the employee about the areas where his performance is lagging and explain to him the ways he can improve his performance. This will not only improve the performance of the employee but will also improve the performance of the organization as a whole.
3. Writing down the important points:
An employer shall always have the habit of writing down the important points about an employee whom he thinks should be more efficient towards his work. If an employer has written documents about an employee, then he can easily point them out to him.
Writing important points helps the employer to terminate the employee if he wants to or make him understand the areas where he needs to pay more attention. This will also, improve the relationship between them.
4. Be steady in your behavior:
An employer shall set certain parameters for judging the performance of the employees. If the employees don’t perform to the level expected, then the employer shall behave expectedly and shall not give chance to the employees unexpectedly.
The employer shall not give the employees a chance to underestimate them, so they get the opportunity to repeat their mistakes again and again.
5. The employer shall set a penalty for not completing the work:
A good manager is one who sets the consequences an employee has to face if the same mistakes are repeated again and again.
For example, the employer might say that the promotions will not be given to the employees who don’t perform well or the increase in the salary will be delayed till further improvement in the performance of the employee. This will make the employee to focus more on his performance and to fulfill the expectations of the employer.
6. Follow the process prescribed by the company:
A good employer shall always follow the process prescribed by the company, in case the employee doesn’t follow the course of action followed by the company.
There are certain rules to be followed and the employer shall state clearly the actions that will be taken and if necessary the case where the termination of the job may also happen.
This way the employee will focus more on the work and will not give any chance to the employer to terminate the job.
7. Don’t pollute the environment in the office:
A good manager follows the policy of the company how harsh they may be, but they should never ill treat the employees and shall also never backstab the employee by talking ill about the other employee.
If the manager does it, then the environment of the office will be spoil and the employees will also have the wrong impression about the employer.
8. An employer shall be truthful about his decision:
The employer shall always be truthful about his decision about the employee. If the employer thinks that the employee has the scope to improve and is doing it, then it will help him, but if he is not trying hard enough then he will do what he has to do.
In this way, the employer will be able to take the fair decision which will be correct for both the employee and the company as a whole.
9. The employer shall be bold enough to make the decision:
The employer shall have enough courage to terminate the employee if that is the need of the hour. The employee has to take the hard decision which he shall avoid or delay.
The decision of the employer may be right or wrong, but the employer should be courageous enough to decide any kind and to take responsibility for the same.
10. Communicate well with the employees:
Sometimes the employer is not able to make the employee understand what the employer is trying to say to him. If the problem continues, then the misunderstanding between the two can prove dangerous for the employee.
There may be chances where the employer can get the opinion that the employee is purposely not doing what he has been asked to do. So there should always be proper communication between the employer and the employee.
11. Employees don’t listen:
The employer always tries to explain to the employees about the work pattern in the company. But, there may be instances when the employees don’t pay attention to what the employer has to say.
In such a situation the employer shall try to explain the employees in the way the employees understand it in a better way and the way they want to hear it. This will help the employees to understand the requirement of the employer in a better way.
12. How to make subordinates listen:
The employer can use humor as an effective tool to communicate with the employees. No matter how big or small the project is, there are always tensions to meet the deadlines and pressure to meet the expected level of work.
In such an atmosphere of pressure, the employer’s usage of humor will not only relax the employees but will make it easier for the employee to communicate with the employer.
13. The employer shall ask unrestricted questions to the employee:
By asking unrestricted questions to the employee, the employer will be able to communicate well with the employee and also will be able to judge the employee’s level of intelligence.
Like, an employer asks the employee questions about the upcoming technologies in a model of a phone, then with his answers, he can judge the level of awareness of the employee and can interact with him on the same level.
14. Get more people in the conversation:
The employer may ask a general routine question to the employee, but it may sound like an examination to the employee.
In such a situation the employer can ask others to join the conversation as this will relax the environment and will make it easier for the employee to express his opinions in a better way. The employer will be able to ask any questions to the employee.
15. Ask the employees for new ideas:
An employer shall always ask the employees about the new ideas that can be used by the company for its benefits. This will make the employees more energetic in searching for new ideas for the company and will make employees more aware of the functioning of the company. They will do more research work and thus will gain more knowledge.
16. Appreciate for good performance:
An employer shall always appreciate the efforts that the employees put in, to do their work. This will motivate the employees to perform better in every aspect and there will be healthy competition in the company.
The employees will communicate well with the employer to show their hard work and dedication and will also perform better than their capability.
17. The employer shall not express every little detail to the employee:
While working in an organization, there are instances when new ideas creep into the employer’s mind while the old idea is still in its process. In such a situation the employer should ask the employees to give some suggestions as this will start the conversation between them and will make the employee listen to what the employer has to say.
18. Be real with your employees:
The employer shall always be real with his employees. An employer who is fake with his employees will never be able to build trust with his employees.
If the employer wants the employee to listen to him, then he should be real and practical with them. Also, sharing his personal stories with the employees will make them more friendly with the employees.
19. The employer should know himself better and deeply:
The employer shall know himself better and deeply to make the employee listen to him, he shall be clear about what he expects from himself. If the employer is clear in his thoughts, he will be able to explain to the employee better and the employee will take more interest in what the employer has to say.
20. Be a good coach to the employees:
The employer shall always be a good coach to the employees. He shall always present such a picture in front of the employees where they can trust him and able to speak up their minds to him. This way the employee will listen to what the employer has to say and will follow it.
21. The employer shall build up stories:
In today’s competitive world where the workplace is all about numbers, the employer shall try to build up stories that are easier for the employee to remember. Stories can create a picture in the mind of the employee and they tend to remember more things for a longer period.
22. The employer should create a good first impression:
An employer should create a good first impression on the employees by not coming as a too strong personality in the first meeting itself. The employer shall begin the meeting by introducing himself and should ask the employee about the new ideas and ways to run the company.
The employer shall always try to interact with the employees in their favorite manner. This way the employees will listen to what the employer has to say.
23. The employer shall state his expectations in the beginning:
The employer shall state what is expected from the employee at the beginning of the project. In case, there are any diversions from the result expected, then the employer can make the employee listen to what he has to say.
24. The employer shall give and take feedback:
The employer shall at every stage give and take feedback to and from the employees. This will give employees the feeling of involvement and they will take an additional interest in the work of the company. Also, there will be a crosscheck of work at every level.
25. The employer shall give enough time to the employees:
An employer shall at every stage give enough time to the employees to bring the necessary changes expected by the employer. The employer can make the employee listen to him if the necessary changes are not brought into action.
So, the employer shall maintain friendly relations with the employees so that employees feel free to interact with the employer.
They give and take suggestions to the employer and work in the right direction to increase the productivity of the company. The employer today has to be not only the employer but friends with the employees to create a good working atmosphere in the workplace.
Tips to Get Your Team to Actually Listen to You:
The relationship between the employer and employee holds a very important role in the growth of the organization. The bonding between the boss and employees should be constructive and effective, only then the employee will be listening to the boss.
The main problem with most of organizations is that there will be a lot of hierarchical issues and the communication will not be effective. If the relation between your employer and employee would be functional, only then the passion and vision the employer holds, pass to all their employees. This makes them work better for the development and growth of the company.
So the most important trait every employer must possess is leadership communication. The better your relation, the more attention you get from your employees. Here we have mentioned few tips that can help you focus and improve your leadership communication.
- Being authentic
- Never forget your passion and vision
- Know your values better
- Read more to improve
- Have practical visions and goals
- Engage with stores and morals
- Have a good mentor
- Must be always present and active
- Understand your employees too.
Solutions for Dealing with Difficult Employees:
The most common emotion an employer faces when their employee or subordinates does not listen to them is sad, angry and hurt. This not only makes them suffer but also can have a negative effect on the organization too.
Now there are many ways to handle such a situation but the best ways that we can consider are, firstly to hire the best candidates to the organization and secondly, to understand the root cause of why they are not listening. As we are already discussing about the existing workforce, so opting for the second option would be right.
By getting into detail, there are 3 main reasons why your workforce is not listening to their superiors and they are,
- Lack of communication from the employers which results in employees not able to understand what they are asked to do.
- Lack of training which results in not knowing how to do
- Lack of management skills, which makes their employee lazy and sluggish
