Month: March 2022

The role of a manager or team leader is immensely challenging especially, in this uncertain scenario of Covid-19. It is easy to work on your own but difficult to get work done from your team members. A team leader not just delegates work and responsibility but also ensures the accomplishment and productivity of his team members and the organization in the long-run.

Moreover, in the present unpredictable scenario, the role of the team leader is constantly changing and evolving. A team leader has to ensure the smooth functioning of a team consisting of individuals of different temperament, calibre and skill sets. It is indeed a difficult task but you can learn the techniques of managing your team effectively. After all, management skills can be learned and improved with the passage of time along with the application of modern tools of technology. 

These are few tips that will help you in managing your team effectively in the organization:

1. Effective communication: The first essential criterion for managing your team effectively is the need to develop a productive and cooperative relationship with your team members. This can be achieved through the medium of effective communication. A two-way communication is vital for a team to function effectively.

As a team leader, you need to keep your team informed about the deadlines to be met in the present quarter and the upcoming projects for the remaining part of the year. You have to outline a strategy in coordination with your team members. Your team members should be in a position to come up with any query that they have in mind with regard to the goals of the organization or say, job security.

In the present scenario when remote working has become the new norm, you as a team leader, can effectively communication using the technology tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and others. 

Thus, ensure to maintain a two-way communication and this will help you to manage your team effectively.

2. Assign tasks based on the strength of your team members: As a team leader, it is essential for you to know the strengths and weaknesses of every member of your team. This will help you in assigning projects or deadlines to be achieved based on the skills of the individual team member. It has been observed that an employee works harder and is more involved in the work in which he enjoys applying his skills. In this manner, you will be able to accomplish the project smoothly and manage your team as well effectively.

3. Assist your team members in improving their skills: For your team to function effectively, it is extremely vital to keep upgrading and enhancing the skills of your team members. This improvisation is all the more needed in the present uncertain Covid-19 scenario. As a team leader, you need to identify the areas of improvement and organize training sessions for your team members. This will help you and your team members to take on challenges and accomplish the goals of the organizations in a seamless manner.

4. Acknowledge and reward good work of your team members: As a team leader, it is vital for you to acknowledge the extraordinary work of your team members. Every team member likes and appreciates the fact that his/her hard work has been noticed and acknowledged. This will encourage and motivate your team member to work harder with greater engagement in the new project assigned to him.

Not just acknowledgement but even rewarding your team members can boost their morale as well. Say, you can take your entire team out for lunch after completing a tight schedule at hand. These are some of the simple ways in which as a team leader you can ensure to manage your team effectively.

5. Encourage collaboration among your team members: One of the methods to manage your team effectively is to ensure cohesion and collaboration among your team. A divisive team cannot yield positive results, so as a team leader, you need to ensure that your team members spend time together and coordinate as well. Collaboration ensures that the diverse skill sets of your team members get utilized in achieving the targets effectively.

6. Manage conflict: This is one criterion which if ignored can lead to division of your team. You, as a team leader, have to comprehend the behaviour, skills and aptitude of your team members and accordingly manage your team. There is bound to be difference of opinion or conflict among your team due to diversity. However, you have to ensure that in case of a conflict, you make both the sides understand the diverse viewpoints in an easy manner. Hence, make sure to address any conflict that arises instead of ignoring it.

7. Provide valuable feedback: As a team leader, when you provide feedback, it helps your team member, to understand his/her shortcomings and overcome them. It is vital that feedback is taken in a positive manner by your team member. Moreover, constructive feedback is vital for you as well as a team leader, given by your team members to the senior management or business head. It can be said that feedback enhances your overall functioning in the organization.

Conclusion

Therefore, to conclude, walking the tight rope of managing a team is not easy but not impossible. It is vital for you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team members. Further, you need to interact with every team member and try and prevent employee burnout. All these steps taken together will ensure the smooth management of your team in the near future as well.  

Employee retention strategies are gaining momentum especially in the post-Covid-19 world. Employers like never before are focussing on retaining their best talented employees to ensure the long-term success of their company. Employees also wish to stay longer in a company which promises them good career prospects and satisfactory compensation package. Let us go through some of the vital employee retention strategies which will be implemented in the present scenario.

1. Hire the right candidates: The HR of your company needs to prepare the job description clear and explicit mentioning the requisite skills of the candidates. Moreover, the HR should conduct a thorough interview and examine both the soft and hard skills of the candidate to understand his candidature for the post. Most of the times, wrong selection of candidates often leads to the employee leaving the company very soon.

2. Offer Benefits: It is not just the package but also other benefits associated with the pay package which often lures the employee to change his job. Hence, the HR should ensure to provide a satisfactory compensation package at par with the industry and other benefits such as medical insurance, holiday benefits, flexible working hours, performance bonus, retirement funds and so forth. So, the employers need to provide benefits to its employees in order to retain them in their company.

3. Training and Development: The post-Covid corporate sector is looking for talented employees capable of handling multiple tasks along being tech-savy as well. No employee wants to handle the same profile throughout his lifetime in the same company. The company should make arrangements to enhance the skills of its employees by organizing training programmes either through face-to-face meetings or online conferences. This will motivate the employees to work hard with greater enthusiasm and will break the monotony of the work as well. Moreover, the company by investing in the training and development of its employees will be securing its future as well.

4. Great working environment: Employees tend to stay longer in a company which offers them an amiable work culture and sufficient growth prospects and promise of learning and advancement in life. In addition, managers need to appreciate their team members either through monetary means or through public recognition. Remember, if the employee feels worth less and unnoticed in the working culture, he is bound to look for a job change!

5. Employee engagement: One of the vital employee retention strategies in the present scenario is to listen to your employees. As an employer, you need to listen to the suggestions and problems of your employees which they might encounter at the workplace or in their personal lives. In the Covid working scenario, maintaining work-life balance has not been easy for most of the employees. Yet, employers have supported, listened to the woes and suggested solutions to the problems of their employees. Likewise, even at the workplace, employees feel valued when their suggestions are heard and appreciated.

Conclusion

Therefore, to conclude, a company is bound to prosper which focuses on its employees. Companies need to come up with plausible strategies to retain their best employees. A company which makes its employees feel happy, satisfied and motivated is bound to garner profits and secure its efficient functioning even in times of crisis. It indeed requires hard work on the part of the company to retain its employees but it pays in the long-run.