It’s common knowledge that good managers are the cornerstone of success. According to a 2022 Gallup survey, management is responsible for 70% of the variance in team engagement. The relationship an employee has with their manager directly impacts the quality of their work, their working relationships and their engagement and satisfaction with their role.
In this article, we delve into the essentials of staff management, provide key strategies for effective management, and examine how staff management software can support you as a manager.
What is Staff Management
Also referred to as employee management, staff management is the process of coordinating employees and providing the administrative, strategic, and coaching support needed to ensure their work aligns with the business objectives. Great staff management leads to efficient and effective operations, increasing productivity and engagement.
The process of staff management encompasses everything from the employee life cycle, starting with recruitment and onboarding, through training, development, and performance management, to offboarding and exit interviews. This can be a time-consuming process for your HR team, and the workload is often alleviated with employee management software. Platforms to help with staff management improve efficiency throughout the employee life cycle and help save your team time.
Key Components of the Staff Management Process
Ten key areas are considered part of the staff management process:
- Planning: based on the business objectives, allocate resources for current and future roles to ensure the company has the best workforce for the job ahead.
- Recruitment: develop internal and external talent pools and screen, assess and interview candidates to get the right people in the right roles.
- Induction: provide new employees with a smooth transition to the company through focused training, resources, and support at the start of their employment.
- Performance management: set clear goals and expectations for behaviour and outputs, which are monitored regularly through ongoing informal feedback and a formal review system.
- Training, learning, and development: identify skills gaps and provide opportunities for staff to acquire new skills, engage in continuous professional development (CPD), and advance their careers.
- Engagement: proactively manage communication between employees and staff to support strong employee relations, motivate employees and address any issues.
- Well-being: promote a good work-life balance, foster a positive culture and provide support and resources when challenges such as conflicts and grievances arise.
- Compensation: ensure the company pays fair and competitive salaries, along with appropriate benefits, bonuses, and rewards that align with the market.
- Compliance: maintain accurate HR records and ensure the company meets their legal obligations and local regulations.
- Exit management: conduct exit interviews, ensure knowledge is transferred appropriately and support the process of an employee leaving the company.
Why is Staff Management a Critical Function for a Business?
Managing the workforce of an organisation is a critical function for a successful business, as it directly influences the impact of an essential resource: the employees. Thus, making staff performance a key part of this process. Managers and employers need to monitor their team’s performance and find ways to motivate and improve their productivity levels.
Effective staff management has a positive impact on a business and their team in the following ways:
Increases productivity, drives efficiency and improves agility
Well-managed staff know what they are supposed to do and have the ability to work efficiently with little to no supervision. Additionally, they are motivated to do it to the best of their ability, resulting in increased output per person and fewer mistakes. In times of change or crisis, well-managed staff are more likely to respond positively and adapt more quickly to meet the challenge.
Aligns the key resource with business goals
Managing employees well ensures that the business has the right people in the right roles to meet the organisation’s strategic needs, making it more likely that the company will successfully meet those goals.
Supports employee engagement, innovation and creativity
When managers lead staff effectively, employees are more likely to feel engaged with the company’s purpose and contribute new ideas or creative solutions to existing problems. Additionally, good management supports staff in their learning and development. Which leads to upskilling that benefits the company overall through a more skilled and capable workforce.
Ensures talent retention and reduces turnover
Engaged employees are also more likely to remain with the company, thereby reducing staff turnover. In addition to lowering recruitment costs, retaining staff ensures that the company maintains valuable knowledge, fosters a positive work environment, and provides a secure foundation for future growth.
Reduces risk and protects the business from legal issues
Good staff management involves creating and using policies, handling grievances fairly and ensuring compliance with all relevant working regulations. Not only does this lead to a workforce that understands expectations and requirements, but it also reduces the chance of legal disputes and reputational damage.
How to Manage Staff Effectively: 5 Essential Strategies
When you are focusing on managing your staff well, the following five strategies are helpful starting points for developing staff management skills:
Communicate Clearly
Getting communication right ensures that the team are aligned, expectations are clear, and there are fewer misunderstandings. It also helps to role model how everyone should communicate with each other, which improves teamwork and productivity.
Use various methods, including verbal and written, online and face-to-face, as well as individual and group, to maintain two-way communication. As a manager, open communication benefits you as well as the rest of the team, as it helps you keep on top of trends and issues.
Set Expectations
Goal-setting, holding employees accountable, and rewarding achievements all play a crucial role in effective staff management, as employees perform better when they know what success looks like and what the expectations are.
Using SMART goals or OKRs is a good place to start, as these tie individual tasks to overall business objectives, helping individuals feel part of the wider company.
Embed Feedback Into the Culture
Ensuring that there is a positive working culture, with feedback at its centre, is essential for effective staff management that supports the company’s broader objectives. When employees receive feedback, they understand the impact of their work and what they can do to improve. Likewise, when they feel that their feedback is being listened to and responded to, they feel valued and integrated into the organisation.
Be proactive in giving real-time feedback and recognising achievements. Ask for feedback on yourself and hold regular performance reviews, communicating the schedule.
Invest in Learning & Development
Providing good-quality learning and development opportunities not only upskills employees so they can do better work, but it also makes individuals feel valued and motivated. Employees who understand that their company is invested in their personal success are more likely to remain with the company, thereby reducing turnover.
Provide mentoring, coaching, and buddy systems. Develop career progression plans and use your company’s resources to run workshops or online courses on specific skills. If the budget allows, bringing in external trainers or utilising online courses can also be invaluable.
Support a Good Work-Life Balance
To get the best from employees, focusing on ensuring they have a good work-life balance is key. When people feel seen as individuals with unique needs and responsibilities, rather than just a number on a page who performs a job, they can focus better and increase their productivity.
Take the time to understand what is going on for individuals when they are not in the office. Be flexible with your requirements and open to requests for alternative ways of working.
Managing Staff with Factorial
Staff management involves administration, coaching and strategic support. If you are managing team members, an online staff management system like Factorial (software that automates your employee scheduling, HR processes, employee time tracking, and more!) will help you free up your time. You can focus on the coaching and strategic aspects of management that will make your team more likely to meet their objectives.
Factorial’s platform is an all-in-one solution that provides you with all the tools you need to effectively manage your staff. It supports staff management through all aspects of the employee life cycle, from recruitment and onboarding to scheduling and leave management, setting goals and managing performance, and offboarding. Managers can easily approve PTO requests (straight from their mobiles) or manage shifts when a last-minute change occurs. Factorial’s software helps streamline all these processes to help you focus on your people, rather than paperwork.
Ultimately, businesses choose Factorial because of the robust features allows anyone on their team to utilize this tool, from HR teams, project managers, to even employees. This employee management tool saves time spent on manual tasks and sets up teams for success.
