Employees can differ immensely even if they have the same job role and production level. As an entrepreneur it is important to understand that different types of motivation work for certain individuals while they do not for others. Being able to manage different personalities will take knowledge of how to handle each staff member. Employee loyalty/retention can help a business have continued success while high turnover can eat directly into company profits. Below we will discuss the different types of employees and how to handle them in order to help increase employee retention.
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Employee Taking Leave of Absence Due To Injury/Disease
Tensions can start to increase with an employee that is taking leave due to an injury or sickness. An employee could be taking advantage but addressing this is a sensitive subject as nobody wants to hear they are faking an ailment. A smooth form of communication and a path back to health should be shared between the employee, company, the insurance company, and doctor treating the employee. Not only will this reduce tensions but it will also give a timeline of when the employee can return to work. Visit https://reedgroup.com/mdguidelines/ for help with this as they use evidence based guidelines to help a patient get healthy in a reasonable and predictable amount of time.
Career Driven Junior Employee
Career driven younger employees are common and can be a huge asset if managed correctly. These employees might jump at another opportunity if it helps them get a promotion in title or increase in pay. What you need to do is meet with them to outline their possible career path as many companies do not do this. Being able to see a career path can be tough in a startup that is in its infancy while it is much easier at more established companies. Keeping these employees around might lead you to give them perks especially if they are a high productivity staff member.
The Distracting Yet Productive Enigma
There might be an employee that holds people hostage in conversation but always produces high numbers in whatever they do. While you do not want to stifle the person’s friendliness completely you want them to tone it down. A straightforward employee or manager can handle this but it is much better if the person decides it on their own it is much better. At times people that perform on a high level might think of the job as mundane so setting goals with bonuses associated could motivate them to start working instead of engaging in conversation.
Star Employee With Poor Attitude
There are going to be those employees that not only perform at a high level but also gripe just as well. Keeping the negative talk to a minimum should be the goal here as well as addressing concerns the employee might have. For the most part people just want to be heard so meeting directly once a week might need to be done. With this being said, there are just some people that will never be happy at work. The goal should be to minimize the impact of the negative attitude on the other employees. Most individuals will be willing to tone down negative conversations if they find out management has be notified about it. A suggestion box where people can anonymously put in concerns or problems can be a huge help as not all people with problems want to be singled out. In too many circumstances those that come to management with issues are demonized as not being a team player. Reduce these instances and watch suggestions that can be high quality stream in!
The One That Advances Their Career Through Backstabbing/Gossiping
Unfortunately there are people that backstab others and gossip in order to improve their career trajectory. This cannot be tolerated in the slightest and this employee needs to be terminated. Improving employee loyalty and retention should focus on keeping the group as a whole. A person like this getting a promotion could lead to multiple people leaving or starting to look elsewhere for employment. There should be a warning given to the person but most people that do this will eventually end up gossiping again. Work should be a place that you are comfortable going and should not be filled with gossip or politics like high school.
As an entrepreneur you are sure to encounter these 5 types of employees and various combinations of the above as well. Managing people for some can be the most difficult portion of business but it does take practice like any other skill in a professional environment. Understand your staff to the best degree possible as this will help in dealing with them daily and help improve employee loyalty. The energy in the office should not be underplayed as creating a fun working environment will keep employees around long term!