The post-pandemic world has come with additional managerial complications. With remote options and an overall change in worker expectations, it’s harder than ever to stay connected with employees. That’s why a regular schedule of checking in with your team creates significant value.
We’re not talking about micromanagement. Rather, this strategy involves routinely touching base with your team members, nurturing an ongoing dialog, and building the foundation for a strong long-term relationship.
The goal is to set up regular, relatively casual conversations with your employees. The structure of these can vary on the situation, but you can cover topics like:
- Deliver any updates to company policies or procedures
- Determine the progress on any pending short-term and long-term projects
- Discover any challenges your employees face and work out solutions
- Provide any feedback/coaching your employee requires
- Receive any feedback they might want to provide
- Discuss longer-term career goals
While the topics listed above represent a broad set of potential subjects, you don’t have to discuss each one at every meeting. The point here is that the check-ins themselves have value on their own. Beyond the subjects covered, the act of having the meeting can create value.
For a better look at what we mean, here are some of the benefits you can achieve by checking in on your employees:
The Importance of Checking in on Your Employees
Nurture Strong Communication
How do you build a connection with your employees? The short answer is communication. However, knowing this opens a series of new questions, as you seek the best ways to reach out to your team.
Regular check-ins represent an excellent method for maintaining lines of communication. You get a chance to deliver information and make micro-improvements to people’s performance.
At the same time, you provide a forum to receive feedback. You’ll gather new ideas and spur innovation. Meanwhile, your employees will feel heard, increasing a sense of trust and inclusion.
Increased Engagement
Yes, micromanagement is bad. However, that doesn’t mean you should completely remove a supervisory influence. Regular check-ins offer a way to provide direction and oversight, while generally empowering your staff daily.
Research has shown that this structure can boost employee engagement. This, in turn, leads to improved productivity.
As evidence, look at the results of a survey conducted by Gallup. The data showed that in situations where supervisors rarely conduct regular meetings with their direct reports, only 15% of the team members report feeling engaged. This figure nearly triples in situations where check-ins are frequent.
Upgraded Retention
Higher engagement and productivity mean you’ll get more out of your workers while they remain on your team. However, the benefit of regular check-ins goes beyond the present. You’ll also get more out of your staffers over the long term. That’s because a solicitous approach to management improves retention.
Let’s look at a case study. In 2012, Adobe switched from a performance score-based review process and instituted one based on regular check-ins. As a result, the firm saw a 30% reduction in voluntary turnover.
Nurture a Strong, People-Driven Culture
By checking in on your employees, you set a precedent. You show that your organization cares about people and you display a pattern they can follow as they work with other stakeholders. This fuels a culture centered around people, which can manifest in many positive ways.
For instance, your employees will get better at collaboration. They will experience a closer connection with their coworkers and feel free to check in on each other. These tighter bonds will lead to more innovation and a smoother process of working together.
Meanwhile, the culture will also radiate outwards. Your team will apply the same care and empathy to clients and the world in general. As a result, you’ll nurture a reputation for customer service, improving client retention and contributing to your brand.
Want to Get The Most Out of Your Team?
Getting the most out of your team requires the right approach, as well as sufficient resources to give them the support they need. The right financing structure gives you the flexibility you need to take advantage of every opportunity. Partner with Frontline Funding to protect your cash flow and make the most out of your market position.
Contact Frontline today to learn more.
