Recently, one of our clients approached us about creating a 'Supervisory Toolkit.' They are undergoing some change, part of it being a restructuring of the director level, so there is going to be more supervising of employees. They wanted a kind of one stop shop where their supervisors could easily access information in order to make conversations more productive and less stressful.
Let's all say it together: excellent idea. We offered to help them put something together. So here is a place to start for those of you thinking that your managers, directors, and supervisors could use a toolkit to make their jobs easier and more effective.
Assessments
A solid assessment tool is key. These provide key data about your employees: communication preferences, habits and behavior, motivation, areas of energy, etc. There are many different assessments on the market, so make sure you do your research. Free, online assessments are free for a reason: they are almost never statistically validated, and have not been subject to the rigorous publishing and peer review process.
360s
If you aren't familiar with 360's, they are a type of survey that gathers information about a particular employee (let's say a manager) from '360 degrees' - direct reports, peers, and superiors. They give you incredibly valuable insight from a variety of positions and perspectives. They also allow you to see gaps in how employees are viewed vs. how they view themselves. Because of the variety of perceptions a 360 is able to gather, it provides leadership tremendous, solid data - which in turn leads to better decision making and generally more favorable outcomes. I don't know of a large company that doesn't use some type of 360, and small to medium sized companies are implementing them with great success as well.
A note: be careful with 360's. If you are going to do them, you need to commit to doing them, being open about them, and sticking with them. Depending on your culture and company history, it might take more than one round of surveys before people start being honest in their feedback. And if you run one with a follow up and then stop, your employees will be even more reticent to give feedback in the future.
Quarterly Review Templates
Many companies are moving towards more regular employee reviews instead of the historic 'annual performance review.' A number of factors are driving this shift: the speed of today's work, the nature and expectations of employees, and the need to have more consistent communication with employees to ensure alignment and performance. The initial shift can be a bit challenging, but having a template helps significantly, and generally in 6-12 months the transition is complete and people are happier.
Mentoring Resources
More and more, supervisors want to help develop their employees, and employees are hungry for that. Mentoring doesn't always need to be formal to be effective. A mentoring 'tips and tricks' sheet can provide managers with strategies for developing their employees during the review process, creating greater overall impact.
Professional Development References and Planning Tools
Time and again, 'development' comes up as a huge component in employee retention as well as satisfaction. The 21st century employee wants the opportunity to develop, and most are motivated to do so. Having some resources, references, and planning tools available for your employees to learn and grow on their own is a very effective way to both develop your employees as well as make your business better.
Lunch and Learns
Lunchtime book clubs and gatherings are growing in popularity. Lunches have always been important in the business community for selling and building rapport, and now they are also including a dose of learning and development. These are effective ways to build overall culture, as you get to have face time and communicate an overall message to your employees regularly. They don't have to be long - an hour tops. But they are a good investment of time.
We are proud to say we help our clients in these areas on a regular basis. We can provide solutions for you as well. Connect with us to learn more!