In our recent posts, we’ve taken the time to highlight our employee scheduling software, staff scheduling tool, work schedule maker, timesheet software, or whatever else people are calling it these days. Although there are many different phrases people use to describe time clock, payroll, scheduling, and task management programs that providers like us offer, there is only one Scheduling+ — and therefore only one employee scheduling software that includes such practically valuable features.

In said earlier posts, we’ve provided our readers with a detailed look at the features each of our systems afford our clients with. We won’t be repeating ourselves in today’s post, so if you’d like to read up on some of the particulars, check out our post which involves the many benefits of our workforce management software.

Instead, we’ll be continuing with our more recent trend of offering up more general tips for our readers who find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being a manager. There is certainly a diversity that exists among our clientele with specific regards to industry. So it might not be possible to cover the intricate details concerning the unique challenges that each vertical presents, but there is significant crossover whenever you are talking about managing human beings.

Thus, we present our post regarding the signs of a successful manager — best practices to utilize, and bad habits to avoid! Whether you are a first-time manager who is just trying to keep your head above water or you are something of a seasoned pro, we think you’ll find this post to be illuminating and helpful. At a minimum, these tips will serve as a useful refresher, so read on!

Acceptance

Terms like “acceptance” and “denial” aren’t typically associated with the professional realm, let alone with management specifically. However, one of the most helpful things we can recommend to first-time managers is to embrace the challenge. But in order to embrace, you have to accept that that the task of managing is a challenge in the first place.

Put another way, one of the most important things you can do is realize that management isn’t always going to be easy. Therefore, you ought to prepare to be stretched and taken outside of your comfort zone. Who knows, you might even need to seek outside advice, perhaps from a mentor or an online resource.

Luckily, it looks like you’ve already taken us up on the latter suggestion, so check this first tip off your list!

Hire Well

If you’ve been thrust into your first managerial position unexpectedly, the advice that you should “hire effectively” might seem somewhat obsolete at first glance. But whether you’ve been a hiring manager implementing a strategic vision that captures great employee fits with regards to both competency and culture or you are brand new to the hiring game, it’s never a bad time to reevaluate your approach.

Here’s a good place to start: find people who line up with your company’s vision and values. If you are stumbling thinking about what those values might be, now is as good a time as any to reacquaint yourself with your business’ ideals. If you happen to be the manager and the owner, first of all, congratulations. Secondly, you have complete control to envision a philosophy which you truly believe in.

The more genuine your approach, the more your employees will buy into the “why” behind everything you task them with. If your employees believe in what they are doing, and don’t see their job as a paycheck and nothing more, you’ll be doing less micromanaging in the long run.

Task Management

While we are talking about workforce task management, allow us to briefly highlight the many benefits found in our own task management software here at Scheduling+.

The advantages are many, and include the ability to easily assign employees tasks that populate for them as soon as they log in. You’ll be able to assign recurring and one-off tasks as well. And if you’d like a physical copy of a task assignment, you can print off task cards if necessary.

In terms of organization, you can export any task(s) in Excel, CSV, and PDF format.

Your employees will appreciate the easy-to-use format, as they’ll be able to view and “mark as complete” from the Time Clock dashboard and receive task notifications through email as well.

Open Communication

Fostering a culture that values open communication from top to bottom in a company is vital to being successful. Yes, employees feeling the liberty to express their opinions on matters helps with morale — that is an advantage which typically comes to mind for the majority of us. But that is only skimming the surface.

On a day-to-day level, being communicative translates to an improvement in productivity and performance. Why? If employees don’t feel they have a voice, it doesn’t mean they’ll refrain from speaking their opinion. You, as the manager, just may not be the one to hear it. Wouldn’t you prefer hearing how your employees genuinely feel straight from them? The alternatives can get ugly, which might tempt you to actively call-out employee gossip. While we can understand the sentiment, this manager-to-employee dynamic doesn’t usually end well. Rather than instilling fear and bitterness, we recommend ensuring that open communication is a cornerstone principle of your organization. Doing so will improve morale and performance.

Invest In Your Employees

Research suggests that positive recognition is likely a more important motivating factor than money. That might be surprising to many — it caught us off guard as well. Although there is undoubtedly a point where recognition’s utility can become diluted, it’s nevertheless an arrow which should be kept in every manager’s quiver.

So don’t hold back on giving your staff some love. Nobody is perfect, so do your best to give them the benefit of the doubt when you can!

Productivity

The place where culture and competence intersect — productivity. How do you balance giving your employees autonomy while still making sure everyone does their jobs? For one, keeping people accountable for high-importance tasks is key. You can do that almost effortlessly through our aforementioned task management service.

Another suggestion is to give your employees trust until they prove you otherwise. Don’t assume they’ll let you down — doing so is a good way to guarantee resentment. Giving your staff more leeway when it comes to personal preference and stylistic choices helps them achieve ownership of their day-to-day tasks. If you want long-term, happy employees, said ownership is crucial.

Consistency

Here is a tip which can be applied to pretty much any kind of situation. Be consistent. Whether it has to do with disciplinary measures, what time you arrive and leave each day, or how you expect your customers to treat difficult customers, there aren’t many better ways to antagonize your employees than to change your standards based on mood.

Spotlight: Employee Scheduling Software

If you are the manager of a retail store, this is an appropriate application with regards to employee scheduling. Our workforce scheduling software streamlines communication with employees, allows managers to stay within their labor budget, reduce overtime costs, and easily manage schedule changes alongside time off requests. Scheduling+ and our employee scheduling software affords managers the ability to be consistent about schedules. And the more consistent you are, the less employee schedule abuse you will be justified in tolerating. The employer-employee dynamic is a two-way street; if you are steady we find that your staff will usually respond in kind.  

Your All-In-One Business Management Software

Quite simply, we offer retailers the chance to utilize a full-integrated, cloud-based employee scheduling platform which will simplify and streamline daily tasks. We offer task management, staff scheduling, attendance recordkeeping, and payroll into one platform. We are a company of once independent retailers ourselves, which means we’ve designed our workforce management software to be tailored to the industry’s most glaring needs.

Start your free trial or schedule a live demo today!