Why Managers MUST Check In With Employees

BY Kathy Crosett
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Are you meeting regularly with your team members? Many managers are tempted to skip this routine. After all, meetings are waste of time when all you have to talk about is the same old stuff. If that’s your attitude, it’s time for a reset. Chrissy Scivicque, in a money​.usnews​.com column, reminds us why regular contact is vital.

Building Rapport

Part of building a strong team is to maintain a positive personal relationship. If you only meet with your team members when something’s wrong they learn quickly to fear these meetings. Your feedback and relationship needs to be built on something besides negativity. If you don’t take the time to routinely talk about what your employees are doing right, they’re operating in an information vacuum. Take the opportunity to share positive feedback before you make suggestions about how an employee should adjust their work process.

Proactive Management

Your team members will encounter the unexpected every day. They might be having trouble using the new accounting system that has been put into place. Or, they might not be working well with an employee in another department. Some people are naturally quiet and won’t drop by your desk to discuss what’s happening. They might sit on the issue until it becomes a giant problem which will take multiple meetings and more of your time to resolve. To get ahead of this situation, ask each of your team members regularly about any issues they’re encountering. Suggest ways for them to handle the problem and if necessary, step in to help. It’s much easier to handle a conflict or challenge before it develops into a crisis.

We’re all busy but part of being a good manager is to allocate time to regularly check in with team members. Don’t assume that all is well. Your team members will appreciate talking with you every week and you’ll be more effective in your job as a result.


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