Tell it Like it is!
Not everyone works in an environment where they receive accurate, timely and specific feed-back on their work performance. That can leave them to become uncertain and even apprehensive.
Normally “No News” is taken to mean “Good News”, however tensions can build up, leading to diminished communication. Staff members become tense and team leaders fell stress as behaviours that were once tolerable, gradually become unacceptable.
A colleague of mine recently complained about the way one of his staff dressed and answered the phones.
I asked whether this person had been told specifically what was required. My colleague looked at me in stunned disbelief and said, “You must be kidding. Surely they would have enough common sense to know?”
Perhaps they should have known, but “common sense” is less common than one might expect. More importantly, here in Australia, industrial relations law requires that we state specifically what we require of employees in terms of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
Expectations of your staff members require a respectful two-way conversation. Encourage communication and constructive feedback as part of an ongoing dialogue.
When team leaders are clear about their expectations and staff members receive ongoing feedback as to their performance, workplace productivity along with a more harmonious working environment is sure to ensue!
