How to Successfully Manage Employees For the First Time

Part of leveling up your business involves hiring employees to help handle the load and ensure you can serve as many customers or meet as many clients as possible. However, as a small business or solopreneur, you don’t have any experience managing employees. Sure, you’ve probably been an employee before, but the dynamic is much different as a manager, which can be intimidating. 

Successfully managing employees should be straightforward, and for many professionals, it is, but only after years of experience, trial and error, and understanding of how to motivate people. If you have never done any of this, you risk making common management mistakes that could damage your business. As your company grows, you have no choice but to hire employees, so here are some crucial tips on how to successfully manage employees for the first time. 

When Do You Need to Hire Employees? 

Employees are a vital element of running a growing business, but you should not hire them too early or too late, as this could disrupt your business’ progress and may cause financial issues. Because of this, it’s important to know when is the perfect time to hire employees. 

There’s Too Much Work

While you may have succeeded in completing orders, attending meetings, and developing new products by yourself, there will come a point when you can’t do it all. Once the work becomes too much, you can think about hiring employees. This will benefit the customers who hate waiting in line while relieving you of too much responsibility, meaning you can’t focus on more important things. 

You’re Expanding Your Service 

Similarly, expanding your services means you need more bodies in the office. You can’t be in multiple places at once, so having various representatives will help you deal with more diverse clients and ensure you keep them happy. If you’re launching products or services which you are not as familiar with, you can find specialist expert employees who can handle the demand. 

You Can Afford It 

One of the worst things a business owner can do is hire employees they cannot afford. Not only does this put your business at risk, but it also means you can put your team’s livelihood at stake as you may not be able to pay them a living wage. However, if you can afford to pay employees (along with everything else that comes with hiring, such as health insurance), you may as well give your business the chance to thrive. 

How to Attract The Best Talent

You cannot simply hire anyone off the street, though. If you want to get the full benefits of hiring employees, you need to identify the best talent. However, in a competitive market or industry, this is easier said than done. Still, you can increase your chances by considering these ideas. 

Excellent Job Postings 

No one worth hiring wants to read your spiel about how your business is changing the world or how you work hard but play hard, too. They don’t care that you’re looking for rock stars. All they want to know is whether they will get paid what they deserve and know what they are expected to do. Too many businesses waste pages of job adverts saying nothing at all, so writing a good job description that gets to the point is essential as this will help you find candidates worth interviewing and hiring. 

Appealing Workplace Culture 

Everyone wants to feel comfortable in their workplace, but the traditional workplace is not what it once was. If you want to hire the best employees, you need to focus on what makes your office or culture attractive. Flexible or remote working opportunities are high on most agendas, as are health coverage, holiday pay, and a fair (livable) wage. Everything else may be a bonus. 

Progression Opportunities 

Although some people are happy to just work, others want to know that they have the chance to move up in the company. They want you to provide progression opportunities that give them the tools to take on greater responsibility. Professional development schemes ensure you attract the best candidates, as these are people who are in it for the long haul. It also creates a healthy culture if you have a motivated team striving to be the best. 

Successfully Managing Employees For the First Time 

Once you have considered these ideas, you need to think about the best ways to massage your employees for the first time. One important thing to remember is that everyone is different and may require different management approaches. If you hire a large team, this can be tricky, especially for first-time managers. However, some tools and approaches can help you avoid common problems.

Communicate Regularly 

Communication issues are one of the major factors in running a business, and this all starts with you as the manager. You should never expect that your team knows what you want if you don’t communicate clearly. 

Because of this, outline everything daily and say what you mean each time. There’s no point in speaking in riddles, especially if your team is not as experienced as you. If you are clear and concise about project demands and client expectations, you will find it easier to grow your business.

This is even true in the retail or hospitality industries. Make a point of highlighting any room for improvement, but choose your words carefully and do not resort to berating them as this does not solve your problems and could even create a toxic environment where your team is scared of making a mistake. 

Look Out For Their Well-Being 

Employee well-being is one of the most significant issues in modern business discourse. Whether it’s providing healthcare coverage or helping them establish a comfortable work-life balance, you need to remember that your team are people before they are employees. 

If you remember this, you will avoid many pitfalls that plague bad managers, such as calling them out of hours or expecting them to go above and beyond for the company without the proper compensation. Letting your employees have time off will make them more productive and happier, which will benefit your business more than demanding they put the business above their social life. 

You can also look at corporate chaplaincy services that can assist employees who may feel overwhelmed. This allows them to deal with any issues and prevent unrest or disruption from spreading around the office. 

Encourage Their Perspectives 

Many employers want to feel like they are being heard. They want to feel like you listen to them and consider their opinions worthwhile. However, many managers will dismiss suggestions because they do not consider the outside perspective or feel like it does not match their vision. 

Still, their vision is not always the right approach, especially if the manager has thought about a problem for too long and is now simply desperate for a solution. You can avoid falling into this trap by creating a culture where all ideas are good ideas. 

The more you empower employee perspectives, the more creative they will be and this helps them develop key tools while also boosting trust amongst the team. If everyone can see what each other is capable of, they will find it easier to collaborate and find excellent solutions for various workplace problems. 

Set Clear Workplace Goals 

Every office or company needs workplace goals as it gives everyone something to work towards throughout the day, week, month, and year. If you make these goals clear, you can effectively leave many employees to themselves as they shouldn’t need to ask you for advice on every minor detail. 

Despite this, you still need to provide support as you might find that the ship needs steering back in the right direction should the team become distracted or struggle for motivation towards the end of a project. 

By setting these goals, you can keep things running smoothly but also ensure your team can take control when necessary, especially if there is something they specialize in. 

Make The Workplace Enjoyable 

A fun workplace is a successful workplace, but you still need to find the secret to balancing fun and productivity that ensures you and your employees can reach your goals, maintain momentum, and ensure growth. The modern workplace is distinctly changed from what you may remember, though, so identify approaches that can boost enjoyment. 

Ditching unnecessary meetings is one of the easiest options, especially as many employees will work from home. You can also think about rewarding employees through competitions as long as they do not interfere with your workday. Fun projects and casual days are other options for you to consider that can boost motivation while ensuring the work is completed. 

Managed 

Managing people is never easy, yet it is a vital component of improving your company’s chances of success. As the business grows and continues to grow, your management skills will be essential. If you take the correct approach, you will eventually create a culture where your employees are empowered and can take the reins, giving you more time to focus on how to improve the company further. 

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Mia Guerra

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine
Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.

Mia Guerra

Executive Editor at Chispa Magazine, Mia Guerra is a writer at heart. Regardless the topic, she loves to investigate, encourage, and ruminate on topics that can make us better people. Aiming to live a Proverbs 31 life, Mia is ecstatic to be following her calling with Chispa. At home she is her husband's sidekick and together they are raising a God-fearing family in Atlanta.