10 steps to getting the best from your employees

Develop & communicate vision & strategy

• Agree the company’s main purpose and objectives and its plan for achievement.
• Communicate & involve staff so they know why the company exists and buy in to the strategy.
• Remind staff often about what you are aiming for and how you are doing as a business.
• Set and monitor Key Performance Indicators to track progress.

Hire the best people

• Consider carefully what and who you are looking for.
• Have a compelling ‘employer brand’.
• Effectively communicate your brand, especially through recruitment channels.
• Understand where your candidates are hiding & how to reach them.
• Make applying for a job with your company as easy as possible. (You don’t have to make it easy to get the job though!)

Pay attention to culture & values

• Culture is driven by how people experience your company’s:
  • Values & beliefs
  • Behaviours
  • Working environment
  • Processes
• Does everything in your company give the impression of a positive culture and values?
• Leaders’ actions and behaviour is key. What do they pay particular attention to?

Organise for success

• Departmental responsibilities should be are clear to all, with no duplication or ‘gaps’.
• Processes should flow seamlessly between departments.
• Resources are structures should be efficient and ‘best fit’ to deliver the strategy.

Clear roles, requirements & measures

• Expectations for each role should be clearly stated and understood.
• The type of skills and attributes a person needs to suit the role should also be clear so that you can recruit and train people well.
• Outputs required of the role should be clearly stated and measured e.g. KPIs

Actively manage performance

• A practical approach should be taken at company, department and individual level to:
  • Plan and specify expected outputs / measures.
  • Track and review actual performance.
  • Make necessary adjustments to address any problems observed.
• Managers should be trained in the skills of performance management i.e. set objectives, provide feedback and coach their team to make improvements.

Develop skills & talents

• Train your people to maintain necessary skills and qualities to be the best at what you do.
• Anticipate future requirements and train to stay ahead of the game.
• Identify your key talent and do what it takes to develop and retain them.
• Praise the best examples of performance

Get the most out of your pay budget

• Understand the pay market in your sector / area and pay the going rate to get good people through the door.
• Incentivise the right outputs and behaviours and reward the best.
• Be creative about benefits.

Manage risk and integrity

• Provide professional employment documents and policies
• Understand and demonstrate fair treatment to support a healthy, diverse culture and manage the risk of discrimination claims
• Train your line managers in the essential requirements of managing people

Motivate your people

• Understand what makes your people tick
• Think about helping your people to achieve:
  • Autonomy – being trusted to make decisions and influence things.
  • Mastery – becoming the best that they can be.
  • Purpose – felling part of something that has positive goals beyond just the profit motive.