As discussed in the previous article Importance of Effective One on Ones– One on one is beneficial for all- Employees, managers and the company. It enhances employee engagement. And that’s the reason importance of a quality one on one is huge. As promised I am back with my new article and I hope this article helps you recognizing, realizing and eliminating mistakes 13 common but biggest mistakes from your one on ones making them more productive.

Performance management driven by managers is appreciated by the organization who look forward to future growth. And one on one is a key tool to drive quality manager interactions with your direct reports- that caters to great performance management. It is very important to make sure that the one on one is a quality interaction with the employees and the time invested in it gives a good return.  To make sure the one on ones are mistake proof – let’s find out what are the common mistakes that managers make in one on ones.

1. Not Having a Backup Plan:

There can be days when you don’t have a specific thing to talk about or perhaps things are tense, or maybe too smooth, and you’re not sure what to cover in this meeting. Don’t cancel the one on one, in fact, this can be the opportunity where you can talk about the developmental feedback. Look for solutions to a current high-level company problem and you never know you may discover leadership potential in this report.

2. Always in the Office: 

Office premises may work as a roadblock when it comes to sensitive topics. Employees may not come up with these topics which may be bothering them otherwise when they have this fear or are not sure who might be around the corner or how thin these walls really are. To avoid such hesitations call them for a coffee meeting, or a walking meeting, to change the scenery and give them the confidence to speak their hearts out.

3. No Follow Through:

The one on one meetings are as important as any other meeting.  It needs to be consistent so that you can communicate value to your employees and make sure they have a safe place to air concerns. Don’t cancel or postpone one on one meetings keep the meeting on your priority list.

4. Renaming or Combining Tasks:

Don’t try to have a one-on-one with two employees at once, it won’t solve the purpose – neither will they benefit out of it. One will think what others might think. It is their time, with their managers where they don’t have the fear of being misunderstood. Combining a meeting will not give them the quality time they need. Let it stay as per the name “One on One”, simple and to the point.

5. Not Documenting Deliverable:

Your employees may request for things- like training material, or some HR or organizational related information that is not accessible to them. Always make a note of your deliverable. If they have to follow up a couple of times with you for something they need– it will erode trust. Don’t give them the opportunity to follow up.

6. Failing to Talk about Career Growth:

Every employee needs growth and yes this includes even the happiest team member you have. Timelines, new skills, and directions should be an ongoing discussion. Career paths today aren’t always ladders, so be open to moving your employee into a new department if it makes sense for their skills.

7. Spending Time on Status Updates:

Don’t waste time on taking a status update. It can be easily communicated via email – one-on-ones are for topics that require being in-person. If you must go over project statuses, limit it to five minutes.

8. Allowing Distractions:

Try not to carry your laptop or mobile during the one on ones as that can bring a lot of distractions.  Consider bringing just a pad of paper and pen to minimize distractions.

9. Poor Body Language:

Look interested in the conversation and ideally, you’ll want to face each other, and make eye contact.

10. Being Forgetful:

If your report asks for feedback on an idea, make a note to follow up. If they were given corrective feedback, watch for them to show improvement, and give recognition.

11. Too Much Talking:

One on Ones is the platform for the employees to speak and the manager needs to be all ears. The manager should aim to speak for 10 percent of the meeting.

12. Eroding Trust: 

This is an opportunity to build trust with your employees. If the employees admit their weakness – or ask dumb questions or share failures – should not count against your report. Give them credit for bringing something to your attention, and retain trust by keeping it between the two of you.

13. Lacking Structure:

Have a structure in place – it will help you to use your time better and you won’t miss out on things. A suggested formula allows for 15 minutes of initiatives for which your report needs your approval, 15 minutes for issues you need to raise with the report or new projects to delegate, and 10 minutes for airing concerns and discussing developmental goals.

The next time you schedule a one on one just take care of the above points and see the difference. A quality one on one will definitely help you get a successful team and we all know “a manager is as successful as his team”.

Feedbacks and comments are welcome in the comment section.

Importance of Employee Retention

Being in the recruitment field, you should stay up with the recent procuring innovations to make your job simpler and find the capable candidates easily. However, holding the representatives is additionally a standout amongst the most vital qualities of building the best workforce, and sparing an organization time and cash. Here we speak to you with some center reasons of employee retention significance and supporting it well.

For a new business having a little group of representatives, holding the workers will need a lot of investment, cash, and endeavors to find another group. Contradicted to finding new representatives, you can concentrate on center elements of the organization, instead of dawdling on reviewing sets of expectations, promoting them, perusing various resumes, talking to individuals, or finishing printed material to begin fresh staff.

You don’t lose force if your group remains solid. Substitutions set aside a considerable measure of opportunity to learn hierarchical frameworks, methods, or key business data. You additionally don’t have to stress over with regards to keeping associations with clients, providers and different contacts in place.

Enhancing all-round spirits is simple when you have laborers who are upbeat, persuaded, and dedicated at work. Keeping a group together and abstain from presenting new confronts, the entire time enables you to get individuals cooperating even more effectively. You’ll have fewer differences between staff individuals, to intervene and encounter aftermath from. Thoughts will turn out to be more imaginative to boot, and in addition, the client benefit levels will rise. This at that point prompts stunningly better outcomes for the business.

How can representative maintenance proportion be moved forward? The ideal path is to see the endeavors individuals put into their employment. The best outcomes they carry out makes them feel esteemed and acknowledged, and in this way more averse to consider leaving the organization.

Retaining the candidates plays a huge role in the future growth of the organization. 

Revealing Corporate Culture Folklores

Corporate Culture is not a new term. Every company and organization have its own unique culture – generally speaking, corporate culture is the beliefs and behaviour that determines how the management and the employees of the organization interact and handle situations outside the business transactions. This also impacts the workplace relations and performances of the company. It is up to the people in the organization what type of culture they want to drive – it can either move towards excellence or move towards average. 

There is no sure shot formula for success in developing a sustainable and healthy corporate culture.  But there are a lot of myths about corporate culture and some of them are mentioned below:

–Corporate culture has no significance.

–Corporate culture once developed, cannot be changed.

–Employees are more focused on benefits and salaries and have no role in shaping company culture.

–There Is No Connection Between Culture And Strategy.

Every organization has the ability to create a culture of excellence. Let’s debunk four myths keeping you away from excellence.

Corporate culture has no significance

 You work and make a decision as per the environment in an organization and that would create a culture. Subordinates, direct reports will work as per what they see and understand is expected out of them. The culture of the organization is what is accepted and expected in terms of work and behavior both with each other and the clients. A constant self-questioning culture how am I making a difference can come to employees when they see this culture in the organization.

Corporate culture once developed, cannot be changed

 Business needs, working patterns, and workforce are changing, and so is the concept of organizations. With a lot of dynamics around us, the corporate culture is also required to adapt the environment.

Employees are more focused on benefits and salaries and have no role in shaping company culture

 Individual employee’s dedication and commitment plays a significant role in achieving the organizational goals. If management can mould an individual’s experiences, attitudes, and motivations, it will benefit the organization. Individuals do work for monetary benefits, but other motivators do play an important role in their performance. Recognition, idea sharing and employee empowerment build passionate and motivated teams.

There Is No Connection Between Culture And Strategy

 If an organization is willing to stand apart from the competitors- the strategy has to be unique and so the culture. People in the organization are the most important contributor to increasing the profitability – and that’s the reason the culture of the organization play such an important role in its success. A culture that fosters apathy doesn’t care about employees, and only focuses on the performance numbers can’t be expected to deliver positive customer experiences.

If you want your employees to love, relate and grow your organization, develop a unique culture that helps you progress. Hiring Culture fit is a must for and organisation to succeed.

The 5 Important Conversation Points for Higher Employee Engagement

Every organization looks for an engaged workforce. No need to talk about the benefits of an engaged workforce. But even after knowing this well how many of us are successfully able to get an engaged workforce.

Disengaged employees can actually spoil the office environment and that’s the reason before it gets too late we look for a solution to have better employee engagement. Something that can help create an employee engagement as an when the managers speak to their subordinates.

Let's find out what are the 5 kinds of important conversations managers should have the direct reports to affect employee engagement is a positive way.

• Goal Setting: In a goal setting conversation the employee and manager discuss and establish the employee's goals, priorities and annual plan for employees. And how the goals can be aligned to the organizational goals. Goal setting is important to make sure that the employees are moving in the right direction. And this also gives them the target as well as and a way to show how and what difference they make in the organization.

 Ongoing Progress: This conversation works like a checkpoint for the employee – how is the progress. This type of frequent conversations help the manager to remove any last minute surprises and in case there is some roadblock in achieving the goals, managers, and the employee can discuss how that can be removed. Managers can also celebrate if milestones are achieved or achievement of goals.

 Two-way Coaching: The employees give feedback to the manager in this kind of conversation. The manager is looking for authentic, open feedback, but also looking for employee engagement, to infer employee happiness. This is another opportunity for the manager to uncover issues that might be keeping the employee from being successful or placing an unnecessary or low-priority burden on the employee.

 Career Growth: During these conversations, the manager or team lead gives employees feedback and coaching to help them reach their full potential. This includes how the employee works with others and how he/she is meeting the company and team’s expectations—in other words, how the employee is demonstrating skills and competencies, as well as company values and behavior. The focus should be on the manager coaching the employee for the future, for example, asking, “How can I help you better demonstrate this company behavior over the next three months?” versus telling the employee, “You did a bad job at the meeting last month.”

 Performance: This conversation concerns how the manager can, in the near- and long-term, help the employee develop skills and grow his/her career. The manager should work with the employee to identify career and professional growth opportunities that will reinforce the company’s commitment to an investment in the employee.

Get happy and engaged workforce with the above conversation tips.A.I based Software has come a long way in helping to enhance the employee engagement in an organization. Allows organizations to align and motivate employees around key specific strategic goals, tasks, and actions – by the company, by division, by territory, or by function – delivering fast, measurable business results.

Ways to Make Your Hiring Process Bias Free

A reality of life is we as humans no one is immune to biases. It is hidden inside every human being. Most of the attention definitely come to race and gender biases but there are many unspoken biases that affect our behavior and thought process.

This is also applicable in the hiring process and may result in losing a lot of potential candidates.

No one is immune to bias in the hiring process, which is why it’s great to have some concrete, objective data to inform your hiring decisions.

Below mentioned are five ways that can help limit how much biases affect the hiring decision-making:

Establish Job Relevant Criteria:

To make sure the conclusion on the decision of hiring a candidate is unbiased – the best way is to evaluate each candidate on the basis of job relevance criteria. A sound knowledge of the skills, abilities, and competencies required to perform a job can help you establish the selection process around the important and relevant criteria’s.

Be Structured and Consistent:

To make sure personal biases are removed or minimize make sure the same established and structured process is followed for each and every candidate. This will ensure that you collate the same job-relevant information from every candidate to make the hiring decision. A structured and consistent process is the best way to make sure there are no biases in the hiring process and every candidate is treated with maximum fairness.

Don’t Use Social Media:

Looking at someone’s personal posts on social media can give you a lot of information about his personal details and can make you judgmental. Unconsciously this formed perception of and intrude the hiring decision. Not using social media can help you strict with the job-related information and take decision strictly based on that data.

Use Assessments:

Did you know that pre-employment testing is one of the most powerful predictors of job performance? In fact, a recent large-scale study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that pre-employment tests were better at predicting workplace performance than hiring managers were.

There are now software assessment tools that can identify all potential high-potentials based on benchmarking against current high potentials, in every role and division within your company.  Yes, by leveraging People Analytics (data analytics), and AI (artificial intelligence).