One on One with the Boss

Most management conversations happen during group meetings, emails. Over the phone or when a problem arises.

However, it is good practice to meet with your boss one on one more frequently to get a little advice, support and motivation.

The main goal of a one on one meeting with your boss is communicating with them about the work you are carrying out for them.

• Before you go into a meeting with your boss ask yourself the following: 
• Are there problems that haven’t been spotted yet? 
• Problems that need to be solved? 
• Resources that need to be obtained? 
• Are any instructions or goals not clear? 
• Has anything happened since we last talked that the boss should know about? 
• Are there questions the boss needs to answer? 

Here are a few tips for making the most of a one on one session with your boss.

• Be prepared – make notes about what you would like to discuss with your boss ahead of time. If you have a problem to discuss bring your recommended solution, likewise if you have a decision to be made, make your recommended decision known.
• Keep your boss informed of all the key things you have been working on. This is a good opportunity to highlight your accomplishments and get some guidance and coaching from your boss.
• Own up to your mistakes. If you are having a meeting due to a mistake you have made, don’t be afraid to own up to it and make yourself accountable. Do not try and pass the blame or point the finger at your colleagues. 
• Always try to have a positive attitude in meetings with management. It is not productive or helpful to go into a meeting with a negative state of mind and you will cover more ground in your meeting if you stay upbeat.
• Include career development as a regular agenda item in your meetings. This will help you determine and achieve your goals as well as demonstrate to your boss that you are ambitious and have a desire to improve.
• Ask for feedback. Many bosses find giving feedback uncomfortable but by asking for it you are opening the lines of communication and making them feel more comfortable. 
• Let your boss know what you need in order to be successful. If you let your boss know in a constructive way how they can support you, most will do what they can to help.

Exit interviews

Businesses and HR departments typically conduct exit interviews to gather information from departing employees to help the company improve working conditions, retain existing employees and identify problem areas within the business.

One of the most useful aspects of exit interviews is that the departing employee often feels less worried about making a career limiting remark or offending a superior, and therefore is generally willing to provide open and honest feedback about their reasons for leaving and their thoughts about what the company could do to improve. Employers who are able to ascertain why staff leave may be able to retain their best staff in future by making subsequent changes within their business.

Understanding the actual motivations behind resignations and departures from a business is a vital first step in addressing staff turnover issues, yet statistically, figures show the process is regularly overlooked.

So, how should you conduct a face to face exit interview?

• Firstly, make sure that departing staff member understands the purpose of the interview and that you plan to ask questions to ultimately make improvements within your workplace.

• Give the employee advance notice of the meeting so that they have time to prepare, and schedule the meeting well before the employee's last day.

• Ensure the employee is treated with respect and dignity throughout the interview process and reassure them that issues raised will be used effectively for the benefit of the employee's colleagues.

• Provide a setting that will allow the employee to feel relaxed and comfortable, they should feel completely free to express their opinion without any fear of recrimination or bridge burning.

• Reassure the employee of the confidential nature of the exit interview process. Make it clear that their feedback, however positive or negative, is valuable and highly appreciated.

Employers can use the exit interview process to determine:

•The two main reasons why the employee is leaving.
•Steps the organisation could have taken, in hindsight, to keep the employee.
•Their opinion on workplace morale.
•What the employee liked about the company.
•What the employee would change about the company if they could.
•Information on how to maintain a good relationship with a departing employee.

Whilst most businesses and organisations still use the tried and tested approach of a face-to-face meeting between the Manager/HR person and the departing employee, these days there are other options that may better suit your business. Many managers are uncomfortable and untrained in conducting exit interviews, and other methods may provide your business with valuable feedback. You might consider an online survey, phone interview or a paper questionnaire.

For information on how your business can minimize talent drain, and establish an effective employee exit process, contact Annette at End2End Business Solutions on (02) 8977 4002.

Real Life Case Study - Performance review process

Continuing our series with real life examples of End2end Business Solutions success stories - 

One of our clients has recently undertaken a new performance review process which has been underpinned by having the 'right' conversations with staff.  

The system is a simple management by objectives (goals), with a key focus on the “having the conversation” rather than focussing on the forms and paperwork.   The staff were very excited about the introduction of the new process, as previously there had not been consistency in the review process; and the management team were also very supportive of it.

As part of the review process, the directors/owners of the business were also reviewed based upon the operations aspect of their roles.  Initially there was concern amongst the director’s, however, once the process was completed they appreciated the concept of focussing  on, and reviewing their current period achievements, and identifying the goals to focus on moving forward.  

Remuneration and development requirements also formed part of the process, and increases and bonuses were paid accordingly.   A customised training plan for the company is now being developed to be implemented as an ongoing program for all staff. 

The review process also included End2end Business Solutions individually coaching the managers, to train and give them confidence in “having the conversation” regularly with their staff.  A large number of the staff receive their bonuses monthly or quarterly,  and now the managers have the tools and system in place to have these conversations regularly,  so that there is consistency and employees know exactly what is expected of them.   The managers are finding that the more they have ‘the conversation’, the more confident they are becoming in conducting the review process.

The outcome of the new review process has been greatly improved morale, as employees are seeing the benefits of the review and of the company implementing resulting changes.

Hiring Wisdom: Top 10 Ways to Guarantee Your Best People Will Quit

Do you have an up to date Retention Program for you staff? 
What about your staff induction program - is it conveying the right message to your new staff members? 
If you want to retain your best staff, these are things to consider. 
For more, read this article from TLNT :
http://www.tlnt.com/2013/04/08/hiring-wisdom-top-10-ways-to-guarantee-your-best-people-will-quit/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=linkedin&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tlnt+%28TLNT%3A+The+Business+of+HR%29

Looking beyond the Performance Review for your next leaders

A mistake that many businesses make is to ignore or dismiss an employee’s leadership potential based on their current job performance, and focus instead on the perceived highest performers who may not actually have the ability to manage and lead a team or implement and deliver on strategy. Employees with skills such as the ability to work well under pressure, great communications skills, motivation and a real passion to progress further should be identified as they may be the future leaders of your organization.

To identify employees with genuine leadership potential, managers will need to look beyond what their current results may indicate, and assess their real performance potential in a future role. Some important factors to consider are:

• Assessing the employee’s motivation– a simple but often overlooked measure is to ask if the individual is actually interested in moving into a leadership role. Does the employee want career progression and leadership development – if they don’t actually want it, and would rather be comfortable and high performing in their current role, then there is no point in promoting them. Sometimes they may be best left in their current role.
• Behaviour– exhibiting the desired corporate behaviours for your industry/business, having good communication skills, maturity and an ability to motivate others are all important.
• Potential– not all high performers have high potential!

So take the time to really know your employees, not just from their current performance review, but from their potential performance review.