Workplaces are evolving faster than ever, with remote work, hybrid work, new tech, and other trends creating new opportunities – but also new challenges. Nowadays managers need to stay ahead of the curve to be effective, and can’t just rely on Henri Fayol’s five functions of management or other outdated techniques.
Want some key, practical tips that can help you to level-up your management game this year? Here are 4 that you definitely need to try:
1. Embrace Hybrid Work
Hybrid work is a trend that looks like it’s here to stay – for good reason. By combining on-site and remote work, you can give employees a higher degree of flexibility while at the same time ensuring that they’re available in the office for important meetings, collaboration sessions and other tasks that require them to be present in-person.
To embrace hybrid work fully, you should start by setting clear expectations so every employee knows what’s expected of them. Additionally, invest in your tech stack and leverage modern communication and collaboration tools.
If you want to track attendance, work hours, and employee activities then monitoring tools such as Controlio may come in handy. It will let you keep tabs on employees and hold them accountable regardless of whether they’re working on-site or remotely.
2. Encourage Greater Autonomy
By encouraging your employees to be more autonomous, you can increase their ownership of their work and engagement levels. Instead of looking over their shoulder, give them a task and explain clearly what is expected – then trust them to go about it in their own way.
With tools like Controlio it is easy enough to check up on employees from time to time and ensure they’re on-task and progressing as scheduled. It can let you track their activity, and you can even use it to ‘see’ their screens via screenshots or screen recordings.
All said and done this will let you give them the independence to complete tasks in the way that suits them best, while still maintaining a certain degree of control.
3. Question Old Habits
Many managers tend to actively resist new ideas due to old habits that have become ingrained. If you ever find yourself doing so, take a step back and ask yourself: Are those habits really better?
Always evaluate each new idea on its own strengths and weaknesses – and do the same with your existing habits too. In many cases you’ll find that sticking to dated tactics could be more risky in the long term than trying out new ones.
4. Coach Instead of Barking Orders
Employees nowadays tend to respond better to managers who act as a coach and help them to grow instead of just barking orders. To do this you’ll need to engage with your employees, talk to them about their goals, and find ways to support them.
On top of that, you should try to ensure that your feedback is always constructive. Rather than vaguely praising their work, try to provide specific feedback on what they did right and what they can improve.
The data from monitoring tools like Controlio can help you to support employees in key areas. It can be used to identify their weaknesses or any issues they may be facing – so you can provide them with targeted training that is likely to benefit them more.
Conclusion
If you can try to take these tips on board, you should be able to shift your managerial style into gear and build a team that is engaged and excited to show up. It may not be easy at first, but it is an investment that is bound to pay off for both your team as well as yourself.