By Michelle Spencer bio
So far, my infographics have illustrated (1) the cost of bad management and (2) the natural talents needed to be good leaders. Now let’s look at the fundamentals necessary to increase employee engagement and a few benefits that firms will reap as a result of having engaged employees.
As we’ve seen, the most important driver of employee satisfaction—or dissatisfaction—is their relationship with their direct supervisor. But what specific actions can bosses take to better engage their employees and improve the relationships?
As this infographic shows, the recommended actions all revolve around communication and expectations.
While that sounds basic, in my experience, communication can be a real pain-point for many individuals and teams, especially when more and more of our communication is occurring digitally, where we do not have the benefit of tone and body language.
However, studies show that the format for the communication isn’t nearly as important as the frequency and clarity.
Armed with these statistics, a wise law office manager should be investing in ways to ensure there are open and direct channels of communication between bosses and their employees, as well as a structure and a culture that supports setting clear expectations and priorities within teams.
A good start might be a SMART goals campaign, which sets the expectation that any goals and assignments should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Without this structure, basic things can easily get overlooked, such as designating when a task is due.
Another suggestion would be to have people clarify within their groups their preferred methods of communication and work habits.
I once knew a new secretary who was taking assignments to her attorney as she finished them. After a couple of weeks, he explained how this was disrupting his concentration and workflow, and that he preferred for her to hold items at her desk for him to retrieve.
Simple and direct communication about expectations and preferences sets a good foundation for the relationship. It is amazing how just a few straightforward reminders and a framework can improve communication and set up working relationships for success.
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