Your team is integral to your business, and to make sure that your enterprise keeps growing, the one thing you need to do is make sure the skills of your staff are up to date. There are so many different ways you can improve their performance in house that will reflect well on your business. But sometimes, external help is needed to make sure their skills are up to scratch. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can improve the performance of your staff.

Manners

Most people learn manners as they grow through childhood into adolescence and then an adult. But, some people might not have the level of manners that you expect for your business. And, having manners is extremely important for the growth and development of your business. If a customer or potential client experiences bad manners or rudeness from a member of your team, then it’s going to reflect badly on you. Not only might they leave a bad review, they may not return for your products or services again. If it’s a client, they may even choose not to do business with you.

While there are some businesses that thrive on bad manners, such as Karen’s Diner, it’s your responsibility to sit down and think about how you want your business to be presented to customers and clients alike. Once you’ve decided this, it’s also your responsibility to teach your staff members, both existing and new, how they should be conducting themselves while they’re at work.

This might be something that’s recently come to light and if so, it’s time for you to call a staff wide meeting so that you can implement these changes. If those new rules aren’t followed, make it clear that there will be disciplinary action.

However, it’s important to remember that sometimes you may come across a rude customer. While your team should still remain friendly, polite and professional, it’s also your job to stand in and defend your staff members if they are being abused in the workplace.

Training

Training is essential in any business, and as mentioned earlier, you may be able to do a lot of this in house. For example, if you’re running a smart technology business and have hired a new website manager, it’s your responsibility to train them on the job role at hand.

However, sometimes you may need other sources of training for your staff members that you can’t deal with in house. Most workplaces require at least one person to have attended a CPR course for health and safety reasons, which is definitely something you should consider.

But, there may be many other avenues where your team might benefit from extra training. If you’ve hired someone to take care of the SEO side of things, for example, you could send them on courses to help improve their skills. While this will cost you money as a business, it will pay off with the skills they learn because they’ll be able to implement it into their work.

You may also want to consider safety training on pieces of machinery your staff are required to use. Not only does it make sure that they can work in the safest way possible, but it will give them a deeper understanding on how things work. In turn, the end product will be the best quality possible.

So, while extra training will cost your business money, it could and will end up helping you make more money too.

Empathy

Sometimes the key to making your staff work more efficiently is being more empathetic with their personal problems. Everyone has them, and while personal problems should be left outside of the workplace, sometimes they can completely take over your life. For example, if a team member has experienced a death in their family, it’s important for you to be empathetic and allow them that time to deal with their personal problem.

Doing this will not only encourage that staff member to come back with respect for the help you’ve provided them, but it will also help make your team feel more comfortable working with you. This means they will come to you with problems without the fear of losing their job. In turn, employees will be more likely to stay on board, lowering your overall staff turnover.

While it’s important for your employees to give you respect, when you show it back it helps create a healthy and strong working relationship, which will positively impact your business.

Equipment

We mentioned earlier that training your staff on the equipment they need to use is a must, and while that’s true, there are other aspects to consider. It’s your responsibility to make sure that wherever possible, you’re providing your team with the latest models of the equipment they use so they can deliver the best end results as possible.

Let’s imagine you run a coffee shop. If your coffee machines don’t have as many features and are unable to do the same things your competitor does down the road, there’s a good chance customers will end up choosing them over you.

So, keep yourself up to date with any new pieces of machinery that may be coming out so that you can assess whether it’s worth upgrading yours or not. You probably won’t have to do it often, but it could be the difference between keeping and losing customers.

You should also make sure that you get any pieces of machinery and equipment regularly serviced. Not only to make sure the end result is the best, but to make sure that everyone involved is as safe as possible.

Time off

This might seem counterproductive, but giving your employees the right amount of time off allows them to relax and rejuvenate and be ready to come back to work and face new challenges. Remember that you need to follow the rules set by your local law on how many paid days off you should give your team members.

You could also consider looking at the rota you create for people too. If you find that there are some people who are doing long shifts finishing late and then starting early, you could consider changing things up a bit so that they’re getting enough rest in between shifts. A well rested mind is going to work much better than a tired and overworked one.

Have a plan of action

Finally, another thing that can help your employees work more efficiently is by making sure you’ve got a plan of action in place. While you may not be able to plan each day exactly, you can set out guidelines and goals for people to hit each week or even month. Not only does this help them manage their time themselves, but it avoids you from having to micromanage them every step of the way, giving you the chance to concentrate on other important aspects of work.

For example, if you run a website, you should give people the autonomy to pick and choose which parts of their goals they’re going to achieve each day. You can monitor this by hosting weekly meetings to check on progress and align your goals as you go along. When people feel like they have some sort of control over the work they’re doing they tend to be happier. In turn, they work more efficiently, are prouder of their efforts, and are excited to see what challenges come up in the future. It’s a win for everyone!