Mediocre Middle Management Good employees leaving? It may be your manager.
By Ellen Paris
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Is your manager a whiz at handling the operating side of yourbusiness but only so-so on human relations? If so, it could costyou good workers. A new survey concludes that employee retention isdirectly linked to employee-manager relationships. If employeeturnover is a problem, it may be time to take a close look at yourmanagers.
Caela Farren, president of MasteryWorks, an educational humanresources training company in Annandale, Virginia, surveyed 500workers and found that having a manager they respected ranked No. 1in what they wanted in a job. "Managers need to know theiremployees' family situations, and motivate, challenge andappreciate them," says Farren. "Doing that builds loyaltyand committed employees."
The buck starts with you, the entrepreneur. Making sure yourmanagers have the capability and inclination to do those tasks wellis your job. Here are some important traits Jeffrey Saltzman, anindustrial psychologist and CEO of Sirota Consulting in Purchase,New York, suggests business owners consistently look for in theirmanagers: considerate treatment of subordinates, giving clearperformance directions, and offering rewards and challenges on thejob.
Sirota offers some simple advice for motivating managers toachieve this: "As an owner, you should manage managers bytreating them the way you want them to treat your employees."Where have we heard that one before?
Ellen Paris is a Washington, DC, writer and former Forbesmagazine staff writer.
Next Step
- For insights on what your employees are looking for in theirjobs, check out Caela Farren's book, Who's Running YourCareer? Creating Stable Work in Unstable Times (BardPress).
