As a manager, one of your main responsibilities is to ensure your employees are performing to their full potential. Even if some employees work remotely in coworking spaces, it’s still up to you to ensure they’re getting their work done efficiently. Thus, it’s important to address all factors which influence employee performance.
Maybe you’ve had workers who were talented, but didn’t seem to be as productive as expected. That doesn’t always mean they were disengaged. It could simply indicate they didn’t know how to manage their time effectively.
You can help them overcome this weakness. That said, you need to know how to do so in a way that yields the best possible results.
Approaching the task from the mindset of a coach is ideal. After all, employees who don’t manage their time well usually aren’t consciously slacking off. They simply don’t know how to prioritize and focus on tasks. You can teach them to develop their time management skills in a positive way by keeping the following points in mind.
Adopt Continuous Management
Your overall approach to performance management plays a role in whether or not your employees develop strong time management habits. That’s why you need to shift away from the annual review process. Surveys indicate both employees and HR professionals consider traditional reviews to essentially be a waste of time.
You’re better off adopting an approach like continuous performance management in which you meet with your workers on a weekly or monthly basis to discuss their performance. You should also ask your employees to keep logs of how they use their time during the day. Reviewing these during these sessions gives both you and your workers more opportunities to identify where they may be wasting time. As a result, you also get more chances to help them grow and make improvements.
Annual reviews are “the big game.” They’re stressful. Regular review sessions, on the other hand, are like practices. They let you play the role of a coach who is simply training your team to work more productively.
Model Ideal Behavior
Don’t neglect your own performance when reviewing time management skills with employees. They’re more likely to make the necessary changes if they have a model for good habits.
That’s why it’s a good idea to also keep track of how you spend your day. During review sessions, you can compare your approach to time management to that of an employee. This lets you provide them with specific examples of the different ways you prioritize tasks.
For instance, an employee eager to make a good impression may be trying to handle too many tasks as once. As a seasoned manager, however, you’ve probably learned that multitasking is actually unproductive. By showing your workers what they can do differently instead of merely telling them to improve, you’ll come across as a real coach and leader.
Solicit Feedback
Asking employees for feedback is an effective way to make them take a more active role in the review process. It also fosters a positive relationship between you and your workers.
When reviewing how you use your time during the day, ask them if they believe you can make any improvements to your own time management skills. Although they may be reluctant to provide feedback at first, if you ask them consistently, they’ll eventually feel more comfortable with the idea.
They’ll also be more likely to actively think about the topic in a way that helps them identify and address their own time management weaknesses. After all, sports coaches often ask players to suggest plays and strategies. Managing a team of employees should be no different.
Remember, this is an important factor to pay attention to when evaluating employee performance. Workers with strong time management skills are extremely valuable to any company. Approach time management development as a coach, and you’ll help your team reach their goals.
