David Grindle: He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice…

Creating a time for reflection and the ability for employees to consider their own views is really important. Photo / 123rf

OPINION:

Last month we talked about the need to create space so employees can raise issues that are important to them. Continuing on that theme, let’s look at the importance of communication when wrapping up the working year – with some constructive and insightful meetings that allow staff to reflect on 2022 and start to think about their contribution, goals and objectives for 2023.

December is a busy time, and often we are consumed by deadlines and dreams of our planned holidays, and we don’t do justice to our employment relationships. Taking a short period of time to meet with your staff individually and reflect on the year that has gone is a really important way to bring finality to one year and allow time to pause before we start the next year.

Creating a time for reflection and the ability for employees to consider their own views is really important because it enables the New Year to start afresh, and it puts some distance between the wrap-up of 2022 and goal setting at the beginning of 2023. By contrast, if we start 2023 reflecting on 2022, the learnings and reflections won’t have time to embed, and one year quickly melds into another.

So, practically speaking, what do you need to do? In an informal way, take 10 minutes to meet with your staff before they go on summer break. Identify something the staff member has done well, something they may have contributed to the benefit of the company, its clients and/or their work colleagues, and thank the staff member for their actions.

David Grindle is director in charge of the Employment Law team at WRMK Lawyers.

Reinforce the employment relationship by referencing the employee’s personal attributes and the activities that underpin their particular purpose. Ask them to take some time to reflect on the year that was and to consider what they would like to achieve in the upcoming year. Indicate to staff that performance and goal setting meetings will be held in the New Year, and that by taking the time to reflect on their position, the employee will get more out of those meetings.

In the New Year, when it comes time to conduct goal and performance-setting meetings, it is important that the meeting reflects the mission and strategic goals of the organisation, but equally, that the goals and performance expectations agreed upon reflect the employee’s personal objectives. After all, the best outcomes are achieved when goals are agreed that are mutually beneficial to both the employee and the organisation.

Goals can be established for a variety of reasons; for example, to overcome performance concerns, to make an employee eligible for future jobs and roles, or to enable an employee to take advantage of sudden opportunities that arise (and in doing so give some redundancy to the organisation in high-risk activities). Goals provide a clear direction for both parties, and they form an agreement which can be used as a basis for effective communication in the future.

There is a vast amount of literature on effective supervision, but the cliff-notes incorporate the following key points:

1. As a supervisor, employer or manager, you want to create a relationship that is supportive. You need to be involved in developing staff, in teaching them and in their achievements. In a supportive employment relationship, staff feel more comfortable to discuss important information that impacts upon them, the organisation and the people it serves.

2. The relationship that exists needs to be one of mutual trust. In this way, the employee feels safe and will undertake the work in the knowledge that the employer will look after them. It also creates an environment for open and challenging workplace discussions.

3. There must be mutual respect and a willingness to provide constructive feedback on a 360° basis.

4. Good supervision needs to be timely and responsive to the needs of the employee. If the employee’s role is made more difficult by a lack of supervision, or alternatively, supervision takes place after it was required, that is damaging to the relationship and the individuals contained within it.

5. Supervision requires clarity of direction. A clear and concise engagement provides the employee with a level of understanding that in turn achieves better outcomes for all.

Christmas is coming. Perhaps the best gift you can give your staff and your business is for you both to take the time to reflect on the year that has been, and resolve in the New Year to engage in a discussion on what you both want to achieve in the year ahead.

- David Grindle is the director in charge of the employment law team at WRMK Lawyers. He has practised in this area of the law for 17 years.