Managing Employees

Proper Employee Management in Small and Large Enterprises

Written by Samuel Muriithi for Gaebler Ventures

Small enterprises usually start out as one-man operations but as the business grows the owner finds it imperative to hire extra hands to lighten the workload. How does a business owner get to hire the right persons, what does it take to delegate duties and responsibilities, how best can staff be managed?

Business growth is the main reason that compels a business owner to think about hiring employees.

It is after hiring these employees that a business owner realizes how challenging employee management can be. Effective employee management practices are generally very similar regardless of the business size.

Employee management in small and large enterprises begins with a prudent selection of individuals who must be competent enough in the skills required to drive the business' agenda forward. As a small business owner you should take the time to select the right people who will then give you an easier time in as far as their training, motivation, and overall management is concerned. Effective employee management practices dictate that it is only by treating employees properly that they will become loyal. This should be your goal from the outset.

With a couple of extra hands at your disposal you as the business owner cannot afford to retain a one-man-outfit mentality. It is imperative that you adopt a manager mentality so as to be able to motivate and inspire those under you towards optimal performance and productivity. Employee management skills, like all others, are developed over time. While this is true you clearly don't have the luxury of time; the basic rule to help you get started is simple, "treat others just as you would like to be treated." With effective employee management you should be able to convince the team that you are all working towards a common goal - prosperity. Let them know that their contributions in the present will determine their conditions in the future.

Astute employee management requires that a business owner be able to delegate duties and responsibilities effectively. You should adopt a style that will not breed adversity - this is clearly impossible if you choose to go with a policing management concept. Your employees are human, capable of making mistakes and equally capable of making amendments and delivering the required results, and often exceeding the set standards without perpetual supervision. As human beings the employees are bound to have different abilities and performance levels - find effective ways to assist individual workers achieve their optimal capabilities.

Effective employee management also calls for a business owner to regularly reward good performance, an aspect that is vital in instilling motivation in the workers. Regardless of whether your appreciation will be a simple 'thank you' or cash bonus, let it always be genuine and heartfelt.

You will regularly be faced with situations that require corrective action. The prudent employee management call is to always handle workers individually and in private. Begin by acknowledging their good performance in the past and then proceed to point out their negative deeds and recommend appropriate corrective actions. All in all, you should adopt effective employee management practices that will motivate your workers to never quit. As a business owner you should be ready to accept your errors and make the necessary amends. Remain open to new ideas and practices and make adjustments when you are required to.

Samuel Muriithi is a business owner in Nairobi, Kenya. He has extensive international business experience in the United States and India.

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