Ask Anne: Maximizing Your Management
Q: I’m a new manager and know that there are things I should do, like knowing and supporting company policies and guidelines. My question is: Is there an unwritten “code of conduct” managers need to follow?
I don’t know of a “code of conduct” to follow, but your company can’t move forward without leaders with integrity. Personally, I think the best managers place fairness and ethics (and their own good performance) at the top of the list when thinking about conduct. Managers who create a code of conduct benefit their entire team as well as the company’s image.
A few things I treasure in a manager include:
Honesty.
Managers should uphold the company mission and be behind its goals 100 percent. They need to know the laws governing their business and industry. Being dishonest doesn’t always land you in jail, but it could lead to business issues and possible termination.
Accountability.
I bet you expect your team to take responsibility for their actions and performance. That means take ownership, accept blame, and come up with a solution to avoid future problems.
Integrity.
I want my leaders to be consistent when making decisions. I want them to be truthful and fair when identifying or resolving issues and promoting or terminating employees. Employees will notice when you have integrity.
Respect.
Not only should you respect your boss; everyone in the organization should be respected as well. You don’t have to be best friends with everyone, but you need to respect what they do. Your role as a manager is to show your staff how jobs are to be completed, monitoring always and offering suggestions only when needed. Remember, the goal for everyone at the company is to stay productive and ensure that the company stays profitable.
Q: In my previous life, I was in sales management, but I’m now a business owner. My business is growing and I will need employees soon. Is there a secret formula to figuring out how many to hire and when?
Projected labor needs are based on a lot of things: new product sales forecasts, last year’s sales, office growth and attrition, and even the political climate. HR planning includes the number and types of workers you’ll need, the costs, and the administrative work involved.
First thing first.
It’s a good idea to also develop an organizational chart showing how you plan to grow over the next few years. By adding departments, managers, and staff members, your chart helps you see your staffing needs.
It’s not rocket science, but…
If your company produces a product, the labor pool will fluctuate with sales. As you grow, everyone will need to work closely with the sales and production team to ensure you don’t fall behind on orders. When staffing for service-oriented businesses, look at sales history and the economy and rely on resources from industry leaders.
Stay mindful.
Forecasting helps you know when a retirement or a layoff may be coming up. As an owner, you want to stay mindful of these events in order to know when to stop backfilling or when to start recruiting.
It all costs money.
When you forecast, you have an advantage over competitors that don’t. You will see ahead of time if you need temporary staff, or an overtime budget. You will be able to judge what your needs are and figure out the costs. Sounds a lot like sales forecasting, doesn’t it? CBT
Anne Williams the president of JobFinders Employment Services. She is not an attorney. All content in this column is not guaranteed for accuracy and legality and is not to be construed as legal advice.