What can businesses do to support their teams?
This conundrum never goes out of fashion but, miraculously, there’s always something new to add. Generally speaking, the rise of new tech (AI in particular), streamlining of organizational processes, and hybrid work models are necessitating a number of initiatives and strategies.
Let’s take a look at the most important ones.
Focus on Overall Team Effectiveness
Increasing your overall team effectiveness is critical.
High-performance teams share a common purpose and operate autonomously within the team. To achieve this, you should create a prosperous environment and provide the necessary training and tools.
New tech, cross-cultural training, training for diversity and inclusion, efficient onboarding, and clear communication are the first departments to address.
Focus on deepening trust among team members. In this way, teams will become more agile and inventive and also more cooperative in the face of challenges.
Efficient Onboarding Is Paramount
Onboarding training needs to be effective and focused, which means you should create a thorough plan and customize the elements.
Not every new hire needs the same training program or is lacking the same knowledge. Think of onboarding training as a template rather than as a specific program.
Listed below are the elements that shouldn’t be omitted:
Detail job responsibilities, duties, schedules, and payment information to new hires to avoid negative experiences
Submit a job requisition document to managers in charge
Gather all the forms new employees need to fill out
Provide all devices and tools for new hires
Set up all necessary accounts and logins for new hires
Schedule orientation sessions early on
Include additional points to address the specifics of each role
However, regardless of the variations, you should make sure to define goals early on and communicate them clearly. New hires should know what is expected of them from the first day.
Lastly, make your new team members feel welcome. Inspire workplace collaboration by setting up team-building activities.
Deploy Innovative Tech
The reality is that businesses are struggling to stay up with how quickly technology is evolving. People are no exception, alas.
However, companies would do well to focus on the advantages. Start by giving your employees more authority. Deploy project management tools. Improve communication. Streamline processes. Consider using conversational intelligence. And so on and so forth.
Make sure to address the weakest links in your operations first and move from there.
Keeping an eye on the trends is always a good idea. Presently, they recommend the following solutions:
IoT for asset management
Cloud-based software for remote work
Artificial intelligence for business automation
Inventory management software for supply chains
Implement People Development Plans
The fact that the majority of workers seek professional development is not particularly novel. Businesses that encourage their staff in this effort are more likely to create a happy workplace free from retention issues.
There are several approaches to consider in this regard, all of which can profit from professional development strategies.
The terms "people development plans" and "employee development plans" are synonymous, but we prefer the latter because it suggests that the "workforce" has finally changed into "people."
Make sure to implement people development plans to assist your staff in achieving their career goals over time. These plans don't take short-term goals into account; instead, they outline the steps that must be taken to reach the ultimate professional goal.
Address the Plight of Frontline Teams
Frontline teams are in dire need of personalized strategies. Giving in to burnout is common, with poor relationships with the management being the first major reason why these employees are looking for better job prospects elsewhere.
In fact, there are ca. 11 million unfilled frontline jobs in the U.S. alone. These people are typically underpaid and have a poor work-life balance.
However, while new tech can help with many of these issues, there’s a catch. Namely, while 63% of frontline employees are looking forward to job opportunities technology creates, 56% say that they feel pressure to adapt to new technology over fear of losing their jobs.
To deal with these issues efficiently, businesses should provide proper training, offer flexible shifts, and offer continued collaborative learning that will help frontline employees advance their careers (and salaries, thereby).
Overall, improved business practices and a motivated workforce that is moving closer to its professional objectives is a win-win strategy. Digitalization and flexible work models should also be deployed.
Finally, make the workplace engaging and pleasant for everyone. Devise engaging team-building activities and ask the workforce for feedback.
What are their expectations?
Which activities do they enjoy?
How would they go about improving their daily routines?
Neither of the initiatives needs to be instantaneous nor indeed drastic. As long as your company understands where it is heading and is keeping an eye on trends, taking one step at a time is perfectly acceptable. Patience you must have!