We just saw this headline last week… “84% of Workers Looking to Leave Their Jobs“. We saw another survey in the summer saying that 32% of workers were seriously considering leaving. Are 84% of your employees going to leave your company? Probably not, but if 84% or even 32% are thinking about it then there is certainly a health issue on your team and the team is about to get the flu. As a manager you are the first line of defense against health issues. When you hear a sneeze or a cough in the ranks or when employees are causing aches and pains, there might be a problem… your team might be getting sick. Now when it comes to the flu, you might be best off by giving your team a flu shot to give the best chance of not getting sick. If your team already has the flu you can still take some medicine and eventually be healed. Now there are some health issues that are so serious there may not be a cure and you may have to restaff your team or parts of it. In other words your team may already be on life-support and it may be time to just pull the plug and start over but that’s another topic for another day.
Here are four flu symptoms to watch out for…
- Employee in the wrong job or role – Employees who are working outside of their talent set are going to be unhappy. They’re going to drag the team down. It’s going to create attitude issues. Take time over the next few weeks to set up a meeting with each team member to talk about their role in the organization. Share and receive openly. Ask questions like… “In the last 90 days what was your best day at work? What made it such a good day?” Make the employee be specific about it. Pay attention to what tasks they keep putting off until the last minute. These types of things will give you a better idea of where their talents lie. The flu shot is “Selecting” or matching talents to task.
- Employee doesn’t know what is expected – It’s a helpless feeling to go to work each day not knowing what’s expected of you. With no direction and no purpose, employees will become unhappy very quickly. There is no better time than now to meet with your employees to discuss goals and expectations for 2012. They need to be able to measure their progress and know their successes. The flu shot is “Setting Expectations”.
- Employee feels unappreciated – If an employee is in the wrong job or has no expectations or goals you’re going to find it difficult to praise her for a job well done. If you have set up expectations and the employee is working in an area that fits her talents then it will certainly make the employee sick if you haven’t shown appreciation. Remember, a “pat on the back” is like a free flu shot. It will keep you from getting sick. The flu shot is “Motivating” your employees.
- Employee has reached a dead end – Employees that are not being developed are going to get sick. Developing doesn’t mean you have to promote the employee it just means you have to help him in turning his talents into strengths. If you are not coaching on a daily basis you are not developing. If you are not meeting one-on-one with your employees on a daily basis then you are not coaching. The flu shot is “Developing”.
The best way to prevent the flu is to get your flu shots, know the symptoms and aggressively treat it. Also, keep in mind that the flu is highly contagious and can spread very quickly. One sick employee can infect the entire team.
