If you are a supervisor or manager at work, it is essential that you take time and check in with your employees regularly. With economic and health challenges affecting all of us today, employees are often stressed and looking for support and reassurance from their managers.
The Importance of a Good Check-In
When you check in with employees, it’s important to focus on the following three criteria:
- The Person
- The Work
- Resources & Support
The Person
First, you want to check in with your employee as a person. When you check in with any person you value, you start by asking them how they are doing and if they are okay. With employees, sometimes questions with a bit more structure are helpful. Focus on their mental, emotional, and physical health with questions such as:
- How are you holding up mentally? What is worrying or distracting you?
- How are you feeling? What emotions are you experiencing now?
- Are you taking care of yourself? Are you resting/ sleeping/ recharging enough?
If you haven’t talked with your employees about these topics in the past, it may feel awkward at first. Be patient with yourself and your employees and take your time.
The Work
Once you know how the employee is doing as a person, you can move on to their performance. A performance check-in should focus on two areas: how the employee handles their current projects and what they are uncertain about in regard to work.
Understanding what needs to be done now and what to work on next can relieve stress and frustration for your employees and for you. The goal of performance management is to maintain and increase the work output, so if employees can better prioritize their time and get what matters most done first, it’s a win all around.
Resources & Support
Finally, you want to ask your employees what they need to be successful. Here are some questions you can ask to check in on employees and see what kind of resources and support they need.
- What is your biggest work challenge currently? Pay attention to this answer because it will tell a lot about what kind of support your employee needs the most.
- What would make your work easier now? This answer could be anything from technology to protective gear. It may not be a need that can be met immediately, but when you understand what they need, you can work on the solution.
- How can I support you the best? Information, flexibility, feedback, and assistance are all possible answers to this question.
Conclusion
Checking in with employees should always be a priority. The effort you make now to be a strong leader for your team will yield dividends of loyalty, trust, and a positive company culture that lasts.0