When you have a whole team of employees to keep happy, every working day can feel like a juggling act of making sure not only that everyone’s doing their jobs well, but that they all get along, and work together, as they do so.
This collaborative work environment is the only way to true team equality and efficiency. But, did you realise that your actions might be stopping that from being possible if you make the following common mistakes?
Personal Favouritism
You’re naturally going to get along with some employees more than others. That’s a fact, and it’s not necessarily a problem unless you let that favouritism be known by, for example, inviting select employees to out-of-work get-togethers. This might not seem like a big deal, but the fact that you’re management means it sends one clear message – these are my favourite employees.
Even if you don’t treat them favourably at work, the rest of your team will inevitably resent their positions and the fact that they may bring office gossip, etc. right back to your door.
This can lead to major workplace rifts, and it’s something you need to avoid in order to keep your business running smoothly by either making an effort to spend time with all of your employees at a social level or avoiding this maze altogether by keeping your friendships and work-life entirely separate.
Contractual Differences
To some extent, employee contracts are always going to vary depending on job role, expected hours, and agreed salaries, but be careful if you’re considering implementing certain stipulations that you don’t afford to everyone. After all, employees talk, and even small shifts in company policies, expectations, etc. can cause arguments.
Equally, things like salary differences between employees in the same role, especially if these can be pinned back to gender differences, are a significant issue that could even see you having to seek employment tribunal services if employees pursue legal help as a result. To avoid that, be sure that your contracts are fair and equal where they should be so that everyone gets along on a level footing.
Workload Inequalities
It’s always tempting to provide more/better jobs for your top-performing employees, but this can also lead to workplace disruptions. Worse, this goes both ways, with overloaded employees resenting team members with less to do, while those other team members resent the fact that they aren’t able to work on your best clients.
Instead, delegation should ideally be equal, with high-profile clients and projects spread evenly across your team. If you particularly want top employees working on the best jobs, you could even pair them up with employees who are still learning, but you should never leave anyone out in the lurch if you want your team to get along.
Equality is about much more than the basics, and ensuring the best possible output from your team requires you to remove these barriers to effective, and cohesive, employee performances.
