Being in a leadership position isn’t easy. While you will be able to influence the way your company moves forwards and have an enhanced pay packet, there are challenges ahead when it comes to working with your employees In this article, we will look at three of the issues employers have to face on a regular basis. Thankfully, they are not insurmountable, and we have some tips that you should find useful.

Not the best way to deal with the issue  (source)

1. Dealing with lazy employees

While you want to have an efficient workforce surrounding you, there will always be the people who shirk their roles or who don’t work as hard as others on the team. While you could sack them, there are other ways to deal with the issue.

Tip: Confront the situation. The longer you let their lazy work ethic slide, the less productive they will become, and the more frustrated the rest of your team will be – at you and their lazy colleague. A discipline process needs to be in place, outlining the consequences of their actions. Stick to it, and if the final outcome is firing, then so be it. Hopefully though, they will sit up and take notice and change their behaviour. Also, reward those team members who do perform well, giving everybody incentive to up their game.

2. Hiring the right employees

To avoid the problem mentioned above, you need to have a decent selection process to help you weed out the bad from the good. This takes up a lot of work, from checking references, running background checks, and the interviews themselves, which can be time-consuming for a business manager. You want people you will work well with, but how do you get them?

Tip: It’s worth taking a management training course, as that will help you become proficient in the hiring process. Alternatively, save yourself a lot of time and use an HR company to do the job for you, and consider the folks at ClearStar.net to help you with the screening process. You need to get this right, but with training and professional input, you will get the best staff on board, and reduce a lot of the potential headaches that come from hiring the wrong people.

3. Managing team conflicts

No matter how talented your team is, conflicts will arise from time to time. Generally, these will be over issues that they can deal with themselves, but certain problems, such as persistent bullying of a colleague, will need the intervention of the person in charge.

Tip: A team can’t work well together if there is a toxic influence, so deal with the person or issue at hand as soon as you can. When dealing with the matter, ensure you know the full story. It’s no good listening to one person’s side, as you will get a biased view. Speak to everybody involved, including eyewitnesses, and deal with the matter accordingly. Provided you have clear policies in place, such as issues around bullying, you will be able to deal with the problem fairly and firmly. In any case, always take the situation seriously, as your employees need to know you have their best interests at heart.

Final word

As the leader, you need to take charge when dealing with your employees. Be a good boss, being both assertive and fair and you will get the best from them. It isn’t easy, and people can be difficult, but as the person responsible, it’s important you work on your leadership skills to help you work with your staff effectively.