Employee Development: The Missing Link in Your Management Strategy

Have you ever purchased a pre-owned vehicle only to discover that it requires four new tires and additional maintenance? All that time you spent researching the car seems like a waste when you find out there is more to the story. It feels like you fell for some kind of scam, right?

Meet the poorly managed employee. This is how employees feel when they join a new company, only to realize they’ve signed on for a miserable manager. This employee’s shiny, exciting new job comes with a catch –and they’ll have to deal with their ineffective manager indefinitely unless they decide to jump ship. Don’t expect this mismanaged employee to drive business results because they’re actually costing you money.

That’s right, according to Gallup, disengagement that results from mismanaged employees costs the U.S. $450 -$550 billion per year in lost productivity. Roughly 70% of the American population is disengaged and uninspired by their managers—so this epidemic is impacting the majority of organizations. It’s time to pay attention to the way you manage your employees.

On the flipside, Gallup finds that the 30 million engaged employees in the U.S. come up with most of the innovative ideas, create most of a company’s new customers, and have the most entrepreneurial energy.

Have you ever heard of a reason not to focus on employee engagement? Doubtful. It’s time to look to your managers to bridge the gap of disengaged employees. What can they do better? Or better yet, how can you help your managers inspire their direct reports to succeed? Where can you start today?

Ask yourself this question: do your managers care about employee development?

According to the Corporate Executive Board, employees reporting to managers effective at development perform up to 25% better than their peers, are 29% more committed, and are up to 40% more likely to stay at their organization.

However,18% of employees actually get angry with their manager during feedback conversations. That may be because these managers are not focusing on the facts, and instead tend to overly focus on the weaknesses of direct reports. And some employees take even the most fact-based constructive criticism as a personal attack, instead of viewing the feedback as an opportunity to improve. Managers should keep these conversations collaborative and forward looking so employees understand how their progression impacts their individual development and business success.

Furthermore, teams that focus on strengths every day have 12.5% greater productivity. When organizations successfully engage their customers and their employees, they experience a 240% boost in performance-related business outcomes compared with an organization with neither engaged employees nor engaged customers.

For more insight to help your managers maximize business results, check out the latest white paper from Achievers: Prioritize your people to achieve Employee Success™.

Tatiana Beale is a Senior Marketing Communications Specialist at Achievers. She is passionate about changing workplaces for the better and inspiring Employee Success™ through insightful content.