You Know You’re Asking Too Much From Your Staff When…

When you employ others, you become more than an entrepreneur. You become an employer, and you need to take that role seriously. That means considering staff needs and legal rights. You should also take time out to develop a personal relationship with everyone you hire.

As scary as that may seem, having a team on board is worth your while. With this support, you should find your life gets easier, and your work hours become more productive. Through learning to delegate, you can both keep workflow even, and get more done. In short; you’ll struggle to find real success without tackling this at some stage.

Sometimes, though, employment isn’t a happy story. While the reasons for this vary, managers often pile too much work onto employees. When that happens, you’ll fast find yourself with an unhappy team. The good news is, there are often warning signs that you’re expecting too much. To help you recognize them, we’re going to look at some here.You ask for tasks which aren’t in staff contractsWhen you hire an employee, you draw up a contract. This will include a list of expected tasks. While there is often some leeway here, straying too far from that list is a sign you’re asking too much. The chances are that a team member contracted in telephone sales will be willing to help in marketing. But, if you start asking them to clean the office or fix broken computers, you’re straying too far off course. These are not tasks your employee is there to complete. Asking will soon lead to dissatisfaction. Instead, outsource cleaners, and turn to IT management from companies like Single Point Global. Whatever you do; don’t expect tasks like these from the team you employed for other reasons.

They spend more time in the office than you doAs a manager, you should be the first in the office and the last to leave. This is your business, after all. If someone needs to be in the office early, that person should be you. If other people are staying behind, you should stay with them. Whatever happens, you should never expect staff to stay behind while you swan off to enjoy your evening. What kind of message does that send?

You always contact them outside of working hoursThe chances are that your business is always on your mind. As such, you might not think twice about phoning Jenny at nine in the evening to tell her what she needs to do the next day. But, this is a clear breach of rights, and you shouldn’t do it. There will, of course, be times when you have no choice but to contact staff out of hours. You might need to know where a file is in a hurry, for example. Bear in mind, though, that you should never phone up for something which can wait. Your staff deserve downtime, too. If you don’t give it to them, they’ll soon seek a manager who does.