People Management Activities
Successful people management requires attention to multiple areas of an employee's development and responsibilities as well as practical employment matters. Whether you manage a team of five employees or a workforce of 500, the basic activities of people management must be performed to keep your company productive and advancing.
One of the primary activities of managing people is the arrangement for wage distribution. Specific duties can include time keeping, time-off management, bonus calculations and performance raise determinations. Many businesses use automated systems to help track hours and facilitate the distribution of wages to employees, including a direct deposit system. Efficient management of basic and routine paperwork requirements ensures that the obligations you have to your employees are satisfied.
Legal activities regarding people management include ensuring that employees have permission to work, processing any liens against their wages such as child support payments, ensuring compliance with antidiscrimination and sexual harassment laws, preventing child labor, and managing overtime requirements and compliance with other state and federal employment laws. Adherence to these laws should be built into business processes such as recruiting, hiring, promoting and firing. You can prevent legal problems for your company by closely linking business policies to employment law regulations.
People management requires supervising the assignments and duties of employees. Adherence to company policies, productivity and accuracy are all supervisory responsibilities. The performance of people you manage is a direct reflection on your ability as a manager, so active supervision methods help improve your own business success. Active supervision methods to consider are routine work reviews, monitoring break times, work spot checks and quality assurance reviews.
Training employees for performing needed business tasks is an essential people management activity. Training should encompass both hard skills, such as production-oriented process knowledge, and also soft skills, such as time management. You can train employees in formal classes, through on-the-job training or through basic day-to-day guidance during work reviews.
People management requires organizing multiple individuals based on their skills to productively complete work assignments. Organization includes assigning tasks, deadline determination, employee scheduling and dividing work so that it is completed in a timely manner.
When organizing, prioritize work so that critical assignments are completed first. Organization is a people management activity for all levels of managers from front-line managers to executives.
Coaching is the method of correcting and improving employee performance through management observations and advice based on day-to-day work habits and output. Effective coaching includes fostering teamwork skills, improving interpersonal communications, enhancing task-related skills and providing encouragement.