OPINION: Mark Fletcher’s advice on managing employees

I have helped many small business retailers confront their employee management challenges. Based on years of giving assistance and advice to independent retailers, here are the simple guidelines that I have developed.

You hire, train, manage, motivate and, ultimately, fire your employees. Their performance is on you. Next time you go to complain, first ask: what could I have done as a leader to avoid this?

Set expectations by shift

The key to good management and leadership is good communication. In a retail situation, good communication starts with setting expectations.

People forget. This is why a checklist is helpful in guiding the tasks you want completed.

It is important to be specific in your delegation – setting tasks for specific people rather than listing generally what you want done.

It is also important to be transparent, so everyone working on any given day knows what is to be done that day. Consider posting the list on a noticeboard or have the sheets in a clipboard at the counter for all to see.

Do not simply list things to keep people busy as they will see through it and be half-hearted. List what is important to the business, tasks against which you will judge your team members.

The more you are able to consistently communicate the tasks for your team members, the easier it is for them to follow your direction and for you to measure their performance.

Tips for a good employee task checklist 

• Be clear and concise.
• Ensure that your directions are understood.
• Where appropriate, explain why a task will benefit the business.
• Fairly allocate tasks across the people working on any given day.
• Ensure it is presented in a format you can easily change to serve your needs.