The Art of Managing People

The art of Managing People

Each and every professional knows that managing people is the most essential part of a business organization. As businesses are modeled to make profit and aim to become economically stable, organizations aim to collect or hire the best people or develop hired employees to the best level to achieve these goals. Engaging those employees in the workplace can be called the employee management process. But I would love to call it the art of managing people.

We know that some departments of an organization deal with raw materials, some may deal with machinery, and some others may engage with dealing with or managing finished products, but the management manages humans. The most unpredictable creature in the world. So, management of this unpredictable creature must be careful and planned because humans are not machines or products.

Humans act freely; they get tired, they sleep, they plot, they love, they tell lies, they take revenge, they help others, and at the same time they harm others. There is no common set of rules to explain human behavior in general.

If we consider employees as the essential tool for achieving organizational targets, then they are the most sensitive tools in the world. Nobody knows which one will be fragile, which one will be the strongest in nature, and which one will be the finest performer when the challenges of the workplace start showing cruel faces!

So, to manage humans and achieve certain goals by managing them, management must act wisely. It should value employees and focus on the capacity-building of its employees and show empathy to them.

Management should be designed with logical sympathy and kindness while performing the job of managing people. It should emphasize research-based training for employees to create a sustainable work environment. If any management fails to understand the importance of research in the workplace, the organization will surely face decline in the long run. Management should give priority to research-based work methods and allow research-based training for employees.

Management must realize that it hires humans, not machines. That’s why, after hiring and giving proper practical training, management can follow the Employee Management Process (EMP). I made a list of eight steps for the process. Which are:

Employee management Process (EMP)

1. Distributing targets in an equal manner

Target distribution by management should be equal. No employee should be burdened with more work than his or her coworker. If that happens, that will be harmful for employee productivity. Though organizations commonly give more work to those who are really good, but this practice is dangerous for the future of an organization. Management must focus on equal workload distribution to all employees for a similar job.

2. Friendly Guidance

Management must avoid using a harsh voice or tone when giving guidance. Guidance should be in a soft and motivating tone. Rough guidance leads to employee dissatisfaction.

3. Monitoring progress

Commonly, those in higher management think that monitoring must be done in a tough manner. Many managements even monitor what employees are doing with their mobile, computer, or devices. In many cases, management discourages friendly relationships or gossiping in the workplace. Many even put a CC camera in every corner of the office to check what the employees are doing all day! I must say, this is the worst monitoring process. Management should focus on monitoring target achievement. Not private things employees are doing in the workplace.

4. Error Detection

If something goes wrong, if there is any error or problem that shows up and creates the possibility of target failure, then management must find specifically what the errors are and the reasons behind them.

5. Feedback

There is a problem with the feedback in the workplace about any mistakes or failures. Authority only depends on the higher management official’s statement or some reports for feedback. Most organizations don’t allow field-level employees to share their views. They are not allowed to talk about what’s going on; rather, their managers or bosses decide what should be the feedback of their subordinates! Feedback must also come from the field-level employees.

6. Running research to mitigate the errors

Research is important to keep things on track. It also shuts the door for possible errors and problems that may arise in the future. Research helps organizations find causes of problems and increase problem-solving skills. With proper data and information, today, every task can be researched in a formal way. So, it would be unwise to neglect research.

7. Adjusting the targets

It's important to adjust the targets for individual employees separately. As we discussed earlier, employees are humans, not machines; they do have flaws and limitations. So if in a workplace some employee fails to achieve targets, it will be wise to revise the targets for individual employees. The management should set achievable targets for employees. Common practices are to punish and sack employees if they fail to achieve targets. Instead of sacking or punishing, the management should try to revise targets for employees. Moreover, the management should also check whether the target set by the higher authority is practical or not.

8. Achieving Goal

The above steps will lead organizations to achieve their goals. Though the functions of present-day organizations are far more complex than in the past. Not only hard work or good investments are enough now to achieve goals. Proper planning and management are also some of the main forces behind success. The employee management process is a small part of proper planning and management. This small part can be a booster for achieving goals.

I believe this process (EMP) will establish an automated workflow that requires no punishment or distrust in the workplace. This process will enable an authority to manage employees without hurting their dignity and pride as individuals. Moreover, employees under such management can feel that they are valuable, and in return, they will innately give their best to the organization. That’s perfect management. That’s the art of managing people. That’s what the organization must do.

Akther Mahamud

Writer

Rangamati, Bangladesh

akthermahmud@gmail.com