Hello and thank you for joining me for another episode of Ask an HR Expert. My name is Katie Stewart and I am with Tandem HR.
This is the first part of a two-part series titled Top 10 Tips for New Managers.
This video covers tips 1-5.
Tip 1: Understanding anti-discrimination and harassment laws
As a manager, you need to understand both the federal laws and state laws for all areas in which you have employees. It’s also important that you understand your company policies and what managers are expected to do if an employee brings forward a complaint of discrimination or harassment.
Tip 2: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
All managers need to be aware of the things forbidden by law as a part of the ADA law. Some things you should stay away from would be asking an applicant if they have a disability when interviewing or not providing an opportunity to someone because of a disability. Do not make any assumptions about what a candidate or employee can or cannot do because of any perceived disability.
What you can do is clearly define the essential functions of the role and ask any candidate if they are able to perform those functions. If at that point, they say that they can but in order to do so would need a reasonable accommodation, it is the employer’s responsibility to provide a reasonable accommodation.
Tip 3: Schedule one-to-one time with each employee
This can be weekly, monthly, or bi-weekly depending on the needs of the employee. The time should be treated as sacred time. This way, your employee knows they have your undivided attention during this meeting. I would recommend that you provide a set format for the agenda, but allow the employee to prepare and drive the agenda.
One-to-one meetings are a great opportunity for you to provide regular feedback to your employees. As a manager, you should remain open and willing to receive feedback from your employees as well.
Tip 4: Learn and practice active listening skills
Make sure that you make eye contact when you are talking to your employees. Stop typing on your computer. Turn to them and give them your full attention. They need to know that you are listening to what they have to say and feel like what they are saying is being heard.
Also, look for non-verbal cues when speaking to your employees. This can help you understand if there is some underline frustration with your employee that maybe they aren’t sharing with you.
Tip 5: Be a boss, not a friend
This can be very challenging for new managers. Especially if they’ve been promoted into a managerial position and those they are managing were their peers in the past. You really need to draw the line at this point and set the expectations that you need to be able to manage them and their performance appropriately. This means that initial colleague friendship/relationship will need to change.
I hope you found these first top 5 tips for new managers helpful. Please join me for the next installment of Ask an HR Expert where I will reveal tips 6-10.
If you have any other questions, please reach out to Tandem HR at 630.928.0510 or fill out the form below.
Thank you for joining me for Ask an HR Expert.