Are your employees suffering from low morale, poor engagement and a lack of growth? Is there some confusion over team or individual priorities and potential issues with communications, feedback or problem solving? If this sounds familiar, have you thought about the benefits of having frequent check-ins, also known as workplace planning conversations with your staff?
Workplace planning conversations are forward-looking strategic discussions that are an important part of good people management. Not only can they help employers to understand hiring and training methods, future work requirements, skills gaps, technology requirements and organisational risks, but they are also a fantastic opportunity to ask your employees questions and find out their views about the current situation and any support they may need. This will enable you to better align team goals, shape training and succession plans whilst also boosting engagement, reducing stress and preventing burnout.
Take an interest
It’s no secret that employees feel valued and stay motivated when managers take a real interest in their growth and career path and acknowledge their feelings. Having regular workplace planning conversations enables employers to understand employees’ future aspirations, development needs and their preferred ways of working. It also helps businesses to ensure they have the right resources and capabilities.
Whilst scheduled check-ins with open communication and plenty of active listening helps employees to understand their responsibilities and how their tasks fit into larger company goals. In addition talking about workload and capacity can help prevent burnout and support mental, whilst talking honestly to management can help to ensure that small frustrations don’t turn into reasons to quit.
Short term versus long term
Discussing short term plans and setting targets with your employees is essential as it builds clear team focus, boosts team spirit, improves accountability, reduces overwhelm, develops trust and helps staff to see how their daily work supports long-term success. But employers need to be careful of not overstepping the mark when it comes to conversations about an employee’s longer-term plans i.e. retirement.
Whilst it’s good as an employer to understand what your employees’ thoughts are on their future with your business so you can undertake some important succession planning, it’s worth pointing out that any age related questions can carry significant legal and operational risks. Poorly phrased or badly timed questions can lead to costly age discrimination lawsuits, low morale, and the unintended loss of top talent.
Never assume
You should never make assumptions or ask an employee when they intend to retire, whether they are planning to retire, or suggest that they should consider retirement because of their age. Instead the conversation should be employee-led and focused on the employee’s work, contribution, development and aspirations.
The following type of questions might prove useful when having a workplace planning conversation with older workers because they are open, focused on knowledge, skills, growth and development, meaning that the answers you get should enable you to put effective planning strategies into place without offending anyone.
- How do you see your role developing over the next few years?
- What skills do you want to learn in the next year?
- Would you be interested in mentoring newer staff members?
- What parts of your current role do you enjoy the most?
- How do you feel about your current workload and balance?
- What are your career aspirations?
- Is there anything we can do to support you in your role?
- Are there any changes to your role or working arrangements that would help you in the future?
How can we help?
If you need help or support with workplace planning conversations so they can be purposeful, positive and focused on possibilities, then get in touch today by emailing caroline.robertson@actifhr.co.uk