How to Manage Employee Peformance

Welcome to the Christmas edition of this post. It’s a season to share and be loved. It is as well a period of stock taking by both employees and employers. We have a special Guest today who will talk about managing employees and getting them rightly motivated to achieve organizational goals, increase profit, and minimize losses. Regan Supermarkets is a brand that began in 1986 from a small room to an admirable level with several properties and numerous employees to her credit.

The founder: Mr. Reagan Umanah recounts several time in the formative years of his brand when he denied himself personal comfort including food, and sleep to develop his business. His commitment to business in these formative years attracted a kind of patronage that gave his business some leverage and advanced it further. Success is not something that comes overnight. It comes over time and demands a lot of diligence and commitment to business principles and ethics.

LBC Crew: How do you fund your business?

Guest: Well, I don’t do partnership because of the issues of sincerity we find in the world today. My approach is to determine my goal, and plan towards it. This I do by setting aside a part of my income and accumulate it to make up for my financial target. I don’t believe in white elephant project. I calculate the period of time my project will last and spread the expenses based on my income. Getting loan for a business may be a second option. I have tried it, but do not recommend it.

LBC Crew: How do you handle Recruitment and Staff Management for increased productivity?

Guest: Human beings are special kind of breed. For example, You ask an applicant how much he needs to render services in your business and he/she says, ‘N200,000’; Out of the love for your business, you increase the pay, yet its difficult to get a quality service with whole hearted loyalty. Even when you have security camera and a monitoring station, the challenge remains. At times I prefer an objective answer from applicants/potential employees that their interest is to work and earn income to solve their personal challenges, that the cliché response of coming to add value. Most times when response like this comes and I probe to know those specific values; It is difficult to get a satisfactory answer.

I believe every employer must expect a level of insincerity from employees and be mentally ready to handle them when they arise. Howbeit, my personal strategy for success has been holding regular meetings with my employees to know their personal needs and improve on the communication within the company. We also discuss ways of help one another and as well promote the common good of the business.