Following Up — Tip of the Week

One of the most important things a manager can do with employees she supervises is develop the practice of following up with them. This practice is particularly important during this time of job and economic uncertainty. Whether you’re following up with good news or bad, your employees want to hear from you.

If possible, it’s a good idea to follow-up with employees every day about the day before — what went right, what could have gone better, etc. If that’s too burdensome, then follow-up at least once a week.

Another important time to follow-up is after you’ve imposed discipline. If you don’t follow-up, the employee isn’t likely to take the discipline as seriously as he would if within a short period of time, you’re talking with him again about how he’s corrected his performance or behavior or how he hasn’t.

Finally, don’t forget to follow-up after you’ve given an employee a performance evaluation. One important aspect of the evaluation should be setting goals. Within a reasonable period of time, follow-up with the employee to see how work toward the goals is going. An employee isn’t likely to think about established goals if it doesn’t appear that you’re thinking about them.

Communication between a manager and an employee is critical to the successful operation of a department. Follow-up is a good way to make sure the communication occurs.