How Managers Can Communicate Expectations And Appreciation In The Workplace

According to Microsoft , 52% of millennials and Gen Z workers are likely to change employers. Many factors can contribute to this, such as getting unclear feedback between managers and employees. If proper expectations were set by managers beforehand, poor employee retention could be avoided. Managers can understand their employees better, and employees will feel appreciated. Setting clear expectations will foster employee retention!

Putting down expectations and expressing appreciation professionally can be tricky for most. Managers can easily overlook these two things. This article will discuss why these things are utterly crucial and how these two things can be practised in the workplace.

How can you set expectations in the workplace?

Setting expectations is essential because it can help managers and employees get on the same page. It gets rid of vague directions, unclear feedback, or incomprehensible directives. With this, processes will become more streamlined.?

Setting expectations doesn’t need to be dictatorial. Here’s how you can set expectations professionally:

Managers can start by preparing a training plan for employees. By drafting a training plan, managers can communicate objectives and long-term goals that they expect their employees to attain. Apart from setting expectations, a training plan will also equip employees with valuable knowledge and skillsets that will help them reach goal after goal for their employment.?

Expectations might inflict a certain amount of pressure on employees, however. Managers can include a keynote discussion at company events to boost morale to achieve peak performance. Getting to experience a motivational keynote discussion will also entail listening to new perspectives, learning new knowledge, and increasing employees’ confidence. At the end of the keynote, managers must let their employees discuss their insights and feedback.??

Here are other tips to set clear expectations.?

• Support differences – Every employee has a different character. Recognising and then understanding these differences are part of the few steps in providing a stronger team in the workplace. While you can set work expectations for your employee, it is also good that you can strive to understand their differences in motivation and preferences so that you can better assist, motivate and support them.?
• Work on motivation – Motivation is vital to a productive work environment. As a manager, you also need to learn how to motivate your team so they can perform better. Praise them for their hard work and acknowledge their efforts. For example, feature good-performing employees in an Employee Of The Month or Top Performers list to recognise their contributions.
• Prioritise the team’s best interest – By prioritising the team’s best interests, you can help create a supportive work environment. You can show it by checking up occasionally about your employees’ concerns and setting an open-door policy.?An open-door approach encourages employees to discuss ideas or issues with their immediate supervisor.

Why It Is Important To Show Appreciation In The Workplace

Showing appreciation in the workplace is crucial because it keeps employees engaged. These little things can go a long way for employees and bring more productivity to the workplace.

Ways To Show Appreciation

There are practical ways to show appreciation as a manager. However, managers must do it in a way that clearly recognises employees’ efforts.?

These include the following.

• Provide balanced feedback – Balanced feedback provides insight into what is being done and includes what could be improved. Providing balanced feedback gives us an idea of our strengths and what we should improve on.

For example, when I began working in the banking industry for the first time, I had low self-confidence. After receiving my first positive feedback from my supervisor, it gave me the confidence to keep doing well — because I knew what I needed to work on and what I did best. As a result, I was able to perform better.?

• Create safe spaces – Safe spaces are an environment where a person can feel confident and secure. It is also a great way you can create a healthy work environment. With safe spaces, you can prioritise transparent communication between you and your employee. In addition, it becomes a space for you to acknowledge mistakes made and learn how to improve as an employee or manager.?

Improve Employee Relations With The Mental Rockstar Program!

As stated earlier, communicating expectations and appreciation is an excellent way for employees and managers to stay on the same page. It allows managers to lead humbly — and by setting clear expectations, employees can improve to be the best version of themselves, fostering retention.

The Mental Rockstar Program is for companies aiming to help employee retention and company culture. Led by YuJin, an award-winning mental toughness expert, former lawyer, and investment banker, the program provides expert insights and customised workshops tailored to fit your organisation. Contact Mental Rockstar now to unleash peak workplace performance!