Develop and clearly communicate short, medium and long-term plans and objectives consistent with organisational goals in consultation with the team
Communicating plans to employees
As a manager or supervisor you will need to communicate the previously mentioned goals and aims of the organisation to different teams. Corporate aims and objectives are regularly formulated within meetings among senior personnel, even when the thought and opinions of others have been taken into account.
Based on the goals of the entire organisation, managers or supervisors may have to help construct short, medium and long-term for individual teams or individuals.
Short-term
The development of short-term plans involves looking at what is required by a business and trying to achieve them within a short space of time. At times there may be actions that can be taken to improve the operation of business activities where the outcomes can be observed very quickly. For example, developing the skills of employees or improving customer service are examples of goals where plans can be implemented to achieve them in the short-term.
Short-term plans can also be implemented to alleviate company issues while a longer-term plan is being generated.
Medium-term
Planning for the medium-term involves applying permanent problems to short-term problems. While short-term plans ensure that resolutions can be made to problems quickly, medium-term planning aims at ensuring the problems will not occur again by tackling source of the problem.
Long-term
Long-term planning involves developing policies and procedures that will help the organisation meet its mission and vision statements. They are actions that will help to solve problems permanently and create a structure where short and medium-term responses are not required.
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Consistency with organisational goals
Research in the field of management can provide valuable information about integrating organisational objectives into everyday workplace practise. Considered one of the most influential figures on the subject of corporate management, Peter Drucker developed the idea of ‘management by objectives’ in his book ‘The Practice of Management’. The overall principle is that various hierarchies within companies ought to be integrated, and the activities of managers as well as the workforce should be geared toward a mutual goal. The theory involves providing each worker or team with objectives or targets that help to achieve the company’s corporate goals.
Benefits of management by objectives:
➢ It can act as a motivator and employees feel that they are contributing towards meeting organisational goals as well as targets within their team
➢ It provides an opportunity to use key performance indicators to monitor progress towards meeting goals
➢ There is a greater consideration of what employees require in order to meet goals, such as resources.
Drawbacks of management by objectives:
➢ It can be quite time consuming to agree upon the targets that are needed
➢ Targets can become outdated due to changing circumstances such as economic conditions or alterations to consumer preferences, and it becomes more difficult to alter targets when adopting management by objectives
➢ When employees see that they are being judged against a certain quantifiable target, they may focus solely on meeting that target and outperforming their colleagues, which can be to the detriment of other factors such as quality or ethics.
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Activity 2A
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2.2 – Communicate expectations, roles and responsibilities of team members to encourage them to take responsibility for own work
Appropriate communication mechanisms
In order to ensure all members of staff know what is expected of them in terms of performance, you will need to communicate the expected standards in a clear manner.
Communication methods may include:
➢ Verbally, in person
➢ In writing e.g. workplace manual
➢ Non-verbally e.g. reinforcers of appropriate/inappropriate behaviour
➢ On posters
➢ In memos
➢ During meetings
➢ Via performance appraisals.
Communicating expectations, roles and responsibilities
In the workplace you ought to have expectations and responsibilities that all employees are expected to adhere to. This means that rules are the same for everyone and there is no room for excuses if employees do not meet expectations. Creating formal expectations and responsibilities also encourages employees to act upon them and take them seriously.
Employee expectations, roles and responsibilities can include:
➢ Adhering to policies and procedures, such as:
o accepting, declining and amending roster hours
o personal and carer’s leave
o personal work requirements
o counselling and discipline
o grievances
o equal employment opportunity
o uniform and personal presentation standards
o discrimination and harassment
o dress or uniform standards
o code of conduct.
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➢ Cooperative and open communication – supporting others within the team whenever necessary and possible
➢ Nature and scope of work – the type of work they are expected to do within the team and the situations that this may occur
➢ Relationships with others in the workplace and interdependent areas of activity – the expectancy to work with other people performing certain roles
➢ Reporting requirements – this may include reporting when issues arise such as customer complaints, or in relation to health and safety concerns.
There are various areas that your organisations may establish expectations and responsibilities for employees to adhere, some of which are detailed below.
Cost minimisation
In order to maximise profits, costs should be minimised and money not wasted on unnecessary things. Specific actions for lowering costs will differ depending on the type of organisation, but general procedures might for example include rostering efficiently, improving negotiating with suppliers, minimising waste, and ensuring staff are working efficiently.
Customer service standards
The majority of customers within hospitality, tourism, travel and events industries have the expectation of being treated courteously, with particular attention paid to employees who can help people with any issues or questions they have. Depending on the type of situation where customers encounter employees, additional needs and expectations can arise.
Common customer needs and expectations include:
➢ Friendliness – speaking politely to customers and greeting them upon the start of a conversation
➢ Empathy – the ability to understand and appreciate the circumstances of the customer by placing yourself in their shoes
➢ Fairness – being able to treat all customers with the same level of respect, regardless of their circumstances
➢ Clear instructions and information – the ability to provide the customer with the information that they are seeking
➢ Options and alternatives – when the needs of the customer cannot be immediately met, it is important to provide them with alternatives.
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Level of accuracy in work
Work must be consistent and accurate, to help maintain performance standards and adherence to procedures.
Personal presentation
Every workplace will have its own dress code, whether it is a uniform provided or that employees are allowed to wear your own clothes. Either way, it is vital that employees keep what they wear in a clean and presentable condition.
Organisational policies and procedures may include:
➢ Wearing clothes appropriate to the organisation and
job role
➢ Ensuring that clothes are clean
➢ Shoes should be clean and polished and have covered toes to guard against accidents
➢ Covering tattoos or body piercings that will make employees look unprofessional or some people may find offensive
➢ Wearing clothes of the correct fit, not too loose or tight
➢ Making sure that clothes are not creased.
Productivity
Employees should meet deadlines and produce a certain output within a given time, so as to mitigate costs.
Punctuality
Employees should be expected to commence and finish work on time, as specified by your organisation.
Response times
This refers to the amount of acceptable time allowed between a request/order and a response. A lot of the time, companies have a policy of responding within a set period e.g. within 24 hours.
Waste minimisation
This keeps costs down and helps boost the environmental responsibility of your organisation.
Cutting the use of resources at work could be achieved by:
➢ Making it easy to recycle in the workplace
➢ Reminding staff to recycle through internal email or posters
➢ Encouraging staff to use crockery cups/glasses for their drinks rather than plastic disposable cups
➢ Creating a compost bin for food waste
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➢ Buying laptops rather than desktops as they use less energy
➢ Using LCD screens, which are more space and energy efficient
➢ Considering EMO software to turn computers off automatically in non-working hours
e.g. overnight or weekends
➢ Cutting paper use by:
o using recycled paper
o printing double-sided
o using an electronic filing system
o using electronic communication wherever
possible.
Job roles
Procedures for informing workers about their job role may differ slightly, as information needs to be tailored to the individual rather than being company wide.
It is usually also the responsibility of managers or supervisors to inform employees of their role within the organisation. Such information is generally made clear to individuals applying for a role within an organisation, as details will be contained within a job description. The role of employees may be covered in more detail in a handbook, or through information provided during an induction period. If the role of employees needs to change for any reason, such as if they are required to work within another area of the business, then their new role should clearly explained and any necessary training should be provided.