Compassion. This is one of the most important factors in effective personnel management.
A lot of bosses and managers wonder whether they should cultivate a strict, no-nonsense image and maintain professional distance with employees. Or, should they be compassionate and empathetic towards their teams? The question has been dangling from thin air for far too long and most, still unsure which way to sway, advocate a Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde approach.
Recent empirical research studies have showed that employees prosper in a stress-free work environment, and if they think that their boss is approachable and understanding towards their problems. The constant fear of being laid off, furloughed or facing adverse consequences if an employee fails to meet a deadline or keep up with the pace of work can sometimes destroy their rhythm and confidence and move them towards despair leading to further drop in output. It gets worse if the team leader is overtly aggressive.
Hosting regular education sessions, weekly group engagements, work from home days, allowing employees to take off early on occasion or not being focused on punctuality versus results are some of the ways through which managers can build employee relations. An employee is more likely to dedicate an extra hour or two for a manager if work is left undone without a grudge if they know that the manager will return the favors. A manager also needs to be receptive to new ideas. He also has to give his employees enough free hand to solve problems but should be available to discuss problems as and when they arise.
A compassionate management will also try to reduce unproductive duties of their employees and keep their work challenging and enjoyable. For example, a visitor check-in app like Greetly can handle guests easily. Once installed, Greetly reduces distractions and allows employees to focus on the most important tasks. They can even free up time to learn something new or take on additional challenges.