The art of management has been around longer than anyone can guess. As long as people have been producing goods and offering services in exchange for money, there have been managers. In modern times, it's common to refer to the discipline as a science. The subject is taught at the best universities, and students can even choose it as a major field of study for a business degree. Like every other professional, the corporate or small business manager makes mistakes.
Fortunately, many errors are easy to avoid just by knowing what they are. Making timely and sufficient corrections is a matter of process and can help management side-step an otherwise costly pitfall. In fleet management, common mistakes tend to center on safety practices, while in HR (human resources), the main fault is the lack of training for new hires. Other frequent managerial missteps include a lack of follow-up after employee performance reviews, not hiring enough people, and utilizing an old-fashioned style of communicating. The following entries offer more details about the most common mistakes managers make in modern work environments across a wide range of industries.
Lack of Safety for Fleet Teams
Unfortunately, some transport companies fall short in their safety efforts, particularly related to keeping vehicles and drivers out of harm's way. Just by installing GPS enabled dash cameras, it's possible to enhance safety in a cost-effective and immediate way. Cameras deliver real-time data and knowledge about driver performance, road conditions, weather, and more. There's no better way for supervisors to get immediate feedback from drivers about a number of circumstances whenever the need arises. Dash cams help prevent false insurance claims, hazardous incidents, and other negative events. They're also a proven tool for reducing the overall accident rate for fleets who use them.
No Follow-Up After Performance Reviews
For employees, performance reviews are all-important events. It's the only time when supervisors offer formal criticism and praise, as well as suggestions for how to improve performance, to their team members. Human resources operatives emphasize the importance of following up on these crucial sessions at least a few times per year to check progress. When managers fail to do sufficient follow-up, workers have a tendency to feel as if the criticism and praise were unimportant and that the suggestions carried no weight. When employees continue to struggle with stress is lessens their capacity for productivity and job satisfaction. So, when done right, all such suggestions are checked on by a supervisor at least quarterly and discussed with employees.
Top-Down Management Style
The top-down, hierarchical managerial style was commonplace in the early 1900s, but it suffered from several shortcomings. Chief among the style's negative aspects is its reliance on a military-type communication and control system. In the 2020s, people don't respond well to that kind of arrangement. Instead, they thrive on open communication between all levels of company workers. Plus, the outmoded top-down paradigm didn't allow for higher-ups to hear suggestions from frontline workers. Avoid the old-fashioned style by developing a written company policy that specifically states the benefits of communicating, suggesting, and registering concerns whenever employees feel the need. Some of the largest and most profitable corporations have installed wide open communications policies that are designed to value all input from workers.
