admin

Being an instructional coach is an interesting career. Learn more about the job and how to become one. Read on!

Just as students need constant grooming, teachers too require coaching. They require guidance on improvising their teaching strategies and way of imparting education. They need to craft a study curriculum for the long-term benefit of the students.

An instructional coach plays a phenomenal role in upskilling the capacity of teachers to achieve the learning objectives effectively. The coaches impart techniques and methods for efficient collaboration between the teachers and students.

So, how to be a successful instructional coach? In this article, we will focus on the duties, roles, and responsibilities of an instructional coach. We will also discuss the probable interview questions, approximate salary, and the various websites to apply for instructional coach jobs. Let us first understand what is an instructional coach and what does an instructional coach does.

Also Read: Employment Background Check | A comprehensive guide

What is an instructional coach?

An instructional coach is an expert in devising quantitative and qualitative strategies for teachers, imparting education to students and learners. Their suggested practices and methodologies can be applied in classrooms as well as in remote or online sessions. Various academic institutions hire them as mentors for their teachers. 

Teachers are responsible and accountable for a student’s performance. Parents and local guardians depend on them majorly for their academic grooming and performance enhancement. Hence they need to introduce innovative ways in developing the competency of their students.

An Instructional coach assists them in adopting new methods for improving their curriculum, and their teaching approaches. Various seminars, conferences, webinars, classroom or online sessions are conducted to educate and groom the teachers for enhancing their teaching skills.

Note: The traditional modes of education are now past. Students and learners demand greater collaboration and interaction. Utilizing visual images and use cases are the tools for academic success.

Also Read: Leadership skills at workplace | Everything you must know

What does an Instructional Coach do?

Instructional coaches educate teachers in innovative and modern learning tools and techniques. Their sole objective is to embed the methods into the educational system, thereby enhancing the knowledge of the students. 

1. Teachers coaching starts with analyzing teachers’ needs

They first analyze the needs of the teachers. Often one to one conversation is held with each teacher. These meetings help them to gain a fair knowledge of the teacher’s tasks and the difficulties faced in executing their jobs.

Teachers coaching first analyze the needs of the teachers. During one-to-one consultation with the teacher, the instructional coach gains an understanding of the teacher’s task and the challenges faced while executing their jobs teaching coaches to discuss if research-based interventions can be used to help the teacher.

2. Instructional coaching strategies are created

Based on the inputs, the next step to formulate a strategy and plan for assisting the guiding the teachers to overcome their issues.

The teacher coach observes the teacher in class in session. During the observation, they make special notes of the issues raised by the teacher raised during the consultation. Instructional coaching strategies are created in consultation with the teacher to identify the issues that require urgent attention.

3. Decide instructional coaching model

The coaching can be either in the form of one-to-one sessions or generic training programs. The instructional specialist and teacher decide instructional coaching model to implement based on the teacher’s most pressing challenge.

The primary aim to consult instructional coach is to improve student learning. Coaching can be generic or intensive one-on-one sessions. Instructional coaching models can be placed into three broad categories are,

• Teacher centric coaching
• Student-centric coaching
• Differentiated coaching

Also Read: How to turn down a job offer | A complete guide

4. Create a teaching coaching checklist

Checklists are provided to the teachers to follow the instructions in a sequential manner. This becomes a sort of bible for everything that needs to be followed in the rest of the processes of being into the teaching mode.

5. Prepare teachers instruction material

Prepare learning materials, and assessment sheets for the teachers to leverage in their study sessions. The teaching coach observes the teacher implement the new techniques and they look for improvements.

The instructional coach helps teachers as much as possible while implementing the new coaching model. They start by preparing a checklist for the teacher based on the coaching sessions. They prepare teachers’ instructional material – learning material, assessments, handouts, and any other material that can assist the teacher.

6. Teaching coaches observe teachers

They observe the teachers check their improvements after adopting the new techniques. The teaching coach observes the teacher implement the new techniques and they look for improvements.

The instructional coach uses a checklist or other observation tools to record their findings. While interacting with the teacher you will provide them with feedback and suggestions for improvement.

7. Coach teacher in an ongoing basis

Continuous collaboration and interactions with the teachers to resolve their problems and provide suggestions for betterment. The process of instructional coaching allows for continuous dialogue between the coach teacher and teacher.

After the first observation, the instructional coach interacts with the teacher to discuss how the training was used. The coaching teachers provide validation as well as suggestions for improvements. The communication is an ongoing process, with the model being adjusted, observing the implementation, and providing feedback.

Also Read: Employee Satisfaction Survey | Critical items that you must know!

Responsibilities of an Instructional Coach

The duties of an Instructional Coach are now quite significant, due to the ever-changing demands in the educational systems. The need for more and more innovations and techniques is essential to strengthening the capability of the teachers.

Instructional Coach jobs are gaining momentum and are on a high rise. Academic institutions and online education businesses are hiring coaches to upskill their teaching faculty. The key duties and responsibilities of an Instructional Coach are, 

1. Create models or prototypes of the lessons to be conducted. You can perform the activity every day or once a week
2. Analyze the behavioral and professional characteristics of the teachers
3. Guide them to understand and develop the curriculum for better interactions with the students
4. Assist in conducting students’ assessment exercises through innovative methods
5. Develop a strong interpersonal relationship with the teachers and even the school or college administration
6. Inculcate best practices within the curriculum and teaching techniques for the betterment of the students
7. Provide educational resources and tools to the teachers for efficiently conducting their sessions
8. Helps teachers in planning and organizing the sessions, through a comprehensive, collaborative strategy
9. Invite feedback and comments from teachers on their problems, issues, or additional knowledge requirements
10. Continually guide and support teachers in developing their competency and skillset 
11. Suggest online materials and guides for boosting up their teaching efficiencies
12. Improve their teaching abilities and behavioral characteristics through group discussions, one on one sessions, and learning programs

Did you know? On Unremot.com you can find resourceful public spaces where you can connect with other adjunct professors as well as participate in educational webinars. Register and signup to avail of the classes and gear up yourselves before applying for the jobs.

Also Read: Employee engagement surveys | A how-to guide for everyone

What is the role of an Instructional Coach?

Instructional coach performs various roles across different school and environments. Teachers consult curriculum coach when they want to implement an alternative strategy. They observe the teacher while they teach, brainstorm, model lessons, and curating resources to share.

Instructional coach help provide customized solutions for individual students or for specific units. An instructional coach is not entrusted with a single role, but multiple ones. The key roles are,

1. Provide instructional coaching resources

As a resource provider, the coach assists teachers with resources and guides for sessions in a classroom. Resource shared during instructional coaching are websites, the material used by other teachers, case studies and research on teaching practices, study guides, presentations, and debates. The resources help teachers get a breakthrough.

Providing the teachers requisite educational resources and guides for imparting sessions in a classroom as well as conducting online sessions. The resources may be in the form of tools, supporting data or use cases, study guides, and materials. You can provide them with books, online links, or learning courses from subject matter experts.

2. Support coach in data collection

The support coach collect data, analyze it, and present their finding. They collect data through surveys, feedback, and polls. The coaching teacher presents the data and facilitates dialogue among the faculty. They use the data to improve teaching methodology while working with teachers and administrators.

Collect data through surveys, feedback, and polls on the academic level and success. It is important to assess the performances of both the teachers and the students. Eventually, you can leverage the data for further research and analysis on improving the learning process being followed. An instructional coach guides the teachers based on the data collected.

3. Curriculum coach designing

The curriculum coach assists in assessing and modifying the curriculum. An in-depth analysis helps them evaluate if the lessons are adequate to impart relevant information or require modification.

They need to understand how the curriculum is structured and validate the expertise of the teacher. There needs to be synergy between teacher’s skills, curriculum, and maturity of the students. The instructional coach plays a vital role in assessing the design of the curriculum.

A thorough analysis is conducted to understand whether the lessons imparted are sufficient or need improvement. While performing the assessment, it is vital to consider the complexity of the subject and the age or maturity level of the students. The coach also needs to verify and validate the expertise of the teachers in handling the curriculum.

Sync needs to be established between the proficiency level of the teacher, the subject matter, and the expectations from the students. They must ensure the topics covered are as per the standards established by the respective academic boards of the state or country.

4. Instructional teaching

Assisting and guiding the teachers in devising the instructions that need to be imparted to the students. The instructions can be verbal or written. It essentially consists of the sequence of steps that the students need to abide to follow the sessions well.

A session mainly comprises of the lessons imparted by the teachers, interactions with the students, live demos or videos, assessment, and feedback. Following the instructions of the teachers is vital to cover all the aspects of a session.

The teacher needs to communicate the same to the students avoiding confusion effectively. Failure to do so may result in unnecessary discrepancies and miscommunications between the students and the teachers. Instructional coaches facilitate this important aspect to build up trust and confidence.

5. Coaching teachers on social connections

The instructional coach act as mentors and coach in every facet of the teacher’s journey. Coaching teachers improve the interpersonal relationship of teachers with their peers, supervisors, and students. They play a vital role in the professional goals of the teachers. They groom the teacher to work on various personal aspects through counseling sessions.

Acting as the mentor and guide for the teachers in every facet of their learning journey. They help in strengthening the interpersonal relationship of the teachers between peers, supervisors, and students.

Besides professional aspirations and goals, behavioral characteristics and relationships play a major role in future growth. Instructional coaches assist teachers in working on the personal aspect by grooming them through various counseling sessions.

Also Read: Employee Empowerment | An ultimate read for best results

6. Instructional coach scenarios training

The teacher must manage the classroom and online sessions to achieve the learning objective. The instructional coach scenario helps the teacher plan and organize the sessions, activities to be conducted, and duration. They attend teaching sessions to understand the problems encountered by the teacher.

They conduct mock sessions to evaluate the teacher after training. Managing the classroom and online sessions for achieving the learning objectives is vital for a teacher. An instructional coach works along with the teachers to plan and organize the sessions, the activities to be conducted, and the duration for each.

He or she often attends sessions in listening mode to understand the difficulties encountered by a teacher. Also, it helps the coach to analyze the shortcomings of teachers. They can eventually guide the teachers to further improve their skills and techniques. 

7. Teacher coaching on upskilling and cross-skilling

The coach focuses on teacher coaching to promote 360 learning. The coach gives special focus on needs to upskill or cross-skill. They assess teachers, students, syllabus, and the teaching session being conducted. They visit forums and consult experts to learn the latest innovations in academia. The coach aims to improve educational standards in an institute.

Encourages and promotes learning within the academic institution at all levels. The coaches focus on areas that need to be upskilled or cross-skilled. They conduct assessments of teachers, students, curriculum, and the sessions being conducted. They interact with different outside learning groups, forums, and experts.

This helps them to gather knowledge on the latest innovations in the world of academics. The coaches then embed the best practices within the educational system of the institution for uplifting the competency levels. Besides they organize group discussions, study circles, bring in practical examples or use cases in the study curriculum.

8. Instructional coach training on goals and objectives

The instructional coach must understand and adhere to the goals and objectives of the educational institute. The coach tries to overcome the hurdles that may prevent the institute from obtaining the goals and objectives.

The coach will need to analyze course content, learning program, the expertise of teaching staff to ensure the smooth functioning of the institute. Understanding the goals and objectives of the academic institutions and ensure adherence to them.

The coaches must try to mitigate any hurdles that may hinder obtaining the learning goals. They need to work on the courses, learning programs, content and assess the expertise of the faculty for the smooth functioning of the institution.

9. Teacher coaches on driving innovation

Teacher coaches initiate improvements in academic performances. Implementing modifications recommended by the coach helps to improve the reputation of an institute. They help schools include methods of teaching and the latest techniques for imparting education.

The instructional coach measures performance and modifies their technique. Introduce innovative ideas for improvements in the overall academic performance of the institutions. The modifications suggested and recommended by coaches play a significant role in enhancing the reputation of the institutions.

The trend is to embrace modern methods of teaching and adopt the best-in-class techniques for imparting education. The coaches need to constantly measure performance improvements and adjust the charges accordingly. They must enforce multiple ideas at once. It must be a step-by-step process, gradually traversing to the path of improvement. 

10. Teaching coach and thought leadership

The teaching coach is a thought leader. They are role models who help absorb the best practices into the learning process. They interact with learning groups and communities to ensure they are acquainted with the latest trends in academics.

They collaborate with experts to arrange for training sessions and certifications. Thought Leadership is an important concept in almost all domains. An instructional coach is expected to be the thought leader of an institution.

They are the role models, imbibing the correct and best practices into the learning process. They interact with multiple professional learning groups and communities to be acquainted with the latest trends in academics. They try to synergize collaborations and arrange external training and certifications too.

Also Read: Employee Satisfaction | A priceless list of tips to succeed

Skills required for instructional coach jobs

Here is a summary of key skills required for instructional coach jobs,

1. Analytics and teacher coaching jobs

instructional coach jobs spend time analyzing data. The data can represent the courses, sessions conducted, details about teachers and students, and performance levels. After collecting the data, they verify and validate them. The maximum time of an instructional coach is spent analyzing the data.

Data represents the courses and sessions conducted, the details of both teachers and students, the satisfaction and performance levels. Once the data is obtained, you have to scrutiny them, verify and validate them. You must possess a strong analytical capability to assess the data and suggest steps for improvement.

2. Instructional coaches must know latest techniques

Instructional coaches must stay updated with the current best practices and trends in education. They allow coaching to remain student-focused. Each student is unique and the coach has a toolkit to support teaching and learning to help the student learn well. You need to possess adequate knowledge of the best learning strategies and methodologies.

Next, you must be an expert in implementing and executing the same. Equipping the teachers with the best in class practices is an essential activity of instructional coaches. Therefore without sufficient information and experience, you will not able to recommend or guide the academicians.

3. Instructional specialist must be student-centric

Students are the heart and soul of education. Coaching works when the instructional specialist works with the teacher having a student-centered approach focused on what the student needs. The learning process suggested by them must remain focused on the goal.

An instructional coach must focus on the student asks and upliftment while providing recommendations and imparting training. Increasing the knowledge and competency levels of students must be the main objective or goal. Hence the learning process suggested or improvised by you, must focus on achieving this particular goal.

4. Academic coach jobs demand trust and confidence

The academic coach jobs require building a bond of trust and confidence with teachers. Teachers must believe in the methods recommended. Coaches need to interact with the teachers answering questions and assisting them as required. They need to provide feedback to help teachers improve.

One of the key criteria of success in instructional coach jobs is building up a strong bonding of trust and confidence. Teachers must believe in the methods and modes suggested by the coaches. They must rely on the ability of the coaches and trust their recommendations. Coaches must constantly engage with their teachers in resolving their queries and assisting them whenever needed.

Also Read: Remote Meetings | A comprehensive guide

Common instructional coach interview questions

If you want to become an instructional coach, it is vital you prepare for the interview. Before you start coaching it is advisable you practice sitting in front of the mirror. There is the potential of conflicts as teachers resist your help when they are struggling

1. Why do you want to become an Instructional Coach?

You must focus on your learning spree and love for the noble profession of teaching. Refer experiences that demonstrate your passion for education and eagerness to bring in improvements.

2. Share your experiences where your methods have helped improve the learning.

Explain with a practical scenario where you have introduced innovative methods or best practices to improve the learning process. You must explain the steps clearly and concisely.

3. What is your educational formula and how did you apply them in your work?

You can explain the common asks of students from a learning session. Then you can talk about the preparations required as a pre-requisite to fulfilling the tasks. You must specifically point out the checklists to be followed by the teachers to achieve the same.

4. How did you mitigate a conflict with a teacher?

Through this question, the interviewer will essentially try to judge your mitigating ability in case of any conflicts. You must focus on one-to-one conversations, hearing out the concerns of the teacher, and adopt a logical step through facts to resolve the issue.

5. Briefly explain the techniques and instructions you normally impart to the teachers

The question will help to judge your knowledge of the learning techniques and best practices. Hence you need to explain each of them with their objectives and outcome. You may point out some practical examples as well.

The other common instructional coach interview questions revolve around your strengths, weaknesses, willingness, confidence level, and ability to judge students.

6. What are the broad instructional coach job description items?

The instruction coach job description items are as follows,

• Assists teachers with different aspects of their jobs.
• Observe teachers provide feedback and improve the relationship between teachers and students.
• Prepare material to convey instructions, document training, and convey instructional.
• Coordinate mentorship and training programs under established rules.
• Implement programs and programs to convections prescribed by district and state educational requirements.
• Create positive coaching relationships with teachers.

7. How does a teacher coach contribute to society?

Teacher coach helps educators and administrators to excel in creating content. They help teachers focus on their requirements in classrooms. They find and put together resources to help a teacher grow. They encourage teachers to use their new skills with one another.

They interact with different teachers, collect feedback. Instructional coach identify common issues faced by teachers in a particular grade. While meeting faculty they discuss, dissect, and debate practices. They encourage teachers to learn from one another.

8. Differentiate teacher vs coach

The difference from teacher and coach is as follows,

• The teachers introduce knowledge and the coach focuses on the asking right questions to enable the student to discover the knowledge.
• Someone who is a beginner will find interacting with a teacher more beneficial. The teacher presents a general idea about a topic. A coach helps a person acquire skills and tools to learn. They help their student when they have roadblocks, find a new approaches, and more resources.
• Teachers impart knowledge in detail while a coach uses a self-directed approach.

9. What are some of the instructional coaching books you have read?

Some of the best instructional coaching books are,

• Stewardship: Choosing Service over Self-Interest by Peter Block
• Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
• The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive by Michael Fullan
• The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

10. How do the duties of teachers and coaches compare?

Teachers and coaches are an integral part of the education system. But how do the duties of teachers and coaches compare? Teachers have a straight-line approach and help to establish a basic understanding of the subject. The primary activity of a teacher is to spread information. The coach imparts knowledge and information.

The person being coached generally has an underlying understanding of the subject. The coach comes in and helps a student improve understanding, give them feedback on the current knowledge level. They adjust and mold knowledge.

Also Read: Problem solving activities | Everything you must know

What is the typical instructional coach salary?

The instructional coach salary varies depending on the subject matter of expertise, the school grade levels, and your educational background and experience. The starting salary is approximately USD 25,000 per year which increases to about yearly USD 106,500. As you gain experience and expertise, the remuneration tends to rise.

Websites offering jobs of instructional coaches

Numerous websites offer a listing of jobs for instructional coaches. You can search for them and apply as per your preference. It is advised to go through each of the instructional coach job descriptions and roles offered by the companies.

They even mention the approximate salary ranges along with the job locations. You can register and set up your profile on the websites to ease the search by potential employers. Your resume must be the latest and attractive.

1. Topschooljobs
2. Edutopia’
3. Jooble
4. Angel
5. Hirehive

By now, you must have understood the role of an instructional coach and the instructional coach job description. Hope the article has provided you with sufficient guidance in preparing for instructional coach jobs. 

admin

Want to know how to plan and conduct a remote meeting at its best. Here is everything you must know about remote meetings. Read on!

Remote Meeting

The modern world demands to work remotely while being present in various countries and cities. The rising trends in remote working necessitate effective collaboration and coordination between the team.

Remote meetings are therefore vital to facilitate discussions, daily status updates, training sessions and any vital announcements to be propagated within the team. Managers and team leads are often in a dilemma to understand how to conduct remote meeting?

Even selecting the best remote meeting tools drives the success and efficiency of conducting such meetings. This article will guide you about the vitalities of remote meetings and the ways to conduct them, the most commonly used and popular remote meeting software and tools. Let us first understand the definition of remote meetings.

Suggested read: 9 Best screen sharing software

What is the meaning of remote meetings?

The meetings which occur virtually without any physical presence or face-to-face interactions are termed as remote meetings. The participants can be present within the office premises or at home or any co-working space in any part of the world.

They connect either through audio calls or video conferencing calls to communicate with each other. A common session or meeting is scheduled and notified to all participants for accessing at the same designated time. You can connect with your team, supervisors, and even customers through remote meetings.

What is an online video conference?

An online video conference is a means of two or more people communicating with each other through video conferencing software or devices. It facilitates remote meetings between members virtually not present face to face but located in different regions.

Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Jabber, etc. are the common software for conducting an online video meeting. Webinars, training sessions, board meetings, job interviews are the various ways to leverage video meeting online technology.

Read: Team Communication 101: What is it & How you can crack it!

What are the different types of remote meetings?

There are different types of remote meetings that are set up and conducted based on the role of the participants and the objectives or the outcome needs.

1. Video meetings for cross Team Collaborations

Many organizations and business houses are embracing the culture of collaboration between teams of varying areas of expertise. This helps in amalgamating the knowledge and skill of different teams into discovering innovative solutions.

It essentially ensures cohesive work culture among the different departments or divisions in an organization. The practice also facilitates handling challenges and recurring issues from different perspectives.

Important Tips: While scheduling remote meetings for cross-team collaborations, ensure the AgendaAgenda is set up correctly. The time for conducting the meeting must not exceed 1 hour, the best is to set up for 30 to 45 minutes. There must be a SPOC from the respective teams to frontend the discussion to prevent unnecessary chaos.

2. Remote meeting for stand up sessions

To check the daily progress of the remote teams and to share any concerns or risks, it is essential to conduct daily stand up meetings. The remote team members need to present their work status and the next set of actions and activities.

Any anticipated delay must be communicated in advance for resolution or undertaking any preventive actions. Each member is given a time of a maximum of 5 minutes to speak on his or her assignment. Depending on the complexity of the work, the meetings are held either daily or weekly. The recommended duration is a maximum of 30 minutes. 

Important Tips: Though it is ideal to conduct the stand-up meetings for not more than 30 minutes, you need to judge the duration depending on the team strength and the complexity of the assignments.

3. Monthly or quarterly video meeting online sessions

Organizations generally conduct leadership meetings or steering committee meetings monthly or quarterly once. The host of the meeting must provide a summarized version of the project or program progress along with the milestones achieved, any roadblocks, and assistance or support required from higher management.

The minutes of the meeting must be captured and action items circulated immediately mentioning the timelines for completion along with the owners. The recommended duration of the meetings is 45 minutes to 1 hour as the frequency is less in a year.

It enables CIOs, CTOs, Program Directors, Program Sponsors, Department Heads, Division Heads, or even Regional Heads to connect and discuss the company objectives and goals, risks, and mitigations, and overall progress of running programs. 

Important Tips: The points discussed in the meeting must be relevant for the higher management. Minute project details or discussions must not be taken up in the leadership meetings or steering committee meetings. 

Read: 8 Best Free Video Conferencing Software

4. Online video meeting for brainstorming sessions

When teams are working remotely, many times it is essential to brainstorm solutions and ideas through remote meetings. The meetings help to solve any immediate bottlenecks or anticipated risks. The sessions can be arranged for a duration as per the needs of the remote team, not more than 15 to 30 minutes.

They need not be scheduled every day, only when the situation arises. The host needs to list down the priority items to be discussed in the sessions and highlight them at the start of the meeting. 

Important Tips: Care must be taken not to discuss any status or deadlines in brainstorming sessions. The sole objective must be to encourage ideas and thoughts from the participating remote team members for faster resolution of issues and problems. Online whiteboards are effective tools that can be utilized for the sessions.

5. Remote conferences and Hackathons

Hackathons are essentially workshops held remotely for a long duration and especially for a big program being conducted in an organization. The workshops are organized through video conferencing sessions wherein all participants join as per the scheduled date and time.

Major decisions and milestones of a program are decided in Hackathons, attended by subject matter experts, team leads and managers. Future roadmaps and plans are created and finalized with owners for each workstream or track.

Deliverables for each workstream are decided and deadlines assigned to each. The duration of Hackathons generally lasts for a few days and sometimes for a few hours in a day depending on the length and breadth of the program.

Important Tips: Assign the Hackathon planning to a senior PMO of your team as it involves coordination between senior members of the team. It also demands to craft an agenda to cover the important details of the program along with the roles and responsibilities of each participant.

Read: 14 Best Remote Job Sites: Start your job hunt at the right place!

How to conduct remote meeting?

Let us now discuss some of the key steps that need to be undertaken to conduct remote meetings efficiently and effectively. The key aspects to be covered as part of setting up up remote meetings is broadly listed under three areas,

1. Before Meeting – pre-requisites for conducting remote video meetings
2. During Meeting – recommended tips during virtual team meetings
3. After Meeting – important items after finishing a meeting online

Before Meeting – Pre-requisites for conducting remote video meetings

Here is a list of key aspects to be taken care of before you initiate remote video meetings,

1. Select the best remote meeting tools

There are numerous remote meeting software and tools available in the market. You need to select the proper one for your needs enabling faster connectivity and seamless collaboration. Tools equipped with embedded audio and video conference calling facilities are preferable.

Screen sharing and annotation features are two other important factors to be considered while finalizing the tools to be used for remote meetings. The software must be easy to install and must be compatible with Windows, Android, and iOS devices. Additionally, if they support both browser and desktop application facilities, then it is a boon for remote professionals. 

Important Fact: The daily or weekly remote meeting setup facilitates the managers and team leads for effective team management, monitoring the team progress, and handle risks.

2. Schedule sessions suited for all

Remote team members may be located at different time zones in various regions of the world. Mandatory remote meetings must be planned and scheduled at a time that can be attended easily by all the participants.

It is important to arrive at a consensus regarding the common time expecting cooperation from all. If there are contradictions in the timings then you can opt for screen recording, video or audio recording during live meetings.

The recordings can be uploaded into shared websites or send via email to the members who were unable to attend. Once the sessions are scheduled, email invites must be sent out to the required participants at least 2 days before the meeting for better planning.

Read: Synchronous & Asynchronous Communication For Remote Work

3. Prepare the remote meetings agenda

Fixing and finalizing the AgendaAgenda is the most critical part of the remote meetings set up. Many meetings fail to achieve their objectives due to an incorrect agenda or incomplete AgendaAgenda. Listing down the activities to be covered with a time allotted for each helps the host in driving the session comfortably.

The AgendaAgenda must be circulated along with the meeting invite and if not should be sent one day before the meeting. The participants get the opportunity to glance through the activities or topics to be discussed and can prepare themselves for the same. You can even collect feedback and comments from the participants in case any modifications are required.  

4. Nominate the remote meetings coordinator

It is very essential to nominate a coordinator for each meeting. The key responsibility of the coordinator is to drive the meeting as per the AgendaAgenda without any deviations. The person must adhere to the timings mentioned against each topic of the AgendaAgenda. You can select any efficient member from the remote team to facilitate the meeting discussions.

He or she must possess the capability to intervene and mediate in case of any conversation conflicts between the participants during the meeting. You can even outsource the activities of scheduling the meeting and sending out the invites, to the coordinator.

5. Encourage advance queries from the participants

It is a good practice to circulate a questionnaire among the participants a week before the meeting. The participants can fill up the questionnaire penning down the needed clarifications and send it back to the meeting coordinator or the host.

This activity helps to plan your meetings with the right topics. You can prepare the answers way before the meeting schedule and drive the conversations more effectively.

6. Join the remote meetings early

Both for the host and the participants, it is recommended to join the meeting 5 minutes before the scheduled time. The audio and video connectivity must be verified before, avoiding any last-minute hiccups.

Troubleshooting issues with phone, laptop, or desktop must be avoided within the stipulated time of the meeting. Participants who join late most not be encouraged and sometimes a polite warning can be imparted to them. If you are sharing a screen then ensure to test it before the meeting starts to avoid any disruptions.

Read: Managing Remote Teams: 13 tips that will come handy

During Meeting – Recommended tips during virtual team meetings

Here is a list of aspects to be considered during the meeting,

1. Check the attendees participating in the virtual meeting

At the onset of the meeting, it is important to perform a sort of roll call of the attendees or the participants. Though almost all the remote meeting software records the name of the participants, still it is one of the remote meeting etiquettes to call out the names of the attendees.

People feel comfortable and develop a sense of belonging in the discussion. You must greet all with courtesy and can put them at ease inquiring about their health or the weather conditions etc.

2. Introduce all remote meeting members

Before jumpstarting the session as per the AgendaAgenda, initiate an introductory session. If it’s a regular daily call then it may not be needed. But sometimes new participants join in hence it is advisable to introduce the person to others.

For a meeting conducted between cross teams, introductions play a vital role to understand the experience and responsibilities of the members. You must reserve 2 to 3 minutes of your AgendaAgenda for it and not more than that depending on the number of participants.

3. Briefly state the meeting agenda

Once the introductory session concludes, briefly mention the AgendaAgenda to the participants and start with the discussions. Maintain the time specified for each of the agenda topics. The meeting coordinator must perform a time check and remind in case of any deviations. Participants must respect the discipline and etiquette of the meeting, avoiding unnecessary conflicts and disruptions. 

4. Toggle between video and screen share

In the case of video conference calls, participants can engage in better conversations if they can see each other visually. They can observe the facial reactions and can feel the virtual connection while discussing any topic.

Share your screen only when it is essential and not throughout the session. Focus on the video instead, for effective collaboration between the remote professionals. Certain meetings may demand joint working in a particular document or presentation through screen sharing and utilizing annotation tools.

In such situations, video calls or visual interactions may not be effective. Hence it is recommended to judge the needs of your meetings and select the communication medium accordingly.

5. Engage all participants

The meeting invitees must be selected such that every single participant has a role in the discussions. Else they may feel out of place and may get involved inside conversations. They may remain inattentive throughout the discussion.

You must encourage all participants to speak out in the meetings. It may be in the form of voicing their opinion on a topic, or a question-answer session. You may even ask them to speak about their experience or ask for solutions to any problem. 

6. Note down the next action points

Before concluding the meeting, reiterate the action points to ensure nothing is missed out. Specify the action closure owners with the deadlines for completion. Summarize the key discussion points to be in sync with everyone attending the meeting. The host or the meeting coordinator must note down the details and keep it ready for circulating to all the meeting invitees in email or upload into a shared company website.

Also read: Best Practices For Remote Onboarding

After Meeting – Important items after finishing a meeting online

Here is a list of key aspects to be converted after the meeting,

1. Prepare the minutes of the meeting

Capturing the minutes of the meeting is very important for remote discussions and conversations. Many important topics are deliberated and acted upon by the participants that need to be noted down as a reference for the future.

Action points must not be missed out as those are essential for the program’s success and completion. It helps to track down their completeness and provides visibility to who needs to be pursued in case the deadlines are missed. The MoM serves as the starting point for the next meetings or discussions.

2. Circulate the minutes of meeting

Many companies have shared online workspace for storing important documents. The Minutes of Meeting can be uploaded in a common folder and access granted to all the participants. The participants can view the action points assigned to them and ensure completeness as per the deadlines mentioned.

They can also comment on any topic or action point in case of any differences. The other option is to circulate the MoM via emails to all the participants. For the participants who were unable to attend, send them the recording for reference and feedbacks, and comments.

3. Follow up on the Action Items

Although in the MoM, you mention the action points specifically with the owners and deadlines mentioned. Yet it is essential to begin your round of follow-ups before the deadline ends to ensure all are on track, and there are no major issues or challenges that may hamper the completion time. You may even arrange for a status check via email or a short meeting between the action owners. In case of any risk or bottleneck, you need to highlight immediately to your higher management and seek support as the situation demands.

Read: Best Home Office Set Up For Remote Work & Shoot Up Your Productivity

How to set up a remote online meeting around conflicting schedules?

Conducting an online meeting by handling conflicts of schedules and clashing meetings of remote team members is that which we are going to discuss in this section. Besides team members working remotely may have flexible working hours, personal life and hence adjustment in their timing is important for conducting remote meetings with maximum participation.

1. List out the types of virtual staff meeting that needs to be scheduled

You can set up virtual staff meeting for different purposes; for conducting training, discussions, daily status updates, steering committee meeting, research meetings, etc. List out all the video meetings so that you can plan and schedule them as per the convenient times and duration.

It is very important to fix the duration for each meeting along with the stakeholders or participants whose presence is mandatorily required. Besides, it is important to prepare the agenda for each of the remote meetings.

2. Preferred time slots for online video meetings

Once you have listed down the online video meetings that need to be scheduled, the next action item is to settle for the preferred time slots. In other words the preferred date, time, and duration of the remote online meeting.

It is suggested to select multiple time slots to avoid conflicting schedules of the remote team members. The objective is to prepone to postpone to alternative time schedules in case of any rejections or decline of the video meetings online.

3. Circulate the time slots for team conference call

It is advisable to circulate the preferred time slots to the participants of the team conference call to arrive at a consensus. Team members can check their calendars before confirming the specified remote online meeting.

This activity helps in better planning and organizing virtual business meetings and online team meeting. You can easily avoid conflicts by mutual agreement and can achieve the desired objectives and outcome.

4. Finalize the agenda for the web based meetings

Finalizing the agenda and topics of discussion for the web based meetings is very crucial. The stakeholders can decide whether to adjust the conflicting schedules or not. They can set their priorities for the remote online meeting and decide which one to attend and which one to skip.

You can also take a stock of the interested participants of the web conference meetings; thus ensuring no clash of schedules.

5. Early planning for all day conference

An all day conference needs a great deal of planning which must be done as early as possible. Since it necessitates an engagement for the entire day, hence the date, agenda, speakers, and participants must be intimated in advance to avoid any last-minute delays or confusion.

The speakers must be decided and informed way before to ensure they prioritize and prepare for the online conference meeting.

Read: How To Build And Sustain Trust In Remote Teams

How to set up a video meeting with people from different time zones?

Nowadays many companies big or small, are encouraging remote working to harness the niche skills and abilities of professionals located in different regions of the world. They may be located at different time zones and hence while scheduling a video meeting or remote meetings, you need to cater to their working hours.

1. List out the time zones before planning for video conference online

Before planning for a video conference online, list out the time zones to which each remote member belongs. Find out a common time that overlaps and prepare the schedules for conducting an online meeting accordingly.

You need to consider the start time and end time of the working hours of each of the zones while planning for the same. Also, check certain time zones have different business hours than the others; a vital point to note while conducting virtual team meetings.

2. Rotate the recurring remote working meeting

A remote working meeting can be recurring in nature. You can alternate the schedule to accommodate all the time zones, rotating between daytime and nighttime. In doing so, you can avoid hosting recurring remote meetings for the benefit of only one but advantageous for all.

Preventing stress and fatigue are important criteria in ensuring the company’s workforce is satisfied. Therefore you must balance the time between the different regions to facilitate a healthy work-life.

3. Include key members in group meetings online

If you are not able to coincide the group meetings online across all the time zones, the recommendation is not to involve the entire team in the video meeting.

You can engage only the key members of different departments, teams, or units in the meetings may be the unit heads or project managers. The participants can propagate the information to others thus preventing unnecessary exhaustion of the entire team.

4. Record meetings leveraging remote conferencing software

Recording meetings is one of the best ways to adjust time zone mismatch. Leverage remote conferencing software and tools to record meetings. Upload the recordings in a company internal online portal with access restrictions.

You can even circulate the recordings through emails or by internal messaging services. Members who have missed attending the meetings due to time mismatch or constraints, can check the recordings and note down the critical points discussed in an online business meeting.

5. Leverage tools to schedule web based videoconference

It is advisable to use tools such as google calendar or a similar calendar tool to schedule web based videoconference. These tools allow you to check the time of the various zones where your team members are located. Besides, you can even generate awareness among the team about the time zones being serviced by the company. Scheduling video meeting online becomes easier and convenient.

Must read: Time Blocking: All you need to know about this powerful technique

Virtual meeting best practices

In this section, we will share the virtual meeting best practices for conducting effective and fruitful remote meetings. They will act as a guide on how to make meetings fun, and some interesting tips for virtual meetings. You can adapt the best practices in your company and bet you will be able to execute interactive and easy video conferencing with your remote employees.

1. Efficient online meeting management

Online meeting management is an art and must be performed efficiently with proper planning and organizing. Deciding on the date, time, duration, occurrences, and participants are some of the key considerations for conducting successful remote meetings.

Besides you must decide on the expectations from each participant, and the expected outcome. Finalizing the moderator for the meetings is also vital since the person needs to govern the end-to-end web based meeting and track the time too.

2. Leverage best market tools for video conferences online

One of the virtual meetings best practices is to leverage the best market tools and software for conducting video conferences online. You can use Zoom remote meeting, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, etc. for remote video conferencing.

They have several features for scheduling the meetings, adding multiple participants, provision for whiteboarding, web-based video conference, chatting, internal messaging, and even share documents.

3. Create an agenda for a virtual team meeting

Create an agenda for a virtual team meeting and circulate the same among the team members; one of the virtual meeting best practices.

The virtual team meeting agenda must contain the conference call topics to be discussed, the owner for the topic, the duration, and the expected outcome. This helps the participants to prepare before the meeting starts and also helps to note down the questions and any critical issues to be discussed.

4. Make meetings fun and interactive

One of the important virtual meeting best practices is to make meetings fun and interactive. You can arrange a small introduction session at the beginning of the remote meeting as an ice-breaker.

Conducting short quizzes or online competitions are some of the great interactive meeting ideas to make staff meetings fun. You can encourage the participants to share their hobbies, interests, and even vacation ideas to keep them at ease and comfortable.

5. Noiseless environment for home meeting

Maintaining a noiseless environment for the remote home meeting is very essential and one of the recommended virtual meeting best practices. Distractions if avoided will induce greater concentration and dedication in the virtual meeting agenda and the topics being discussed.

The participants can engage and interact with each other in the absence of any external disturbances and unnecessary noises. In the end, the ultimate goal is to achieve the outcomes planned from the remote digital meetings.

Also Read: Virtual water cooler | A how-to guide for everyone

Remote meeting tools and software

For a seamless and smooth functioning of remote team meetings and discussions, it is essential to possess tools and software facilitating the following features,

• Audio calls 
• Video Conference calls with webcam
• Fast Internet connectivity
• Microphone with zero noise disturbance
• Speaker

We have now discussed in detail the ways and methods of conducting a successful remote team meeting. If you follow them diligently, you won’t face any hurdles in organizing discussions and meetings with your remote team.

admin

What are the ways to measure and improve employee satisfaction? Here is a complete guide. Read on!

Employee Satisfaction

What is employee satisfaction? Employee satisfaction also referred to as job satisfaction, is a way to determine whether the employees in a company are content or happy with the company and the job at hand.

In the majority of the companies, surveys are conducted to measure the employee satisfaction index. In this article we will discuss the definition of job satisfaction, why is employee satisfaction important and how to improve employee satisfaction.

Also Read: Employee Satisfaction Survey | Critical items that you must know!

Job satisfaction definitions

What are the different job satisfaction definitions from the perspective of an employee and that of an employer? Job satisfaction definition for an employee and employee satisfaction definition for an employer are interconnected. They need to be in sync with each other for a win-win situation for both, driving the ultimate goal of employee satisfaction.

What is job satisfaction from an employee perspective?

What is job satisfaction for an employee? or How to define job satisfaction from an employee point of view? The critical points to focus on in defining job satisfaction are good compensation package, job security and stability, promising future growth opportunities, lucrative rewards and recognitions, and introduction to new technologies and innovations.

Employee job satisfaction from employer perspective

From an employer perspective, employee job satisfaction or simply employee satisfaction refers to the extent to which an employee is satisfied or content with the company. It would be directly linked to the company’s growth and would significantly reduce the job attrition rate. Besides employees will be focused to contribute more to their tasks with dedication and sincerity, increasing the company’s productivity.

Team satisfaction definition and how does it affect team morale

While referring to job satisfaction definitions, team satisfaction plays an important role in executing a program effectively and efficiently. The entire gamut of members must be happy with the roles offered, tasks in hand, content with the leadership or management; leading to increased job satisfaction in the workplace. Team members feel motivated and inspired to complete tasks before the deadline and also introduce innovations and creativity in their daily work.

Also Read: Employee engagement surveys | A how-to guide for everyone

Importance of employee satisfaction

So with the job satisfaction defined in the above sections, let us now try to understand the importance of employee satisfaction and why companies should pursue employee satisfaction.

1. Increase in Productivity – Employees satisfied with their jobs tend to contribute more to the organization. They stay dedicated and committed to their work, resulting in an increase in overall productivity.
2. Lower attrition rate – Employee satisfaction has a significant impact on the attrition rate of the company. Long-term involvement assumes precedence thereby companies can retain the talents satisfactorily.
3. Jump in revenue – Higher productivity due to an increase in employee satisfaction is directly proportional to the increase in revenue. The profits of a company bump up, thus increasing stakeholder satisfaction and market presence.

Also Read: Employee Empowerment | An ultimate read for best results

Employment satisfaction statistics and global trends

In this section, we will discuss the various employee satisfaction statistics for a better understanding of the global trends in employee satisfaction and engagement. A deep dive into the numbers will act as a guide in gauging the current market trends on the importance of job satisfaction.

Workplace satisfaction increases profitability

Studies have proved that workplace satisfaction has a significant impact on the profitability of the company. This particular parameter of employee satisfaction statistics has shown an increase of approximately 21% with higher employee satisfaction. The major reason being focused dedication and attention to work.

Revenue manifolds in companies with highly satisfied employees

A company with highly satisfied employees has experienced a 4 times increase in revenue. The reason being the amalgamation of good company culture, sincerity, productivity, and meeting deadlines. The more you increase employee engagement, the more positive impact on the revenue curve; one of the vital employment satisfaction statistics.

Career advancement as a means of work satisfaction

Work satisfaction of employees is proportional to opportunities for career advancement in the company. Employee satisfaction research has proved that about 30 % to 40 % of employees in a company prefer to avail learning and development within the company-provided benefits. 87% of employees consider job opportunities must bring in development for their future growth.

Also Read: Problem solving activities | Everything you must know

Measuring job satisfaction

In the previous sections, we have learned about the importance of employee satisfaction. Now we will focus on the ways and means of measuring job satisfaction. The methods to improve job satisfaction, illustrated in the subsequent sub-sections, are proven ways and have been found to be effective and fruitful in many companies.

Conducting surveys for staff satisfaction

The best way to measure staff satisfaction is to conduct surveys. The surveys may happen yearly or half-yearly too. Questions are put forward from various departments, enquiring about the employee satisfaction ratings on different policies, norms, benefits, privileges, etc.

You can provide a rating of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 to measure and access the employee satisfaction level. Besides you can specify the remarks section to collect additional feedback on the queries put forward.

Employee Satisfaction Index (ESI) measures organizational satisfaction

While measuring job satisfaction, the employee satisfaction index or ESI is considered very important in judging the same. The questions need to be straightforward with a Yes or No and additional remarks.

ESI measures organizational satisfaction to a great extent and helps in judging the overall content level of the employees. A number is calculated based on the scoring and weightage of each question. The higher the ESI, the better is the job satisfaction level.

One-on-one meetings as one of the measurements of job satisfaction

Face-to-face meetings act as a strong weapon and one of the vital measurements of job satisfaction. In many companies, one-to-one discussions between employee and supervisor are organized in intervals to facilitate employee job satisfaction.

You can ask questions on career, learning needs, any dissatisfaction, and assistance needed. Listening to employee grievances and proactively resolving them is a recommended suggestion for managers.

Also Read: Voice echoing | A complete guide

How to increase job satisfaction

Surveys, discussions, and statistics help us to gauge the necessary steps that need to be undertaken on, how to improve job satisfaction? These steps are crucial in enhancing the employee satisfaction level. In the following sub-section, we will elaborate on the strategies that essentially answer the question, how to increase job satisfaction?

Keeping employees happy by improving work environment

A major strategy or step for keeping employees happy is to improve the work environment. Ergonomic seating arrangements, clean and healthy canteen facilities, well-ventilated and air-conditioned workspace, vending machines, etc. are some of the answers to the question of, how to increase job satisfaction at the workplace. Ensuring safety and security are mandatory aspects of providing a healthy work environment.

Avoid micro-management for improving employee satisfaction

One of the strategies for improving employee satisfaction is to avoid and reduce micro-management. Employees feel comfortable and they appreciate being trusted by the higher management of the organization. The responsibility level increases leading to greater employee satisfaction. Moreover, senior employees specifically like to work independently without being constantly monitored by supervisors.

Initiate employee recognition programs for improving job satisfaction

Employee recognition programs serve to be very effective for improving job satisfaction level of employees. It could be a thank you message, display of photographs of top performers or even providing brownie points to the employees. These strategies are good examples when it comes to the question of, how to keep your employees happy? Some companies even provide compensatory leaves or discount coupons for food or travel as incentives.

Transparency in communication increases employees satisfaction

Employee satisfaction increases considerably with transparency in communication levels across all the hierarchy levels of the organization. Employees will gain trust and confidence in the leadership.

Even they must be encouraged to share their opinions and concerns on the policies and norms of the company – this is one of the important ways to improve employee satisfaction. Many companies roll out policies to employees for gathering feedback before finally implementing them.

Reducing work stress is the key to a satisfied employee

If you want a satisfied employee in your organization and plan to increase the numbers, then try to reduce the unnecessary work stress. Segregate the work packets into multiple tasks and assign them uniformly among employees.

Analyzing the bandwidth of the employees while conducting such activity significantly reduces work stress; an answer to the question on, how to increase job satisfaction? Just to cite a quote about job satisfaction from Stephen R. Covey – Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.

Also Read: Synchronus & asynchronus communication | A complete guide

How can managers improve employee satisfaction with the feedback process?

Hope by now you have gained familiarity with the methodologies and strategies to increase and improve employee satisfaction. Next question is – how can managers improve employee satisfaction with the feedback process? In the sub-sections below, we will discuss some of the interesting ideas, managers can adopt to work on the feedback received from the employees.

Worker satisfaction demand flexibility

Flexibility in time and mode of employment leads to greater worker satisfaction. Understand employee’s concerns on timezone management, bandwidth, preferred time, and mode of work. Try to facilitate the same by mutual discussions and adjustments in the work schedule.

Plan for remote working culture in the company, invest in video and audio conferencing software to encourage the same. Employees will feel comfortable and easy to work in a flexible environment, subsequently leading to greater employee satisfaction.

Discuss employee satisfaction ideas

Arrange one on one discussion, roadshows and townhalls with the employees to understand the employee satisfaction ideas that you need to work upon. Gather such ideas and check the areas which need improvement or a greater amount of focus. Devise strategies after discussion with the respective department or unit heads. Channelize the strategies among the employees and collect feedback for accuracy and further enhancement.

Learning and development programs lead to workers satisfaction

Conducting well-planned and well-organized learning and development programs for competency enhancement eventually leads to greater worker satisfaction. Employees can pursue their academic interests, enhance their knowledge level, and are benefiting from their career and growth opportunities. They feel the company is concerned about their future and hence remain grateful to the organization.

Promote a healthy lifestyle to increase job satisfaction

Some of the recommended ways for managers to increase job satisfaction include providing health insurance and medical benefits, arranging doctor consultations, conducting fitness programs, generating awareness on food habits.

These programs reduce hypertension, blood pressure, blood sugar, fatigue, etc. ailments that commonly affect employees in a workplace. The result is a satisfied and healthy workforce who in turn benefits the company by increasing productivity and revenue.

Also Read: Virtual water cooler | A how-to guide for everyone

How are employee satisfaction and productivity connected?

Employee satisfaction and productivity are interconnected and directly proportional to each other. A greater amount of employee satisfaction with the company’s policies, leadership and ways of working, is routed to a greater investment of time in completing the assigned work. This will lead to a subsequent increase in productivity, the elaboration of which is specified in the subsequent sub-sections.

Disadvantages of low job satisfaction

To understand the connection between job satisfaction and employee engagement, we must realize the disadvantages of low job satisfaction. It leads to reduced attention to work, demotivation, de-focus, higher attrition rate, reduced productivity, missed deadlines, lower revenue, losing market presence, and reduced stakeholder satisfaction. Hence to increase employee engagement and productivity, we have to eliminate the reasons for low job satisfaction.

Advantages of organizational satisfaction

The advantages of organizational satisfaction or employee satisfaction are immense. It results in a healthy work environment, cordial interpersonal relationships, great teamwork, a positive mentality towards work, a boost in both motivation and inspiration levels, and in the end tremendous enhancement in productivity.

Relation between employee engagement and satisfaction

The relation between employee engagement and satisfaction is proportionate. The more you increase the employee satisfaction level, the greater the employee feels the zeal to engage in work working towards the betterment of the company. In other words, employee engagement and employee satisfaction are mutually dependant on each other.

The key employee satisfaction factors

The key employee satisfaction factors to be considered by companies are mainly employee engagement vs employee satisfaction, good work-life balance, appreciation for work, job security, learning and development, lucrative compensation benefits, and fair policies. All of these have a positive impact on the employee satisfaction level and in turn on productivity.

Also Read: Deep work summary | An ultimate read for best results

Case studies, best practices and job satisfaction examples

To firm our understanding of work satisfaction definition or definition of employee satisfaction, here are some job satisfaction examples of reputed companies worldwide. These case studies and best practices show how adopting the best employee satisfaction strategies has earned them a reputation of being one of the best places to work.

Job satisfaction study of Google

Google has been ranked high for its employee engagement strategies and people management work culture. The job satisfaction study or job satisfaction example of Google proves that creating an innovation culture, open dress codes, a unique work environment, feedback-oriented policies, a culture of recognition, and identifying managers as leaders are the keys to a successful employee engagement workplace.

Zoom among the companies with high employee satisfaction

Zoom ranks high among the companies with high employee satisfaction index. You can relate their policies to the job satisfaction defined in this particular employee satisfaction article. Providing facilities to work comfortably in a remote work environment, boosting up employee morale, encouraging growth, initiating comprehensive learning among employees are some of its key strategies to foster employee satisfaction.

admin

Great companies are formed by great employees who are empowered. Learn how to get employee empowerment in place. Read on!

Employee Empowerment

Employees feel frustrated with the lack of authority and resources of work. They may feel demotivated and will result in reduced productivity and disengagement. Studies have proven that employee engagement leads to higher levels of employee engagement. In this blog, we discuss What is empowerment? How to empower employees? We will elaborate on the various benefits of empowerment.

Also Read: Remote Work Policy | Everything you must know

Define empowerment in the workplace

We define employee empowerment as the process of giving employees working in your organization are given the resources, authority, responsibility, and freedom to make decisions and solve problems at work. Give your employees the right resources and sufficient authority to function effectively.

Employee empowerment is based on a relationship of trust between employees and management. Employee empowerment is a continuous process and helps the employee become self-directed and self-controlled. It helps your staff reach their full potential.

What is empowerment in new-age companies?

New-age companies believe that employees are prepared to go beyond their defined job description when they feel empowered to create a favorable work environment in the organization. But how to empower employees? Organizations that encouraged employee empowerment were allowed to make their own decisions.

You need to be open to feedback and act on recommendations when required. When staff members are willing to take on additional responsibility allows them greater autonomy. Remember to provide the tools and training required. The organization must recognize high-performing employees to increase their confidence and engagement.

Also Read: Work life balance | A complete guide

Empowerment benefits at the workplace

Part of being a leader in your business equips your employees to work independently instead of micromanaging. Leaders can then focus on improving the business. Empowering employees can equip them to make independent decisions rather than following the required protocol.

They encourage employee motivation, greater creativity, and employee retention. Employee empowerment benefits at the workplace are as follow,

1. Empowerment leadership helps builds trust

According to an article by Harvard Business Review states, you can build trust by empowering employees. Empowering employees does not mean you push work you do not like to do yourself.

Leaders who believe in employee empowerment coach and support them to produce their best work. With an empowerment leadership, your employees will feel exploited by their management but will feel their achievements will be recognized and celebrated.

2. Empowerment in the workplace reduces costs

Empowering employees help to save time and effort for the management. A decentralized workplace can reduce the need for middle-level managers. Well-trained employees are less likely to waste resources or have accidents. These are just some of the ways employee empowerment in the workplace reduces costs. It can help to improve profitability.

3. Empower employees for increased productivity

Your organization saves a lot of time when employees make their own decisions instead of waiting for approval from the management. Workflow remains undisturbed, and you can avoid delays and hassles.

Employee empowerment improves the sense of responsibility, and they are motivated to become more innovative. It helps to improve job satisfaction. Empower employees will result in increased productivity.

4. Empowered employees lead to improved quality

Before empowering employees you need to train them to make managerial decisions. You need to provide resources to enable them to tackle everyday affairs with greater efficiency. Senior managers can delegate their work so that they can work more efficiently. Empowered employees lead to greater efficiency that translates into improved quality.

5. Empowerment at work improved creativity

Leaders who are perceived as encouraging in empowering employees are considered more creative by their colleagues. Empowered employees who think for themselves are more likely to collaborate with other teams and generate novel ideas.

Employee empowerment is vital in organizations because your employees are more likely to volunteer for more extra assignments and be more supportive of their organization. Empowerment at work leads employees to be more committed and improved creativity.

Also Read: Free Invoice Software | Critical items that you must know!

How do you know if empowerment in the workplace is missing?

Several organizations have an approach where all decisions are made by a few key people. They are busy with day-to-day operations and have little time for strategic decisions.

This approach is ok for small organizations, but as businesses grow larger and become more complex and dynamic, the management team is under tremendous pressure to make decisions. Here is how you know if employee empowerment in the workplace is missing,

1. Empowerment in business with consistency

Management fears there may be a lack of consistency when too many employees make decisions. Organizations feel when employees are empowered in business, it can lead to chaos and a complete breakdown of systems. When employees stick to rigid policies laid down by management, it can show a lack of employee empowerment within the organization.

2. Too many instructions derail the empowerment team

If you provide too many instructions your team stops thinking. Your team will become dependent on your instructions. A situation may arise where they will be stumped if there are no instructions. It is impossible to provide detailed instructions for every scenario. Empowered teams can think for themselves and make decisions based on the information available.

3. You answer each question instead of empowering employees

When you answer every question of your staff, you are not promoting dependence. Instead, your team is the path to least resistance to asking you first. Leaders often find it easier to answer the questions rather than empowering employees to think for solutions on their own. It can prove to be exhausting beyond a point.

4. Reproach instead of teaching can hinder team empowerment

No one makes mistakes deliberately, but they are invariable. How these mistakes are handled affects team empowerment. Some organizations berate or reprimand their employees sharply. It can result in a lack of confidence. Instead of promoting employee empowerment, you will encourage insecurity. Employees will be afraid of messing up and be unable to take proactive steps.

5. The empowered team gets affected by fear of perception

Some companies believe that people are always taking advantage of them. They fear their customers will bully employees or employees will make excuses for missed deadlines. Empowered teams can get affected when conniving customers complain and try to get additional services. Creating rigid rules protects the company from exploitative customers and employees unwilling to pull their weight.

Also Read: Background Check | A how-to guide for everyone

How to empower employees?

We have underlined the benefits of employee empowerment in the previous sections. How to empower employees? It takes tremendous focus to build a corporate culture to encourage empowerment.

Typically your staff depends on the management to make decisions that have a positive impact. Employee empowerment equips your staff to make important business decisions. Here are some ways to empower employees,

1. Encourage empowerment by demonstrating trust

You can gain the loyalty of your staff by demonstrating trust. Remember to focus on the goals instead of how they achieve them. Encourage empowerment by demonstrating trust. You need to give the flexibility to complete their project using their methods. They may not accomplish everything you may have, but they will be able to complete the required task.

2. Human resources empowerment by showing flexibility

You need to remember every variable cannot be predicted. Human resources empowerment can be achieved by showing flexibility. Consider allowing flexible timing at work. Some organizations allow for work-for-home or remote working on some days a week or month. Besides empower employees, flexibility improves employee productivity.

3. Staff empowerment by recognition

Recognition is vital at work. Staffs who are appreciated at work feel more empowered to work their best. The recognition encourages them to work harder. You can achieve staff empowerment through recognition by giving them support, encouragement, and praise.

Appreciate their efforts at all levels – peers, managers, upper management, and clients helps in implementing creating an empowering culture.

4. Employment empowers by implementing feedback

Companies often do not act on feedback provided by employees in employee survey forms. Sometimes the recommendations may come too late. Instead, encourage your employees to provide feedback regularly and implementing recommendations.

You can achieve employment empower feeling by giving a voice to your employees on how your company runs. There are tools available that can help you get timely feedback. Employee empowerment by listening to your employees is a great strategy.

5. Inspire creative thinking to empower employees

There may be several ways to accomplish a job, and you may not know the best way. There are always problems at work. Brainstorm with your employees and encourage them to share their solutions. This approach will help you get multiple ideas. You can empower employees by encouraging them to implement their ideas.

Also Read: Best background check sites | An ultimate read for best results

6. Empowerment job with professional growth

Professional growth and employee empowerment are interrelated. 97% of millennials say that job development is vital. Training is a vital part of professional growth. Empowerment jobs should provide opportunities and tools for professional growth.

There should be a clear path for career advancement. An empowered employee is more likely to take complete ownership of the project and ensure they are ready for the next opportunity.

7. Empowered benefits first quality by practicing forgiveness for their mistakes

Mistakes while working are inevitable. You need to keep calm and avoid losing your temper when they make mistakes, or they will never take risks. Empowered benefit first quality allows them to feel confident and encourages them to take risks and make their own decisions.

8. Employee empowerment articles through resources

To ensure your employees are productive at work, you need to ensure they have proper resources. Employee empowerment articles all indicate you need to equip your employee with the tools and resources to work effectively. Remember to show them how to use the resources and access the resources when required.

9. Empowerment examples as a part of culture and vision

Empowerment requires a sustained effort. Try to make empowerment examples as a part of the culture and vision of your organization. You need to realize that your role is to support your employees.

Encourage employee empowerment at every level of your organization and ensure everyone is geared up for success. Think of ways existing employees can guide new employees and find ways for your employees to engage with other teams.

10. Empower people by delegating more than work

As a leader, you need to delegate work to your team. You can empower people by delegating more than work. Ask your team member to head a team meeting or event. Give work that will make them noticed by customers. Empower your team by showing their work impacts your business.

Also Read: Teaching Philosophy | A priceless list of tips to succeed

11. Empowering jobs through conversations

Make a habit to engage with your staff in one-on-one conversations. You could ask about problems at work, problems they are facing, and accomplishments, but try to know about each employee at a personal level. It will improve the office atmosphere and make them more productive. Empowering jobs through conversation will help to improve your leadership skills.

12. Organizational empowerment through an open-door policy

You cannot achieve organizational empowerment unless you show your employees you trust them and value their opinions. Having an open-door policy can help communicate your willingness to communicate and are interested in their input.

Open door policy encourages employees to come for help should they need it. Empowering employees by encouraging interaction is a great idea.

13. Workforce empowerment by playing to their strength

Learn about your employee’s strengths and weaknesses. You can achieve workforce empowerment by focusing on their strengths. This strategy encourages your staff to utilize their strengths to achieve your company objective.

It helps to improve the of your staff confidence. Employee empowerment by playing to your employee strengths helps reach their potential and increases job satisfaction.

14. Empowering your employees through self-improvement

When your employees learn new skills, it translates into a more efficient workplace. Companies today support the continued education for self-growth. The employee is likely to implement the newfound skills at the workplace.

Empowering your employees by being supportive either through flexible timing or financial assistance can help improve employee morale, well-being, and ethics.

15. Empowerment strategy by communicating a clear vision

As a leader, it is critical you and your employees are on the same page. Unless you tell your employees what you want them to do and why they will not be effective. One employee empowerment strategy you should use is to define your companies vision.

Your staff should have a clear idea about their job description. This strategy will ensure there is no conflict or confusion in what people are supposed to do.

admin