Management Best Practices

Survival Tips for New Managers

Congratulations! You made it to management after years of hard work and sacrifice. You received the raise you deserve. You got the office space you wanted. You have the title you always dreamed of. Now what?

After all, your responsibilities are different now: hiring, firing, mentoring. If you’re looking for new manager advice, you’ve come to the right place. Here are three tips for new managers to help ease the transition from staff member to decision maker:

1. Recognize that moving up the corporate ladder is a big adjustment. No matter how successful you were as a member of the team, things will be different now. Instead of focusing on a specialized task, your goals will place more emphasis on the big picture—from hiring new staff to planning an efficient work flow. The transition will require the ability to learn new skills as well as the patience to navigate the sometimes steep learning curve.

2. Understand that management is not a popularity contest. When it comes to providing tips for new managers, this is a piece of advice no one likes to give. Even if you were the employee that everyone—from the CEO to the part-time help—loved, you’ll now be working with people who have their own agendas. And, as unfortunate as it might be, expect to be the target of backbiting, gossip, or finger pointing. Be wary of how you handle these situations, though, because a few of these less-than-nice colleagues may have the power to launch or sink your career.

3. Know that pressure will magnify your weaknesses. Whether you’re quick to anger or slow to act, those personality quirks that didn’t mean as much in the past will be under the magnifying glass when you’re a new manager. What’s worse, these weaknesses become even more apparent when the pressures of leadership start weighing on your shoulders. It’s time to recognize your shortcomings and work to eliminate them.

4. Aim high and put challenges in their proper place. Perhaps your desire to achieve was one of the reasons you were promoted in the first place. It’s a success-building quality that will take you far; but don’t hold such high expectations that the frustration of dealing with office politics or other stumbling blocks wears you down into a beaten and exhausted shell. One of the important traits of successful managers is the ability to prioritize challenges and focus on the ones that matter.

If being a manager were easy, everyone could do it. The truth is that it’s a challenge. Follow these tips for new managers and start down the path toward becoming the leader you know you can be.

Dianne Shaddock is the Founder of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips. Through the Employee Hiring and Managing Tips podcast, blog, and weekly ‘quick tips’ e-newsletters, Dianne offers expert advice on how to make better hiring decisions, manage difficult employees, develop employee policies, motivate staff, and so much more. No stuffy, corporate HR policy lingo; but straight forward, easy to understand and implement advice for businesses just like yours. Stay ahead of the curve and go to Easy Small Business HR for more tips on how to hire and manage your staff effectively.

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Top Ten Ways To Hold A Company Party – Without Getting Sued

Here’s a great article written by Michael Mitchell, Partner at Fisher & Phillips, LLC. Employers, take heed…

With the Holiday Season in full swing, many employers ask us about the wisdom of holding company parties where alcohol will be served. They generally want to know about the risk involved if an employee drinks too much at the party and misbehaves, or worse injures or kills someone on the way home. In the interest of answering these questions generally, and with apologies to David Letterman, we are re-running here an article which has appeared in our newsletters several times over the years.

There is always a risk involved in holding any company-sponsored function. Serving alcohol compounds the problems. According to one study, 36% of employers reported behavioral problems at their most recent company party. These problems involved everything from excessive drinking to off-color jokes to sexual advances to fist fights. As a result, about 30% of employers now hold alcohol-free parties.

Since most employers still want to hold holiday parties, you can reduce your legal liability by observing as many of the following recommendations as possible:

10. If possible, don’t serve alcohol. This is easier to do if you simply have a catered lunch at the company’s offices.

9. Invite spouses and significant others so that there will be someone there to help keep an eye on your employees and, if necessary, get them home safely.

8. Always serve food if you serve alcohol, and always have plenty of non-alcoholic beverages available.

7. If your party is a dinner, consider serving only wine or beer (plus non-alcoholic alternatives) with the meal.

6. If you do serve alcohol, do not have an “open bar” where employees can drink as much as they want. Instead have a cash bar or use a ticket system to limit the number of drinks. Close the bar at least an hour before you plan to end the party. Switch to coffee and soft drinks from there on.

5. Let your managers know that they will be considered to be “on duty” at the party. They should be instructed to keep an eye on their subordinates to ensure they do not drink too much. Instruct managers that they are not to attend any “post party” parties.

4. Consumption of alcohol lowers inhibitions, and impairs judgment. This can result in employees saying and doing things that they would not ordinarily do. Remind employees that, while you encourage everyone to have a good time, your company’s normal workplace standards of conduct will be in force at the party, and misconduct at or after the party can result in disciplinary action.

3. Hire professional bartenders (don’t use supervisors!) and instruct them to report anyone who they feel has had too much. Ensure that bartenders require positive identification from guests who do not appear to be substantially over 21.

2. Arrange for no-cost taxi service for any employee who feels that he or she should not drive home. At management’s discretion, be prepared to provide hotel rooms for intoxicated employees.

1. Never, never, never hang mistletoe! Yep, we’re not kidding. Take a look at item number 4 again, and you’ll see why.

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6 Tips for Determining a Fair Hiring Salary: How Much Do They Get Paid?

Transcript of ESBHR Podcast #19: 6 Tips for Determining a Fair Hiring Salary

Listen to the audio.

Some employers make salary offers based on what they can afford to pay a job candidate with no real thought as to what a competitive salary may be for the type of job that they are hiring for.

Other employers may have flexibility to hire a job candidate at a reasonable salary, but in an effort to save money, will try to hire a job candidate at the lowest salary possible without regard to the candidate’s salary expectations or work experience.

Most employers probably fall into the category of not having a clue as to how to even figure out what is a fair and reasonable salary.

After all, how do you determine what to pay your employee if you’ve never hired anyone, or if you don’t know what a fair market salary might be for a particular job?

It’s understandable that entrepreneurs or smaller organizations and businesses in general may not have a clear sense of how to even begin to think about salary.

Here are 6 tips for determining what should be a fair salary to offer a job candidate:

Tip #1: Research Your Competitors To See What They Are Paying

What are others in your industry paying staff for similar types of positions? Don’t be shy about picking up the phone and calling a competitor who may have a job that is posted online or in the newspaper and ask what the salary range is! You’d be surprised at the information that you can get this way.

Tip #2: Go To The Websites Of Larger Companies In Your Area

Many of the larger companies have job posting websites where the salaries for open jobs are listed on the site. Local Want Ads in newspapers are also a good source for salary information.

Tip #3: Perform A Local Or Regional Search Of Available Jobs

Job posting websites such as Monster.com or Career Builder.com feature companies that list salary ranges with their job postings. Go to these websites to see what other companies are paying.

Tip# 4: Use Free Salary Comparison Tools

Find out what the average salaries are for your industry in your region. Salary.com can be helpful because it gives you the ability to search by job category or job title.

When searching on any job posting website or on Salary.com, remember to limit your search to a particular state or region. What might be considered a fair market salary for a job in one part of the country may actually pay much less or a whole lot more in another part of the country.

Tip #5: Research on sites like Craigslist.com

Craigslist.com is an extremely popular website that large and small companies use when looking for employees. Candidates also post their resumes on this site. Take a look at what the salary expectations are for applicants in your region as a way to measure salary expectations and average salaries.

Tip #6: Just Ask Your Job Applicants!

Job seekers in general are very aware of what the market will pay for their particular skill set. If you are phone screening several candidates in the way that I recommend in Episode 3 “How To Phone Screen Job Candidates”, you can ask your applicant what their salary requirements are.

You‘ll find that a general theme will emerge. Most applicants with similar years of experience will have salaries that will fall within a particular range. You can use the data from the phone screens and compare it with data that you find using the tips that I mentioned earlier.

To your success!

Dianne Shaddock is the President of Easy Small Business HR, Employee Hiring and Managing Tips and the author of the ebook “How To Supervise: What Your Boss Never Told You Before You Took the Job“, A Step-By-Step Guide For New and Seasoned Managers.

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ESBHR Podcast 19: 6 Tips for Determining a Fair Hiring Salary

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You’ve interviewed, you’ve checked references, and now you’re ready to select your top candidate.

But first, you’ll need to figure out what salary to offer your potential new hire.

If you’re unsure of how to determine what is the best salary to offer your job applicant, or if you’re looking for tips on how to decide on a salary offer, you’ll want to listen to this episode of Employee Hiring and Managing Tips.