Encouraging Staff Responsibility Within Realistic Parameters

A staff member is your ambassador (when they’re on the clock and being paid to be part of your team, anyway). This means that at work, they must conduct themselves in ways that help your firm, and will not cause actual or reputational damage to your premises, your assets, or your brand image.

Encouraging staff responsibility, then, is important. From being able to report a problem customer, to reporting a fire if they see one, this autonomy can express itself in many ways, but it’s vital that it does.

That said, staff may not wish to resolve an issue with their own hands if they’re not sure how to do it, or if that’s something they should be responsible for. For example - shoplifting customers must never be stopped by anyone other that security personnel, because the risk of harm vs the risk of losing value from a stolen product is vastly outweighed in favor of keeping your staff safe.

With that in mind, encouraging staff responsibility within realistic, defined parameters is essential. In this post, we’ll discuss how to achieve that:

Revise The Policy Handbook

It’s important to revise your policy handbook where appropriate, so that employees know what’s expected of them in certain situations. For example, you might discuss how to deal with problem customers, their rights to hang up during an abusive support call (and report that to the higher ups) as well as how to act on social media, understanding that their actions online will reflect on your brand. Revising your policy handbook means having clearly defined guidelines, and also helping managers understand how to process reports, train staff, and mediate certain situations.

Streamline The Process

Of course, the prior tip shouldn’t serve as an information dump. That in itself can be problematic, because employees have to do their jobs and not worry about clause Q of the 24th subsection in their guidebook. Streamlining processes around measures like fire safety, or logging onto their automated VPN when connecting to the internet through work devices, or forcing them to change their password every 180 days, all of this can be achieved with a little care and forethought. In the long run, this can help you move forward with care.

Put In Reporting Systems

It’s also important to put in reporting systems so that issues can be immediately and clearly communicated, without the fear of a smaller issue being lost in the communicative process. A maintenance ledger that’s constantly updated can immediately showcase when and where issues exist, perhaps so Commercial roofing repairs and maintenance services are contacted immediately in the event of a leak, or perhaps to report dysfunctional elevators within your premises. 

A reporting system can standardize communications around pressing issues, and accelerate the response time, while also ensuring documentation is easy to view and become processed. This is part of the streamlining effort, and it will make all the difference.

With this advice, you’re sure to encourage staff responsibility - but always within realistic parameters.