Accountability in the workplace is a crucial factor in the success of your business. You’ll notice that your entire operation is better when your employees foster a sense of responsibility and integrity amongst themselves. As the leader of your business, it’s important that you lead the change towards more accountability in your workplace culture. Here’s some practical advice to help you achieve exactly that:
Outsource what you can
Outsourcing will not only save you time and money, but it’ll also help keep your business accountable by providing a system of checks and balances. Some duties may be done internally, but it also helps to have an external outsourced service that ensures that everything is delivered in a timely manner and that no single individual has too much power and control over a part of your business. This is especially true for bookkeeping and accounting tasks. Your financial operations is just one of the many areas that will greatly benefit from outsourced CFO services.
Extend feedback regularly
Your employees will never know if they’re doing a great job and what areas they need to improve if you don’t let them know first. It’s important to give regular feedback, even if they don’t ask for it. You’ll be able to help your employee understand how to do their job better as well as make them feel valued. A monthly to bi-monthly performance review will help you determine whether or not an employee is responding well to your feedback and what else they need to work on.
Hold yourself accountable too
You can’t expect your employees to be accountable if you aren’t leading them by example. Your actions and performance are what dictate the general culture and atmosphere of your workplace. So, it’s important that you exemplify the accountability you expect to see in your own employees so that they naturally follow your lead. You can do this by being prompt when it comes to deliverables, owning up to your mistakes, showing up on time for meetings, and supporting your team when they succeed.
Set clear expectations
Instead of leaving your team to make decisions based on what they think is right, you should already set a clear framework for how you expect things to be. Your employees will be able to make more informed choices if they’re knowledgeable about what their work is expected to achieve. The more closely these expectations line up with your vision for your company, the better and the more likely your employees will understand the importance of doing a good job and holding themselves accountable for their performance.
Track performance
Keeping a visible log of your team’s performance will allow them to keep track of what still needs to be done and what they’ve already achieved. A Gantt chart is a great way to do this. Not only will this keep the team accountable, but it will also allow them to maintain a steady momentum towards achieving their goals. Make sure to display this prominently in an area where everyone can see it. This log should include a timeline that details due dates, as well as a list of milestones, accomplishments, and updates on any developments or complications.
When responsibility and integrity rule the workplace, you’re guaranteed to see results. This list of practical advice will help you get the outcome you both want and deserve.
