You now got the job as the construction manager and no doubt you will face a few challenges in front and it’s that time you need to be careful so that you can achieve in your managerial position.
In most occasions it can be difficult to provide a checklist of the things that a person should watch out for as every business runs differently. While offices are different, there are certain things that a new manager has to watch out for and the following are just a few things to monitor to make sure your first few months as a manager go smoothly.
Time Theft
With technology at everyone’s fingertips it has become difficult to tell if someone is working or just checking their social media accounts with an intense look. Time theft is defined by E-pay Systems as “Time theft is when an employee accepts pay for time they have not actually put into their work. From fudging time sheets to using work time for play time—whenever employees are on the clock but not on the job, they’re stealing time. Time theft can be hard to detect. It comes in many forms and many levels of severity. Employers pay the price via inflated payroll and lost productivity.”
In most occasions weather you are on sight, weather in office there are people who are used to stealing time instead of delivering.
With that you have to ensure you come up with strategies that will ensure you get rid of time wastage in your working space.
People Treating You like a Friend Rather Than a Manager
There might come a time when you are promoted and become the boss of a few of your friends. This can become very uncomfortable especially if your friends take advantage of the fact that you are the new boss. A great saying for a manager that has friends in the office is “If you’d rather be fair than liked, then as a manager you are doing the right thing.” Do not give friend preferential treatment as this can cause other employees to feel like they are being left out or not treated fairly.
The same goes for giving promotions in the office. A friend might be up for a promotion but there is someone else in the office that is more deserving. One way to help solve this is to ask a high level employee to review the candidates qualifications and experience to see which one they would pick. In this case, if your friend is passed up for a promotion, you know that it was for good reason rather than you being too hard on your friend.
People Second Guessing You Publicly
There might be changes that are instituted once you become manager to help optimize things or organize things differently. There will be push back if you are changing processes that have been done for years. While it is important to listen to the feedback of employees it is important to let everyone know that negativity shouldn’t be broadcast to the entire office. If somebody has a problem with a new policy or process, it is important to address this person in a private meeting rather than publicly as public confrontation might not go well if you are not assertive enough.
Let everyone know that you respect their opinions but any negativity about things shouldn’t be publicly expressed. This not only makes others second guess a plan but it can hurt the morale of the entire office. If somebody is in a slump make an active effort to help them as slumps can be contagious especially in a sales office as great sales teams feed off of the success of others closing deals.
A new job is never easy and this compounds when you are in charge of a small or large group. Decisions that are made on a daily basis by managers can have a huge impact on the company as a whole. Don’t let any of these things creep up and end up hurting your professional career.
