How to improve workplace productivity with management courses

Staff teams need to be effectively managed. There needs to be a strong, knowledgeable and confident leader who has the vision to see the bigger picture. A manager needs to understand the inner nuances within the business but appreciate how this fits within the wider context.

There is no doubt that with experience, comes wisdom as well as learning from many failings and problems. However, managing people is also a skill which can be sadly lacking. When there is no skill on how to deal with and manage people in a workplace setting, the results can be disastrous. Repercussions can be felt for some time throughout the business which is why opting for one of the many business management courses available for NCC Home Learning is a great option.

Consequences of poor management

When managers fail, the results are long lasting. Not only are staff unhappy but the damage can ripple far wider, setting your business out against competitors as not being a great place to work. If you think that you cannot afford to invest in business management course, either for yourself or staff, you need to take an objective look at the downsides of a poor manager and their decisions:

#1 High turnover

The single most important asset in any business are people. Without their knowledge, skills and productivity, your business would flounder.

You also invest in your people. From generous benefit packages to all kinds of opportunities to develop and continue their professional development.

So why would you willingly let them go? By taking their skills to competitors, they leave your business a much poorer place. Entrepreneur Richard Branson has interesting thoughts on employee well-being, believing that trust and the ability to move within the business allows people to develop in the best possible way.

Without excellent management, employees will vote with their feet. They will leave your business and jump to a competitor where the management process is far more supportive of them, and their career. Poor management of people accelerates staff turnover.

#2 Stress

Stress in the workplace has been under scrutiny in the last few years. Unacceptable high levels of stress can have a negative impact on both the physical and emotional health of staff.

Reducing stress is more than just about offering massages or days off every now and then. It is a manager’s role to ensure the well-being of their staff team. From ensuring that work load is shared evenly, to watching for signs of stress across the team, the manager has an important role to play in not creating stress but also defending the staff team against it.

#3 Poor hiring decisions

Poor management creates uncertainty. It also means that the staff team can be pulling in different directions, creating an air of uncertainty and conflict.

It can also undermine a calm and planned approach to such things as staff hiring decisions. There can be an urgency that dictates who is hired and when. It means that decisions are not considered ones, the results not the ones that are needed.  It seems rushed and an almost ‘that will do’ tone.

This results in poor hiring decisions, not getting the right people at the right time, nor in the right roles. This just adds to the sense of calamity and disharmony.

#4 Lower morale

All this clashes together with a deafening thud into something known as low morale.

Morale is the way that an employee or a group of employees feel about working for an organisation. It comes from how valued they feel, or not in this case. It is not a magic formula, morale ebbs and flows affected by all kinds of factors including those that are internal to the business, and those that are external.

Poor management contributes to lowered morale.

How business management courses make a difference

Some people, so the saying goes, are natural born leaders. They seem to have the skills and outlook needed for a manger. Some people need to learn these skills or, they need to practice them, use them, find them – and this is where business management courses are worth every penny.

Identifying the differences between a poor manager, a good manager and an excellent manager, a student can begin to carve out the skills they need to lead a team. Being able to piece together the parts of a project, manage what needs doing and leading from the front with considered decisions are all part of the equation – inspiring confidence is another.