How To Break Bad Habits Within Your Team

We all have bad habits, be they things we do consciously, or even unconsciously. Some of them don’t warrant a lot of scrutiny, and we can still live our lives reasonably well regardless. On the other hand, there are some bad habits that are detrimental. In our personal lives, these can include smoking, drinking too much, and gambling. In business, there are other bad habits that can prove harmful too. So, when talking about bad habits within your team, we are thinking about some of the following:

• Poor time-keeping, from arriving to work late, to handing in projects after deadlines have ceased. Time-management is an issue, and productivity will take a nosedive as a consequence.
• Spreading negativity around the workplace, be that gossiping about others, or telling lies, for any number of reasons. As a result, the overall mood of the workplace will change for the worse, especially when some of these matters become personal.
• Becoming distracted by things other than work. From engaging in too much office banter to spending time on social media, your employees may be doing anything but what they are supposed to be doing.
• Making simple mistakes at work, that if left to continue, may cause issues down the line. As examples, this might include using wrong spellings and implementing the wrong grammar in email and marketing communications. The employee may not be aware they are making these mistakes, but your clients may be.

You can probably add more bad habits to that list, especially if you are guilty of some of them yourself, or you have noticed them within your workplace. So, what should you do about the problem? How can you break bad habits within your team? Focus on the following three areas.

• Bring in the professionals to help you. By hiring a business consulting firm, you will have the wisdom and experience of a team who can identify issues that you may not have picked up on yourself. They will determine any problem areas and give tips on how to improve your team’s performance. You may be guilty of a few bad habits yourself, so be prepared to eat humble pie when these are brought to your attention.
• Confront issues head-on. If you spot any bad habits, don’t assume they will magically disappear with time. If anything, they will get worse, so you need to break the cycle early on. Reprimand those team members who lie and gossip. Find out why your team members are late to work, or why they miss deadlines. If there are mistakes being made, guide your team members into better practices or pay for training to build their skill set. Be it a performance review or a staff meeting, do something rather than nothing, for any bad habit you notice.
• Offer incentives. While there are times you will need to come down hard on your employees, you should also offer positives. You can improve your workforce by offering rewards for work well done, and completed ahead of time. This way, you are giving them the incentive to stop any behaviour that is causing a problem with their productivity. Let them know how their bad habits are hindering the business too. By showing them the error of their ways, and by letting them know the positives behind breaking their bad habits, you will give them further incentive.

Are there bad habits within your team? Are you guilty of bad habits yourself? Consider our advice, and start to make changes to better your business. After all, you don’t want to fall into the worst bad habit of them all. Procrastination!