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!

As a business owner, you put all of your trust into your employees to do the work that you’ve assigned to them so that your business can run how you see fit. But have you ever sat back and thought about how much your team actually does for you? Many business owners fail to acknowledge this information and end up taking their members of staff for granted, which can result in people looking for new jobs and leaving you stuck for staff. To prevent this from happening to you and your business, take a look at the things you need to be doing for your team so they are happy and work to the best of their abilities.

Praise them

One of the most common things that bosses and business owners forget to do is praise their staff for their hard work or achievements. When you’ve worked hard to resolve a problem, or to get a project done on time, it’s really disheartening when you don’t get any thanks or praise. Make sure that you’re aware of the work that your staff are putting in so that you can praise them for the hard work that they’ve done, and what they’ve achieved in such little time. Doing this will make your team feel appreciated and fuel them to work harder and with as much passion.

Take the blame

Another massive faux pas that bosses make is not taking blame for mistakes that have been made because of them. Just because your role is higher than them doesn’t make you any less available to blame. As Afterburner Inc explains here, being able to take accountability for the mistakes that you’ve made or caused shows great leadership, and will encourage others to do so when they have made a mistake. We’re all human and are likely to make mistakes from time to time, and being able to take the blame so that you can resolve it shows strength.

Give them refreshments

Many workplaces don’t allow food or drink on site to keep up reputation. While it’s understandable that you don’t want to see your staff stuffing their faces or guzzling down coffee on your shop floor, everybody should be entitled to some sort of refreshment during a long shift. Make it so that your staff are able to nip out to grab a drink in the staff room, and have a vending machine available so that on their breaks, they’re able to get something to eat and revitalise themselves. A refreshed member of staff will work harder than someone who is hungry and dehydrated.

Back them up

If you work in the retail industry, or in fact any industry that deals with customers face to face or on the phone, then you’re subject to a few disgruntled customers coming in or phoning to complain. The problem that many employees face is their boss not backing them up in a sticky situation. Train your staff to deal with these customers, and make sure that if you’re needed to back them up, that you are. Many bosses make the mistake of going back on their word and saying anything just to please the customer. Don’t make the mistake of going against the training you’ve given to your staff.

Be compassionate

Everybody has personal issues that will crop up from time to time, and while you don’t want every single bit of drama dragged into the workplace, there are some circumstances which simply cannot be helped. The death or sickness of a loved one, or even injury to the member of staff are perfect examples of times that you need to be compassionate, especially if said member of staff is a loyal member of the team. Learn to establish when someone is being genuine, and when someone is simply trying to get a day or two off work, and you will be able to keep your team happy and hardworking!

Your team is the backbone of your business, and if you follow these 5 things and carry them out you will find that your team is hardworking, tight knit, and also willing to help the business out whenever possible.