5 Things You Must Do When Managing Hourly Employees

Managing hourly employees poses a number of challenges  for today’s employers. Hourly employees are not driven by the same goals as those working on salary or commission.  They generally move from job to job, motivated by wages, work schedules, time off and distance to work (commute times). They tend to be younger, less educated and may have problems reading and understanding English. To ensure that your hourly employees work efficiently and as a team, there are certain management guidelines you should follow.  Here are the top five:

Proper Training 

As a manager of hourly employees, you must make sure that every employee is fully trained and understands the various aspects of his or her job. If there is a language barrier, an immediate supervisor should be hired who speaks their language. He or she should be tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that every employee is “up to speed” on their job.  Such a “go-between” can prove invaluable in gauging the attitude of subordinates and in settling minor conflicts and squabbles. Ideally training should be conducted for several employees at one time, so that they can help each other with any questions or specific procedures. Not everyone learns at the same speed.  

Frequent performance evaluations

Immediately after training, hourly employees should be closely supervised and their individal performance measured against previously established benchmarks.  Task and time metrics should be used to guage their performance-both individually and as a team.  This should be done on a regular basis. Performance problems often occur when hourly employees work different days and shifts. Those working part-time frequently end up working with different team members on different days. This can create teamwork problems that can slow productivity. I observed this first hand during a recent visit to a newly opened Carl’s Jr. restaurant. Employees (mostly high school kids) were literally bumping into each other as they struggled to work as a team. They were hard working and courteous; they simply needed more training. 

Scheduling for maximum efficiency

To keep things running smoothly, experienced employees should be scheduled with new hires to fill in knowledge and skill gaps during the work shift. This will prevent “roller coaster” efficiency reports, where some days are models of efficiency and others, a “Keystone Cops” disaster. All hourly employees should be made aware that they could be on-call at a day’s notice to fill in for an employee who can’t make it to work that shift or has suddenly quit. Manager’s should advise their shift supervisors that they may be required to work double shifts to fill in for an employee who fails to show up for work. 

Building esprit de corps

Unlike a sales team or other salaried team members, hourly employees tend to be fragmented in shifts, skill level and motivation. As an employer, you must ensure that your hourly employees attain a minimum level of esprit de corps. While this may be easier to achieve for older, long time employees, younger school-aged workers will need a bit more motivation. This is where rewards systems come into play. Rewards can be monetary, prizes, or other tangible rewards for best performance, punctuality, and other work metrics. 

Mentoring for growth and advacement

While most hourly employees regard their jobs as just a paycheck, there are those (especially recent immigrants who cannot afford college), who will want to advance up the ranks. These employees will be most responsive to mentoring. Often times, these employees will be your hardest workers. They should be encouraged to apply for company training programs and supervisor internships. 

 

Managing hourly employees can be a challenge, but there are things you can do to build a team that will make your department proud.