Ten Helpful Questions to
Ask Your Employees
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yourofficecoach.com is copyrighted to Marie G. McIntyre. All rights
reserved.
May be reproduced
with copyright and attribution to
www.yourofficecoach.com.
On
the “Newlywed Game” television show, husbands and wives had to guess how
their spouse would answer various questions. If you had to play a
similar game with your employees, how would you do? All too often, we
work with people every day, yet have no clue about their goals,
interests, pet peeves, or life outside of work.
Thinking about your own employees, try to predict their answers to the
questions below. Then gradually work the questions into your actual
conversations. You are guaranteed to learn a lot. And become a better
manager.
1.
What would you like to be doing two years
from now?
Understanding employees’
career goals can help you create a motivational workplace. People are
most energized by work that may contribute to their future success.
2.
How could I help to make your job easier?
You may be creating
obstacles for employees of which you are completely unaware. Or you may
be able to facilitate communication with other people or departments.
Unless you ask, you’ll never know.
3.
Which part of your job do you like best?
Assigning projects and
tasks based on interests often produces the best results.
4.
What’s the biggest hassle in your job?
When you understand
employees’ roadblocks and headaches, sometimes you can help to reduce
them. At the very least, asking about them will show that you’re
concerned and sympathetic.
5.
What could we do to improve overall
results or make the department more effective?
Employees often have
ideas for improvement that go beyond their individual responsibilities.
6.
What would you like to learn?
Encouraging employees to
increase their knowledge and improve their skills will make your whole
operation more successful. To keep up with the pace of change, everyone
must keep learning.
7.
What do you see as your greatest
accomplishment this year?
Although most people are
uncomfortable bragging, almost everyone enjoys talking about their
successes. So follow up with detailed questions about each person’s
achievement.
8.
How could we make work more fun?
“Fun” doesn’t have to
mean a daily party. Anything that makes coming to work more enjoyable
will improve morale .
9.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of
this department?
Although employees are
usually reluctant to give their boss personal feedback, they are often
quite willing to critique operations. This information can help you
improve policies, procedures, and processes.
10.
How are your [kids, vacation plans,
dogs, home improvements, or whatever]?
While you never want to
ask intrusive questions about your employees’ personal lives, you do
want to show an interest. After all, these are people, not just
widgets.
Copyright Marie G.
McIntyre. All rights reserved. May be reproduced with copyright and
attribution to
www.yourofficecoach.com .
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