Are your company policies, systems and management-style setting your employees up for success or failure? Chances are if your staff turnover is higher than 10% per year, you are setting them up for failure.
So what does it mean to set your employees up for failure? Here are some signs:
1) Punishment for failing to follow systems, achieve targets or KPIs
Why this Doesn't Work: Punishment will never motivate someone to follow a system they don't understand or "own", achieve targets that are unreasonable or meet KPIs that don't support their business.
2) Creating new systems ontop of other systems
Why this Doesn't Work: Creating more systems because no one followed the other systems doesn't solve anything. If they should be following the system it needs to be modified, explained or replaced such that people use that system. More systems just create confusion.
3) Criticizing, insulting or otherwise putting-down one or multiple people in private or in a group for failure
Why this Doesn't Work: Failure is an opportunity for everyone to learn and discuss. It failed for a reason - lack of support, insufficient explanation, or conflicting priorities. Figure out what went wrong and fix it.
4) Trying to play one employee against others to motivate or scare them
Why this Doesn't Work: Employees talk to each-other and gossip. Pretty soon everyone will know what you are doing and you will loose any respect they once had for you. No one likes to be manipulated.
5) Insisting that the way things were done in the past was right or better
Why this Doesn't Work: things and situations change faster than you can imagine. Employees on the ground will have a much better idea about what works and doesn't work. Giving advice based on what worked in the past can help, but comparing will never work.
6) Trying to change someone into someone else
Why this Doesn't Work: every employee has a unique personality that gives them a unique way of working and succeeding. Trying to make them behave "your way" or the "successful way" will just make them frustrated and unhappy.
And the list goes on... In a healthy environment, your employees should be challenging you, talking with you and complaining about the systems in place. That is normal.
Something is seriously wrong if people stop talking. The worst thing that can happen to your team is silent support or forced agreement.
