Management hacks that work

If so, there's good news. Anyone can take advantage of a few reliable hacks to supercharge their efficiency. Some techniques have been around for decades, but others are quite fresh. Fleet managers are coming to rely on telematics systems more than ever before. Other supervisors and owners are discovering that there's long-term value in offering no-cost EAPs (employee assistance programs) to their staff members who need help with personal problems like addiction.

Additionally, quarterly performance reviews are a modern twist on the old annual version. Today's management leaders understand the importance of maintaining proper legal and social boundaries in the workplace as well. Ironically, one of the oldest hacks, known as MBWA (management by walking around), is surging in popularity during the 2020s because it requires zero technology, costs nothing, and delivers excellent results when done right. The following hacks are currently among the most popular for managerial operatives who feel the need for a change of pace.

Managers of transport fleets rely on telematics solutions to successfully run their operations from day to day. In fact, the latest telematics solutions far exceed earlier versions that didn't do much more than track vehicles via GPS locators. Today's fleet tracking systems can help drivers stay safe through real-time coaching, improve routing efficiency, monitor fuel usage, and much more. Fleet managers live on information, and telematics program solutions serve as the virtual control center for all data related to the vehicle, engines, driver behavior, road conditions, and routing. Using telematics is the wisest decision any transport company owner can make. As a managerial tool for supervisors, there's nothing better.

Since the 1980s, companies have been including EAPs in their standard list of worker benefits. The logic behind the concept is that the better employees will tend to seek help for personal and substance-abuse problems when there's free or low-cost help available. Then, after recovery, they will become even more productive and loyal than they were before. In actual practice, thousands of organizations in every industry have had luck with worker retention when EAPs are on the benefits menu. This is a helpful way to banish imposter syndrome in individuals who struggle to perform at their peak due to a lack of help with their own demons.

The old days of annual performance reviews are giving way to a hybrid system in which supervisors tend to offer more frequent evaluations to new hires and long-term employees. The change has been popular wherever it's tried. Human nature is behind the preference for knowing where one stands. Plus, quarterly reviews give workers more detailed, timely feedback about where they excel and where they need improvement which leads to a greater ability to boost chances of a successful career in the long run.

MBWA, management by walking around, enjoyed a surge of interest several decades ago but is now entering a second, adapted phase. The new version of gathering information by casually wandering through the office and chatting with various people is more structured. MBWA 2.0 incorporates lists of informal questions about job satisfaction, suggestion box comments, and essentially finding out what's on the minds of office employees in a given department. There are even formal books and courses that teach managers how to get the most out of the technique.

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