Supervising older/more experienced employees
The older, more tenured employees of any organization are, in many cases, the backbone of an organization. These employees have acquired a great deal of knowledge, skills, and abilities. They have been around long enough to see organizational changes-the good, the bad, and the “ugly”! Also, older employees tend to get stuck in a groove of “we’ve always done it that way” and are resistant to change.
Four tips in managing older/more experienced employees:
- Utilize their knowledge, skills, and abilities. As a new leader, it is critical to leverage the talents of seasoned, tenured employees. Because of their years of service, they have witnessed previous supervisors’ mistakes. Learn from them!
- Involve them in decision making and ask their opinions.
- Utilize them as mentors and for training and development of newer employees.
- Expect them to perform at the same levels as other employees. Reinforce the need to upgrade “intellectual capital” in the same fashion that computer software, hardware, and equipment are upgraded. Learning is the “upgrade” for human capital. Clarify the “why” behind organizational changes, how the changes positively affect them, and involve them in execution of changes.
–Natalie Ivey, President & CEO
Results Performance Consulting, Inc. – RPC
Natalie Ivey is President & CEO of RPC, (www.rpchr.com) a Boca Raton-based company that helps employers manage, train, and retain employees. Ms. Ivey is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and has more than twenty years of leadership and HR experience with Fortune 500 organizations.
