Answer Questions
Timely
Every day, when an employee goes to work, they are asked
to do a lot of things. They have their normal job but are often asked to help
out someplace else in the operations or do some extraordinary task, like help
with inventory or go to a safety meeting. When supervisors ask employees to
follow through on their requests, supervisors expect a timely positive response
followed up by action.
Employees expect the same thing. When one of your
employees asks you a question, they expect a timely response. Workers are smart
enough to know that they may not always get what they want but they do expect
an answer.
One of the biggest mistakes a manager can make is to
ignore or forget to get back with an employee on a question they have asked.
When this happens the employee will feel like you don’t care and they aren’t
really very important to the operation.
If this happens too many times, you can be sure that the
employee will find somebody who will get those answers and who treats them like
they are important. Unfortunately, it will either be another company, after
you’ve trained them, or a union organizer who will make them feel very
important.
If an employee asks you a question, tell them the answer
to their question, if you know it. If you don’t, write down the employee’s name
and the question they asked and then tell them when you will get back to them
with an answer. The longest you should ever take to get them an answer is the
next business day.
If you have to go up the ladder to get an answer, get
back to the employee and give them a status update and a realistic estimated
time when they can expect an answer. Then, stay on it. Your job is to champion
the issue for the employee. They are depending on you.
If you need to get the answer from up the ladder, here
are some tips to get the answers quicker:
- Include a call to action. For example, give a date by which a response is needed. This gives you permission to “nag.” It allows you to contact the person shortly before the deadline to remind them that the deadline is approaching and shortly after to remind them that the deadline has passed.
- Think about the question you asked. Is it clear? Do they need more information before they can provide an answer? Difficult or confusing questions always get set aside. Write the question clearly; provide a recommendation and information to support it. Check in to see if they need any other information before a decision can be made.
- In your initial question, tell them why you need the information and whether you can continue work while you wait. For example, “I will not make the purchase until I hear from you. Please respond by [date] so I can install the software and continue training according to schedule.” Most people want to avoid being a bottleneck. They do not want to be the reason the project falls behind. Letting them know you are waiting for them is helpful and appreciated.
- Make the question clear. For example, format the question in bold and underline the deadline.
- Think about from whom you are requesting information. Would it be better to drop by and ask the question in person, call them on the phone, or is email their preferred way to communicate?
- You must establish an expectation that employee requests and questions will get answered in a timely manner.
- Treat employee questions like you would treat questions from your boss or your most demanding customer. In other words, treat the employees like you would want them to treat you.
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