Dealing With People: Staff and Students

The new lecturer had just started at the university and wanted to do his best, especially in the precarious area of dealing with people, and in particular fellow staff and students. He thought that he would speak about this with his mentor, and former lecturer, who he now worked with at the university. His mentor is now the Head of the Department where the new lecturer is working.

Dealing With Staff

The Head said that he has been working at the university for many years, and wanted to share what he has learned from his mistakes and successes. He summarised by stating that knowing how to work with others is key to one’s success as staff help achieve the organisation’s mission. He said that the university has a dedicated human resources (HR) department to manage and motivate its staff and thus he can always obtain assistance from HR. He said that this was not so easy when he worked for several small businesses due to their lack of resources meaning that he might find himself having to handle one or more of recruitment, team management and staff motivation issues. He said that the better you handle these issues, the better the results you will obtain from your workforce. The new lecturer nodded in agreement.

Where Do We Start?

The new lecturer was keen to hear more, and asked “So where in particular do we start?” The Head advised that in his opinion with time and training most skills and processes regarding how to deal with people could be learned on the job, and suggested that particular emphasis should be placed on –

• Facilitating communication: Facilitating communication and interaction between team members and management is vital. Good communication is the foundation of any strong team. Friendly, courteous and professional behaviour is a must. Staff should feel able to ask questions and discuss operations but within reason. If the university is hiring the right people, their viewpoint is valuable and should be considered;
• Performance management: Measuring performance, collating and communicating customer and team feedback, and setting short-term and long-term goals for staff, are all essential for a happy workforce that’s pulling in the same direction;
• Day-to-day management: Clearly briefing staff on their tasks for the day/week and ensuring they have access to all the resources and tools they need is key to empowering staff to do their jobs effectively;
• Motivation and discipline: Recognising staff achievements and encouraging them to meet and surpass their targets is often much more effective than a disciplinarian management style. At the same time, it is equally important to communicate when standards are not being met. When you do so, be sure to provide actionable feedback on how team members can improve and get back on track.

Benefits

The Head anticipated the new lecturer’s question as to the specific benefits of what he had just been discussing and advised that they included improved staff engagement, increased productivity, reduced churn and recruitment costs and helped attract top talent. He continued that happy and engaged staff contribute to a positive employer brand.

Dealing With Difficult People

The new lecturer was advised to act in the best interests of the organisation and the rest of the team. He said that in learning how to deal with difficult staff, the staff member’s primary objective should be to create a happy and supportive workplace that fosters creativity and productivity. In some cases, dismissing a difficult person is a necessary step towards bringing the workplace back in balance, but certainly not in every situation.

Dealing With Students

The Head said that when dealing with students the new lecturer should use the methods already discussed. He then asked the new lecturer as to what he thought was the biggest challenge for university students. The lecturer responded that it was to ensure that the students are safe, happy, can attend class, and are properly taught and assessed. The Head thanked the lecturer and said he felt that managing academic responsibilities is one of the most common challenges faced by university students, and included struggling to balance coursework, studying for exams, and keeping up with readings, as they can be overwhelming. Thus, helping them to develop effective time management skills is very beneficial.  

The Head reiterated that as a new member of staff, and as a new lecturer, his mentee should work towards acting in the best interest of the organisation and the rest of the team, and this included assisting students to benefit from their studies.

Dr Cyril Jankoff is an Associate Professor at UBSS, Associate Dean, Scholarship and a member of the GCA Compliance Directorate.