(Almost) error-free employees

HOW TO PREVENT ON-THE-JOB ERRORS AND ENSURE EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE

Errors by employees are an inseparable part of corporate life.While some errors are insignificant in nature,a few of them may lead to dire consequences for a company depending on the nature of its business.Some of the long term consequences could be loss of sales,deterioration of customer relations and brand image,lowering of product or service quality,and decline in productivity.

Sometimes,a company puts in far more efforts in finding out “who is to blame?“ rather than “what caused the error?“ While some common reasons for errors across organisations and industries may seem to be an employee's lack of attention to detail,physical or mental fatigue and persistently high workload, these factors are often symptoms of a deeper problem rooted in systemic deficiencies.Below are a few simple steps to ensure that common systemic problems that lead to frequent errors are avoided:

Hire the best fit: The focus should be on hiring a person who best fits the job profile.To ensure the best fit and low attrition, it is equally important to be cautious of candidates who lie higher on the spectrum than what the profile demands, as it is critical to filter out candidates who lie below the benchmark. For such an evaluation to take place with objectivity, it is vital that appropriate job analysis is conducted and assessments are designed accordingly.

Focus on training: Well-directed training is the next important step.The idea of job specific training should be to ensure that an employee is provided with the required information and mentoring to take up the job responsibilities with confidence and without hassles.Periodic identification and addressing of training needs of existing employees is also important for engagement,retention and growth.

Allow flexibility to manage workload: People have varying capacities of doing different tasks.

A way of ensuring less errors or mishaps,sometimes,is to focus on the outcomes and allow employees the flexibility to manage the workload in their own way.

Focus on errors,more than the employee: If an error has occurred,the focus should be on addressing its root cause and fixing it rather than penalising the employee.

Ensure an effective work environment: Even a well trained and highly skilled employee is prone to making mistakes if heshe has to work in an environment that hinders work performance.

Emphasising the points above and looking at errors as reasons for improvement rather than debilitating factors can lead to long-term solutions for addressing workplace mishaps and improving systemic processes.