Paperwork, forms, performance review documentation, goal setting, bureaucracy… all of the hoops to jump through at work can seriously impact employee attitude and commitment. Although all of this stuff may seem to be or even actually be necessary, when put together over time, it can add up to a whole lot of paper pushing and job dissatisfaction with a negative impact on employee morale and customer interaction.

Ultimately, the ease of doing business inside of a company can have a big effect on employee turnover and addressing it is a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate proactive leadership.  One of the most important things leaders can do for their people is to show them they genuinely care about them as individuals and as a team and one of the best ways to show this is to make all of the internal processes as easy and non-distracting as possible.

While this might sound overly simplistic, I have seen that when leaders work hard to make things easier for their teams, they send a strong message that they care and that they are looking out for their people. Believe me, when people see their leaders making their lives easier and looking out for their best interests, they behave differently and work harder for the leader and for the mission of that leader.
By working to remove the hoops that get in the way, leaders show their commitment to creating an environment where employees can do the work they were hired to do rather than spending time dealing with red tape.

Think about it: What hoops can you streamline or remove in your workplace that would make your team members’ lives easier?