Creating a culture of accountability is a basic tenet of a successful organization. Employees need to be engaged and perform their duties without constant supervision. Unfortunately, creating accountability in the workplace doesn't have a one-step solution. These three tips on how to create accountability in the workplace elicit success with a mix of monitoring, supervision, and engagement.
Create a Structured Hierarchy
Whether staffing a bank or a start-up, there needs to be a hierarchy to cultivate accountability. Employees need to know who they report to and who reports to them. Accountability can break down when employees are unsure of where they fall in the organization or when they are asked to report to multiple supervisors. Without a clear hierarchy, employees can feel like their concerns aren't adequately addressed or introduced to upper management. They may also feel marginalized by conflicting responsibilities to multiple supervisors, decreasing morale and accountability.
Businesses searching for how to create accountability need to start with a hierarchy. Employees need to report to one person who can take their concerns up the corporate ladder or address them directly. Without a clear hierarchy, management hurts accountability and increases employee dissatisfaction.
Don't Ignore the Benefits of Monitoring
No matter how many projects or procedures are assigned to remind employees to assume accountability for their role within a company, there will still be those who would rather be surfing the Internet or pursuing other hobbies during the time they're supposed to be working. In a workplace without any accountability monitoring, employees have no reason to curb these excesses. Employees see their co-workers spending the day on Reddit without any repercussions and join in or someone notices an employee regularly saying they leave at five but actually leaving at four and decides to leave early too.
Employees who are held accountable through time management software or Internet blocking are less likely to eschew their job responsibilities to surf the web or take off early. While it may be common place at home to browse Facebook or not perceived as a big deal to leave ten minutes early every day, it adds up to a culture that lacks accountability. Monitoring and guiding employees away from these pitfalls is as much the responsibility of the employer as the employee. Encourage accountability by monitoring accountability through software and addressing accountability concerns early on, rather than letting them increase.
Engage Employees In What They Do Best
No one takes a job hoping for anything less than the best. They want new opportunities, new responsibilities, and new skills. They don't want to waste company time and their own time drudging through the day. For employees that receive negative feedback or find that their skills aren't being utilized, it's easy to ignore job duties and responsibilities and it becomes important for employers to learn how to create accountability with these employees.
Accountability can be monitored but it also needs to be cultivated. Employees need to feel engaged and excited about their position. Letting employees do what they do best will increase their pride and ownership in the company. Annual reviews that include the employee highlighting where they excel and what they like to do can not only lead to more accountability but also more satisfaction and business productivity. Employees need a sense of ownership in their position to cultivate a culture of accountability.
Learning how to create accountability is the first step in making a better, more productive workplace. Employers need to find the right balance of monitoring and cultivating accountability with their employees to make the business run at its best.
