Managing a group of friends, or how to effectively manage people

People working in one department, having constant contact with each other, often become friends. The employer should be happy if there are good interpersonal relations between colleagues - a favorable working atmosphere can effectively improve the efficiency of employees. However, too strong familiarity may be a factor that makes it difficult for the boss to manage people. How should managing a group of friends look like? What methods of interaction should be selected to effectively direct the behavior of subordinates?

A group of employees' friends versus the boss - who has the greatest strength?

The people in the group have much more clout. It is easier for a team of several people to influence the employer. Employees who will jointly apply for a raise may threaten their boss that if they do not get it, they will leave. Collective layoffs will cause a lot of trouble. It will be necessary to carry out the recruitment process and find new job candidates.

The boss, however, should never yield to the demands of a group of friends. If they agree to make a concession once, employees will make a note of this fact and the next time they will try to convince the employer again to another raise, new desks, chairs or additional leave.

The employer should not be afraid of the reaction of a group of friends and of gossiping about him. Everyone has to fulfill their responsibilities at work. Sometimes you can have a laugh and talk about things that are not related to working life, but this should not be the main purpose of being in the workplace. If necessary, the employer should dismiss those members of the group of employees' acquaintances who are not able to work effectively.

Managing a group of employees' friends - changing team members

If a given employer manages a fairly large department, he can always replace individual team members. Thanks to this, a group of employees' friends will be broken. The boss will not be afraid of pressure from her, as she will no longer exist. Colleagues will be separated and will be able to meet only after work or during statutory breaks. Thanks to that, managing a group of friends will become much easier and less burdensome.

Conducting disciplinary interviews

The employer may also conduct disciplinary interviews with those employees who belong to the group of friends. However, it should be remembered that feedback meetings were held in private. Only then will the boss be able to influence the person. It is much more difficult to influence a group.

Introducing team pay - a tool for managing a group of friends

If employees like and defend each other so much, it might be worth introducing a bonus or salary component that depends on the results of teamwork. In this way, employees will understand that their effort and efforts translate into the possibility of obtaining a specific reward. They will motivate each other to work more efficiently.