Make the most of your meeting time

Sometimes a small-business owner may be reluctant to hold staff meetings.

It may be because it uses precious time that could be better devoted to managing the business or because of the potential for getting off track and accomplishing very little.

Employee meetings can be worth the investment of time and effort. Good communication between management and employees is the hallmark of a well-run company.

All employees want to feel that they have something important to offer the business.

Even if you speak with each of your employees on a regular basis, ongoing communication with employees as a group is the best way to effectively share information, discuss common issues and take advantage of the synergy of group interaction.

At employee meetings, you provide the big picture.

Employees may be intimately familiar with specific tasks but may not be exposed to the larger goals for the company.

An employee meeting provides a forum for sharing this information. Give employees an opportunity to ask questions or make suggestions.

Gain employee buy-in by including them as participants, not just as an audience.

Encourage your employees to come up with new ways to operate or to improve current systems. Recognize and reward success publicly.

Recognition in front of fellow employees has value. People want to feel valued and appreciated.

Even though employees do get paid for their labor, it's up to you to make sure they feel that their efforts are meaningful and appreciated. Take time to say "thank you."

Occasionally, you may wish to discuss or share news about challenges within the business.

This open, honest discussion can help mobilize employees to take action. Be careful not to criticize anyone directly.

You always want to end an employee meeting on a positive note, even if serious business issues were discussed during the meeting. You set the tone and course of the meeting from start to finish.

Meetings should always be on company time and an employee who comes in especially for an employee meeting should be paid for that time. Establish a firm schedule for employee meetings.

Decide how often you want to conduct company wide meetings and prepare an advance schedule and agenda for those meetings.

If you would like to discuss employee meeting, employee communication or motivation, contact the contact the SCORE Association "Counselors to America's Small Business."

SCORE is a nonprofit organization of more than 10,500 volunteer, business counselors who provide free and confidential information to veteran entrepreneurs and those just starting out.

If you are starting or growing your business, call SCORE at the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce at 641-1111 or the Greater North Augusta Chamber of Commerce at 279-2323 for free, confidential business counseling advice.