One of the most important responsibilities as a manager is governing the dynamics of your team. Ensuring they get along, trust and respect each other; that they value each other.

In a casualised workforce this task can sometimes prove harder if an optimal working environment hasn’t been established. Here are a few steps a manager can take, to nurture the successful collaboration of their team.

1. Develop a healthy workplace culture
Regardless of whether they’re full time, part time or casual – every employee wants to go to work feeling valued and accepted. By creating an open, flexible and safe environment, your team will feel comfortable to express their ideas, thoughts, and opinions. This naturally fosters the growth of collaboration, as your team will feel confident to contribute the organisation’s thinking. ShiftMatch contributes to this culture, by providing casual staff with greater control over their work-life balance, allowing them to pick up as much or as little work as they want. This creates a sense of value amongst employees.

2. Value diversity
Diversity is a powerful characteristic in any organisation and is highly prevalent in the casualised workforce. Through leveraging the different perspectives and experiences of people, your team will be able to reach greater insight and therefore develop better outcomes.

3. Place importance on relationships
Great relationships are the foundations of a thriving team. In order to nurture the growth of trust and respect amongst your team members, there needs to be value placed on the development of relationships.

4. Get the right staff to the right shift
Getting the most qualified employee to a vacant shift is important. ShiftMatch’s rating system recognises the various levels of each employee’s qualification, allowing them to be better utilised across multiple facilities. Greater utilisation mixed with strong communication streams allows for higher retention of valued employees, which in turn contributes to improving team dynamics.

5. Set expectations around behaviour and accountability
This is especially important in a casualised workplace. Ensure that you clearly outline the core values of your organisation and your team. These behaviours should encourage commitment to the overall success of the team. When misalignment occurs, it is important that you hold people accountable for their behaviours; as behaviour should hold equal importance to the outcome.

6. Resolve conflicts
Conflicts can still arise, despite the highest level of camaraderie and health in a workplace culture. Things can become stressful and your employees may find themselves in a situation they struggle to manage. Be sure to identify when your team members are experiencing friction, and encourage them to engage in open, honest and respectful discussions about the issues that are taking place. It should be a common goal for each member, to reach a resolution that allows positive working relationships to resume.