Ease Year-End Stress Through Delegation

Dec 6th, 2022 | Hire Wire

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…and one of the busiest for HR professionals! Between year-end performance reviews, compensation analyses, and tax and compliance requirements on top of the day-to-day work and planned vacation time, December can feel overwhelming. While it’s tempting to “power through” the season to get everything done, doing so can result in mediocre results and personal burnout.

To combat the end-of-year flurry, consider utilizing delegation. Delegation is defined as “assigning tasks or authority to another person or group to accomplish a goal.” Utilizing delegation has several benefits. By sharing responsibilities, managers can focus on the most important tasks with greater focus instead of handling many tasks inefficiently.

Not only does delegation allow you to take some items off your plate, but it also provides a valuable development opportunity for someone else on your team to grow in their skills. Delegating can also provide team members with a platform to demonstrate new competencies that they would not have had the chance to do otherwise. Finally, learning to delegate increases communication, trust, and collaboration-all critical aspects of a successful team.

With all these benefits, why don’t more managers delegate? Many managers balk at delegating because they struggle to give up control and are fearful the work will not be done to their standards. It can also take a little more time upfront to get your team member started. While these concerns are valid, delegation is a discipline that must be developed. SHRM goes as far as to say that “delegating is the most crucial leadership skill.”

There are several tips you can utilize to make delegating easy for you.

1. Set your delegate up for success. Take a few extra minutes to think through the steps of the project and what you want the outcome to look like. The more direction and detail you can provide to your delegator, the more likely the result will be what you expect.
2. Document the project expectations, outcomes, and timeline. Even if you meet to discuss the work as well, having it in writing is helpful for your delegator to refer to and eliminate any miscommunication about what is expected. Consider using an online tool such as OneNote so both you and your delegator can add notes as the work progresses.
3. Work collaboratively. While you may have an idea of what the results should look like, if there is flexibility in the task or project, allow your delegatee to provide input and creativity. Your colleague may apply a different approach to the work, bringing a diversity of thought and potentially a greater result.
4. Be sure to keep the lines of communication open with your delegatee. Check-in early and often to make sure things are on track and moving in the right direction. You want to avoid your delegatee getting stuck and halting the work while waiting for your feedback.
5. Review the work together. After a task or project is complete, spend a few minutes discussing what worked well and what can be improved in the future. This quick recap will help both you and your delegator in the future when similar tasks or projects arise.

Utilizing delegation within your HR practice can be a differentiator as you approach the end of the year. Take a moment today to consider what you can delegate so you can focus on what matters most!